Miami Real Estate

The Cloisters: Located in Coconut Grove, this gated community features 40 private villas. Each villa has three floors and offers 4,500-7,900 square feet of living space and private elevators. Each villa has 3-5 bedrooms, 2 car garages, and a rooftop terrace overlooking fabulous views of the bay, ocean and city. The Cloisters community offers residents a pool, clubhouse and tennis court.

Gables by the Sea: Located in Coral Gables, this prestigious community has much to offer. Residents enjoy luxurious estates and channels/waterways with ocean access. The community boasts a playground, basketball and tennis courts as well as 24 hour security patrol and guard house. True to its name, life revolves around the sea, with sailing, water skiing, and scuba diving as year round activities. Gables by the Sea offers luxury living in a tranquil coastal setting. Read the rest of this entry »

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In real estate, location is everything … The same applies to timing.  In the midst of a major South Florida real estate downturn, and a disasterous economic climate that Miami has been swimming through over the past several years,  I’m not at all convinced that breaking ground and launching one of the biggest projects Coral Gables has seen in awhile was well-timed: Old Spanish Village.  

Ponce Circle Developers (a partnership between Jose R. Mas and Juan C. Mas of the Mas Group, and Raphael Sanchez of the Sanchez Group) obviously disagreed though Read the rest of this entry »

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“The City Beautiful” (literally and figuratively),  Coral Gables captures an elegance admired not only locally, but internationally.  Incorporated in 1925, the City of Coral Gables continues to offer  incentives to architects, builders and developers whose designs are in keeping with George Merrick’s vision of a community steeped in Mediterranean style.  Merrick was  influenced by Deering’s creation of Villa Vizcaya, and envisioned creating a Spanish-influenced city within Miami, giving it shape, structure, and esthetic beauty.  Working with master craftsmen and city planners, Merrick began what would become a cultural gem of South Florida,  Coral Gables .

Rich with culture, Coral Gables distinguishes herself through Mediterranean-revival style architecture.  Now more than ever, that urban core, from Miracle Mile to Merrick Park, bustles with ever-growing numbers of art galleries,  fine restaurants,  bookstores,  and shops. Increasingly more pedestrian,  with open air markets, street fairs, art shows, cultural and community happenings Read the rest of this entry »

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I just stepped back in time …  into the oldest standing house in Coral Gables.   Built in 1899, this Gables house at 6810 Maynada Street in Coral Gables Florida  literally catapults you “back into history”.  (My daughter said it felt like being shot back  into the Civil War… The history of this house goes back to just before the turn of the century).  The main house gained historical designation  in 1978 . As the oldest standing house in Coral Gables (with two bedrooms and one bath)  it was ‘added to’ in 1966…  by way of a separate, detached carriage house …  (added with permits).  The carriage house serves as both  a garage, and as a separate ‘guest house’ …above the garage,  on the second floor… a one bedroom and one bath apartment.  I remember when the carriage house had no doors on the front…  and magnificent antique cars  visible from the curb that the owner tinkered with passionately… tools and treasures in full display, the doors never (to my knowledge) locked or even closed. 

Unquestionably, this is a house for someone enamored of, and devoted to historic preservation.  It’s  listed for sale Read the rest of this entry »

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Every once in awhile there’s a great find, worth mentioning.   It has been a while since I’ve come across something this exquisite and this well-priced in the Gables!   TWO STORY …PRICED TO FLY…  elegant and completely renovated … $299,000!  It’s a European-style  2 bedroom 2.5 bath  TWO STORY corner townhouse in the heart of Coral Gables…  at 260 Majorca Avenue in Coral Gables… near the city’s pedestrian hub.  Updated from top to bottom, this property has  two  balconies with wrought iron rails  that overlook the private downstairs garden … (surprisingly private and beautifully landscaped).  This is an immaculate, turn key property…  To say that it is exquisite is an understatement! Living spaces flow... with a well-designed… open floor plan. It is “comfortably elegant  and welcoming”… a great starter home or pied-a-terre right  smack in the center of the Gables. 

Every corner, nook and cranny was designed to be ulitilized and enjoyed.  Bedrooms are both upstairs… each with their own bath.  There’s an additional guest bath downstairs. Read the rest of this entry »

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Gables To The Bay Regatta will take place on October 17, 2009, one week after the famed Columbus Day Regatta. The event is open to all ages with self propelled watercraft: kayaks, canoes and stand up paddle boards. The race distance is 5 miles from US 1 and S. Alhambra Circle, the Mahi Waterway to Shake-A-Leg Dock in Coconut Grove. There will be a race celebration immediately following the water activities, at Shake-A-Leg, with food, live music, raffles, clinics and giveaways.

Each class will have morning and afternoon races, with staggered starts and the faster classes leaving first. Refreshments will be provided at Ingraham Terrace Park and the Shake-A-Leg docks. Jimmy Lewis will host paddle borad clinics for the whole family. The event is brought to you by many sponors, including Mercedes-Benz of Coral Gables, Shake-A-Leg Miami, The City of Coral Gables and Tuuci. Come out for a fun filled family day.

