Miami Real Estate

Gables By the Sea … a gated-community.  Pinecrest address (Pinecrest school district: Pinecrest Elementary, Palmetto Middle, and Palmetto Senior High) … Just listed by Pam Mayers, and  Vicki and Alexandra Restivo of EWM Realtors, Inc (Berkshire Hathaway affiliate - a Warren Buffet Company):

Two-story 5 bedroom contemporary pool home  at 5874 SW 131 Terrace in Gables by the Sea:  Situated on a quiet cul-de-sac, this 4822 square foot home has soaring-high wood-beamed  Cathedral ceilings.  Marble and wood floors. Read the rest of this entry »

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Canal-front property, literally just minutes from the Univerisity of Miami and Coral Gables: 5240 SW 64 Avenue. This 4 bedroom/ 4 bath home has carport parking for 10 cars Read the rest of this entry »

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Nicely rennovated kitchen … one of the highlights of this four-bedroom canal-front home … with Viking and SubZero appliances!   Another plus is the property location and canal frontage …   Boat dock… jetski… kayak. ..  Easy access to Coral Gables, shopping, dining, major transportation.  

5305 SW 64th Avneue  (near Miller and Ludlam … and the University of Miami): READY FOR BUYER!  

Sellers are relocating. 

The property, listed through Isac Keboudi of EWM Realtors, was just reduced by almost $150,000 on October 21st. 

Newly priced at $659,000 it’s a 4 bedroom /3 bath home … 2 Car Garage …  with Impact Glass:   5305 SW 64 Avenue, Miami,  Florida.

Pool area is set-up with  a nice bar and entertainment area, and the backyard looks out over  the canal. 

Please call Vicki Restivo  at 305 793-1365  or Isac  Keboudi at  305 329-4935  to see it… or drop us a note here.           

 Two year NEW airconditioning.

New washer/dryer…

Comfortable Living Room and Dining Room. 

Pool Patio…. and Canal front with boat dock.

Deep, rich color palette.  

 3623 square feet of living space.

Tile roof.

Full 2 car garage.

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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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3674 LOQUAT AVENUE …  ”Hummingbird Cottage” in COCONUT GROVE, FLORIDA  …   FOR SALE $295,000 

ORIGINAL GROVE “HUMMINGBIRD COTTAGE”:  ONE OF SEVEN COTTAGES OFF  of the MAIN HOUSE (the door of which is FEATURED BELOW). ARTSY VIBE WITH GROVE FEEL & CHARM. COLORFUL OUTDOOR BAR IN THE BACK, TILED PATIO  DECK, & OUTDOOR WALL MURAL.  CHARMING FRONT PORCH. COTTAGE CONSISTS OF ONE GREAT ROOM WITH VAULTED CEILINGS & SKYLIGHT. TWO BEDROOMS. TWO BATHS. EXTENSIVE SHARED OUTDOOR SPACE.

COTTAGE RESIDENTS SHARE  GARDENS,  GROUNDS  &  BAR … AT THEIR LEISURE. COTTAGES AND GROUNDS FEATURED IN PHOTO SHOOTS, TV & MOVIES.  “BURN NOTICE” ACTRESS , GABRIELLE ANWAR, IS SHOWN ABOVE:  JULY 2009 “REDBOOK”  PHOTO SHOOT …  PHOTOGRAPHED ON THE PREMISES  & GROUNDS OF LOQUAT COTTAGES …    & COCONUT GROVE.

MAIN HOUSE (NEXT DOOR): SHOWN TO THE LEFT (above)    …   COTTAGE FOR SALE,  SHOWN TO THE RIGHT (above).

 ***PROPERTY IS A SHORT SALE. CONTRACTS ARE CONTINGENT UPON SELLER’S LENDER’S APPROVAL

Miami model, Gabrielle  Anwar, was photographed above, for the  July  2009 Issue of Redbook … on the grounds of the Loquat Cottages … and at the Main House…. in Coconut Grove, Florida.

CALL TO PREVIEW OR PURCHASE 305 793-1365  /  305 632-0164 …  or drop me a note here.

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Come for a glass of wine and preview  breathtaking waterfront  9200 SW 140 Street on E Lake:  OPEN HOUSE THIS SUNDAY 2pm-6pm September 13th.  Enjoy an afternoon on E Lake.  Outdoor lifestyle worth exploring … E Lake… in the Falls area of Miami: 4 bedroom beautifully updated home.  E-Lake for sale!  $1,195,000.00.

Wave runners, sailboats, ski boats, rafts, wake boarders… private sandy beaches… and a water  quality (which is tested monthly) that has been (for over 30 years  now) exceptional!  From your dock you can see fish. From your beach front chickee hut you’ll enjoy breathtaking sunsets.  E-Lake affords  an active-lifestyle for the sports-oriented.  It also offers laid-back peace and quiet for those wanting resort-style tranquility in the privacy of their own backyard.  Curl up in a hammock with your favorite book.  Enjoy a leisurely bar-b-que down by the waterfront.  Take a boat ride at sunset over to visit with friends.  Enjoy  the privacy … or the sense of community.  At E Lake you can certainly have both.  Living on the lake affords an outdoor, active lifestyle unique to this particular area of Miami… and it offers a retreat where you can savor every minute of your spare time. 

E-Lake Community extends between SW 136th Street  and SW 144th Street (on the north and south), and from SW 92 Avenue over to SW 97 Avenue (on the east and west).

Property is rarely available on E-Lake.  Many of the original Jennings homes (which sold for $15,000 – $20,000) still stand, the lots  they sit on, themselves,  selling for over a million.  

 For more information on E-Lake, contact the Restivo Team at EWM Realtors  (305) 793-1365.  Hope to see you at 9200 SW 140 Street… an original Jennings built home, updated and beautiful… with a backyard that will take your breath away! Come see for yourself on Sunday, September 13th!

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Want to live somewhere really fun?  Boat,  fish, swim?  You might want to take a peak at  E-Lake.  The 76 acre Miami lakefront community is home to  a handful of residents who rarely relinquish their claim to the lakefront!  Jennings-built homes originally sold for $15K – $20K in the 1960’s and 1970’s. Today the lots themselves sell for more than a million! We have one listed now… at 9200 SW 140 St …  the least expensive piece of property on E Lake… updated and beautiful!

Wave runners, sailboats, ski boats, rafts, wake boarders… private sandy beaches… and a water  quality (which is tested monthly) that has been (for over 30 years  now) exceptional!  From your dock you can see fish. From your beach front chickee hut you’ll enjoy breathtaking sunsets.  E-Lake affords  an active-lifestyle for the sports-oriented.  It also offers laid-back peace and quiet for those wanting resort-style tranquilityin the privacy of their own backyard.  Curl up in a hammock with your favorite book.  Enjoy a leisurely bar-b-que down by the waterfront.  Take a boat ride at sunset over to visit with friends.  Enjoy  the privacy … or the sense of community.  At E Lake you can certainly have both.  Living on the lake affords an outdoor, active lifestyle unique to this particular area of Miami… and it offers a retreat where you can savor every minute of your spare time.

Everyone has a backyard that butts up on the lake.  Many of the residents have boats.  Because of the sense of community, rules are few and far between, but there’s a sense of caring and respect that’s refreshing. Residents have a voluntary annual contribution of $150 toward testing and treating the water and a desire to maintain not only the lake and but the quality of life.  There is no homeowner’s association.  What there is, is a common thread… a lifestyle that revolves around the outdoors, and an enjoyment of life and living… and a glimpse back, to a time when being a “good neighbor” .. and where pride and respect mattered. 

What’s the history of E Lake?   In the early 1920’s Henry Flagler  bought the land around E Lake  as a rock quarry… for the coral rock, limestone (also known as oolite)   needed to build his railroad.   The rock was crushed to form  the bed of the tracks, and  used in making the cement for necessary bridges and other structures. Flagler’s railroad was to go from Miami all the way down to Key West.  Because of the aquifer and Miami’s unique water table, the quarry began to fill with water. In spite of concerted efforts, the digging apparatus couldn’t contend with the infiltration of water… eventually causing excavation to cease.  By the 1940’s  a fresh water lake filled in the rock quarry, and  when seen from above, the lake looks like  the letter “E”.  The largest of the fingers is to the north, with the depth ranging  from 35 ft on the east  to  over 60 ft on the west side.   E-Lake Community extends between SW 136th Street  and SW 144th Street (on the north and south), and from SW 92 Avenue over to SW 97 Avenue (on the east and west).