If I can help you buy or sell real estate in Coral Gables or anywhere in South Florida, send me a note.

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We are waking up to signs that we may be either near, or at,  the bottom of the Miami real estate market.   Interest rates are slightly up, and that tends to be an indicator.  Inventory has dropped. Properties are priced more realistically than they have been in recent months (… at least for the most part).   Worth noting  is that the  homes  that ARE selling,  tend to be selling  within 5-10% of their asking prices.

In just the past several weeks  EWM Realtors  had  multiple offers on a number of properties.   Buyers ’sure’ there was ample room for negotiation submitted low-ish offers, only to have the seller  accept an almost full-price offer,  from another buyer!  The buyers with  low-ball offers seem to be finding themselves   up  a creek without a paddle more frequently these days!

It’s true, the only way we will  really know we’ve  hit the bottom of the real estate market, is once interest rates increase, and the housing prices begin to move up , and we’re  actually “looking backward”.

Looking forward… many buyers (or hoverers)  are waiting for ’signs’.  What’s the housing market doing?   The signs are there.   Some  of those signs are subtle, others are more blatant.   Inventory has dropped. Sales  are UP  in single family homes and condos, both,  in many parts of Miami.  Thinking about buying?  Call the Restivo’s at 305 793-1365.    Buy… if you can!   Sell…  if you must !  Whenever  you’re ready to do either, we can help!  Contact Vicki and Alexandra Restivo -  Selling Miami  Better, Faster, Smarter!   http://www.MiamiRealEstateCafe.com

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As the new school year approaches, the UM family has something to boast about- The University of Miami has been ranked number 50 in best colleges in the nation in their 2010 edition. In the past eight years, U of M has moved up 17 spots, being number 51 last year, making it one of the fastest rising schools in the ranking of national institutions. 

The ranking reflect a number of things, including student achievement and graduation rates as well as the faculty, facilites, learning and living environment. The freshman retention rate is now at 90%, the average SAT score of incoming freshman is 1285 (a 110 point rise since 2001) and the number of freshman in the top 10% of their high school class has also risen. The alumni giving rate is up from 12% in 2001 to 19% today.

President Donna Shalala took over the position in 2001, and since then the University has changed tremendously with the above mentioned improvements as well as the Momentum Campaign, which ended in 2007. The campaign raised $1.4 billion for academic and medical programs, scholarships, athletics and other incentives. The complete article is available here.

For information on Miami Real Estate … buying, selling or renting … contact Alexandra Restivo @ 305 632-0164

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Looking for a great spot to picnic in Miami this summer?:   Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden  offers Free Admission Every Sunday in August. 

83 acres of grounds … with delighful nooks and crannies to explore, paths to wander, scenic havens, tables, benches, and shady spots for a blanket and picnic… for local residents, artists, photographers,  and visitors from across the globe!   The breathtaking view of Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden shown in here is the work of local artist Federico Carosio III  .  Carosio will apparently also be creating scenes of Italy (of Tuscany and the Amalfi Coast) …  in a similar style.. which I can’t wait to see! Website: www.federicocarosioiii.com  

Spend a Sunday in Fairchild Gardens!   Tram rides run continuously, offering superb narrated tours, and visitors can hop on and off at will. (I repeated the full tour, three times in a row,  one afternoon, when John Soliday  – University of Miami Professor –  was the tour guide. Worth calling ahead just to see if he’s doing tours that day!)  The gardens, and that tour guide, got me hooked on Fairchild’s wealth of information!  Truly fun! 

Acres of lush tropical foliage,  waterfalls, wildlife,  endangered plants, art, open air cafes, and cultural ‘happenings”. 10901 Old Cutler Road, Miami Florida.  For information about Fairchild:  (305) 667-1651 …  and to read more about this other events scheduled all summer in Miami:  check out Robert Burr’s Great Gables Events   (updated, like clock work, each week).

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Recycling bins  delivered curbside  months ago may be too small or too large for some of us.    If you’d like a  size other than the standard 65 gallon bin provided to you by the county,   call 3-1-1  and they’ll deliver one that works better for you.    They will substitute either a larger (95 gallon) or  smaller (35 gallon)  bin for your existing one,  within 1- 10 days of your call.   In order to receive your new container,  you’ll need to leave the old one at at the curb for them to exchange.   Recyclables are collected every two weeks.   Miami areas serviced by the new recycling program include Miami-Dade County, Aventura, Cutler Bay, Doral, Florida City, Medley, Miami Beach, Miami Gardens, Miami Lakes, Miami Springs, North Bay Village, Opa-locka, Palmetto Bay, Pinecrest, Sunny Isles, Surtside, Sweetwater, West Miami and Virginia Gardens.

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