Not surprisingly, the rock quarry site which is now the  historic Venetian Pool in Coral Gables similarly filled with water,  due to Miami’s natural underground springs. The Venetian Pool ( a few miles to the north of E-Lake)  became an elegant  public swimming hole for local Gables residents. Not much of a surprise to see other construction in and around Miami having to deal with that Miami aquifer even today!

By the 1960’s two developers began building homes on the land immediately surrounding E-Lake.   F & R  Builders and Jennings were the two prominent builders and many of their homes are still right where they built them.  Jennings homes are known for the scalloped edges in the closets, and their solid construction… enabling Jennings homes  throughout South Florida to withstand hurricanes in the days when  shutters or impact windows were the name of the game. Today,  many of the original Jennings homes on E-Lake have been added to, enlarged or remodeled.  Nevertheless,those homes that originally sold for $15,000.00-$20,ooo.00  occupy lots  today that themselves are valued at over a million dollars.   Real estate has long been a wise investment!  There are certainly market ups and downs, but in the long run, real estate (especially water front property) often appreciates nicely.   Homes are not often available on E-Lake.   If you have an interest in E-Lake, contact The Restivo Team at EWM Realtors  (305) 793-1365.    The Restivo Team just listed 9200 SW 140 St on E Lake for sale, and the beautifully updated  4 bedroom lakefront Jennings-built home is for sale at $1,195,000.00.  www.MiamiRealEstateCafe.com

E-Lake Community … a lifestyle worth exploring!

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A distinct benefit to having other Realtors preview a HOUSE YOU ARE SELLING is FEEDBACK …  different perspectives… stories…  tidbits of history!  I LOVE the unsolicited feedback I got from one of my colleagues at EWM. …  simple… and  worth it’s weight in gold! 

My colleague from the EWM Gables office previewed a listing we are selling, at a Broker’s Open, and suggested that  the dining room seemed somewhat over-crowded… She proposed that some  furniture be moved out.  (Note: the living room was empty). 

With her brilliant comment and the ensuing brainstorm that took place during that OPEN HOUSE,  Alexandra and I  kicked  off our shoes,  schlepped a couple of pieces of furniture out from the dining room and put them into another room….    We removed the trunk  from in front of the window.

It worked!   ”Ahhhh”   The dining room opened up.  The living room has some corners filled in.  A seemingly insignificant  furniture re-arrangement can make a difference.  We removed one console and one side-piece  (blocking the window).  We put them both in the living room. 

The interior is gorgeous now. No question!  (It ALREADY was!)….  Let me tell you though, living on E-Lake…  as beautiful as this new listing is, your entire life will revolve around your backyard:  9200 SW 140 St in Miami.  Click here for more information.

The day before this particular open house, I’d asked the sellers to find a narrow table for the entry foyer … to define  the space. (They ordered it… and can now cancel!).  

Furnished  rooms are  best,  but  this one house was already so lovely as a whole,  that the unfurnished living room seemed almost inconsequential. My colleague’s ‘eye’  and her shared comment  resolved a  minor staging dilemna  …  in a heartbeat. 

I promised the sellers I’d come back and put everything back as it was,  if they had even the slightest objection to the “staging”.  They had no objections! It is a pleasure working with  gracious and amenable sellers!  

Selling your house?  Being affiliated with one of the top Real Estate firms in the country makes my full-time passion of selling real estate a joy!   Call me, I’d love to help!  Esslinger,Wooten, Maxwell Realtors  (known also as EWM Realtors)  is a well-oiled machine… with cutting edge  technology …  and a family of over 700 Realtors working together to SELL FLORIDA better, faster, smarter.   For your real estate needs  in Miami  (as well as for domestic or international relocations) … or any questions you may have regarding buying or selling property…  contact Vicki Restivo or Alexandra Restivo … and visit their website and blog at MiamiRealEstateCafe.com      (305) 793-1365 or email restivo.v@ewm.com

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OPEN HOUSES don’t sell homes!  …  (So they say!) …   But I’ve SOLD  many homes to buyers who came because of an open house. (I even sold a CONDO to a buyer who was visiting a friend and got off on the wrong floor -  An hour later, we had a contract!)  

Who comes to open houses?  Everyone and anyone:  ”Visitors” …  curious passers-by…  neighbors … “lookers” … “shoppers” …  and  yes,  actual real buyers.   

Will an open house sell your home?  Probably not.  YOUR REALTOR will sell your home.   An there are options:  Open Houses or Private Appointments. Which should you do?   Either or both… The  important thing is that it BE  SHOWN.  Statistics indicate that very FEW homes are ever bought  “sight unseen”.  The best way to sell a house ?  Make it visible and available to as many potential buyers as possible.  

Open houses aren’t for EVERYONE… Personally, I like OPEN HOUSES.   I hosted one yesterday for a stunning lakefront property at 9200 SW 140th Street …  on recreational  E-LAKE …  and served lunch to  Brokers and buyers, both. 

What’s the real benefit of hosting a broker’s open for the primary purpose of having other REALTORS see the property?   First of all Realtors do have buyers.  Furthermore Realtors walk, talk, network and share information with each other …  as well as with buyers.  Real estate is a business of connections, contacts and information-sharing.  Yesterday’s BROKER’S OPEN  brought more than just brokers and visitors.  It brought IDEAS!  Stay tuned… You can see  them on an  upcoming  Restivo blog on MiamiRealEstateCafe.com!   Watch for the blog  ” Unsolicited Advice from a Realtor: Selling Miami Better, Faster, Smarter! “

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Private Lakefront Property:  SWIM.  JETSKI. BOAT. FISH.  Wake up to waterviews and direct LAKE ACCESS.   Your own private dock  and your own white sandy beach. Resort-style recreational living in Miami: 9200 SW 140 St, Miami Florida.   Sunset Daquiris as you gaze out over the water. Two Chickee Huts (one lakefront and another in the backyard by the Koi Pond and waterfall). Richly landscaped 1/2 acre of grounds… with a backyard that will TAKE YOUR BREATH AWAY!  Brick pavers … paths … a sparkling pool and a covered terrace. And… YOU CAN LIVE HERE!                        

9200 SW 140 St, Miami, Florida… on E-Lake!

This property is really ALL ABOUT THE OUTDOORS, and the LIFESTYLE OF LIVING on E-LAKE! 

The ONLY thing hard about living on E-Lake would be leaving  for work in the morning!   Fortunately the location is central and  just minutes to Coral Gables, South Miami, Coconut Grove, Miami International Airport and the expressway.

Wild horses couldn’t  tear me away!                                                            May I invite you to see it?

Perhaps you’d like to know a little something about the inside the house at 9200 SW 140 St?     Beautifully UPDATED 4 bdrm/ 2 bath home with rich amber-colored travertine flooring and  Brazilian cherrywood floors throughout…   a comfortable flow. 

Spacious and elegant kitchen design,    perfect for entertaining…  granite counters,  warming drawer, wine fridge, self-closing drawers, exquisite cabintry work, and stainless steel appliances. 

There’s a charming breakfast room … with glass  doors overlooking the garden and pool.   This E-lake house is available now, listed for sale  by Alexandra and Vicki Restivo at $1,195,000.00  ( 9200 SW 140 St – Miami – Florida 33176 ).

The interior of the home is light and open… the family room framed by a massive fireplace  that just begs to be lit (…even if you might have to crank up the airconditioner first!).  Glass doors overlook  the grounds. There’s a separate, formal,  comfortable dining room for entertaining.

Gardens are tasefully and lavishly landscaped… and … the backyard will   absolutely TAKE YOUR BREATH AWAY!  9200 SW 140 Street.  E-Lake is a totally RECREATIONAL lake in  Miami, Florida.

The setting and the ambiance give this  home a somewhat secluded feel (in the very best sense of the word)… E-lake, and this particular house at 9200 SW 140 Street, are a world apart from the hustle-bustle of Miami. What sets it apart most is the magnificence of the lake, the superb backyard and grounds, and the subtle elegance of the home itself.

Sun, shade, nooks and crannies  … You can      curl up under the palms and tree canopy with a good book … or wander   off to savor your   morning ‘caffe’ on a    shady terrace…. relax       in the backyard …  or stroll barefoot  along      the waterfront  …  burrowing  your toes in the sand. 

Start the day out right, go for a swim… take the boat for a spin…then unwind in paradise after a day out in the ‘real world’.   Just come home… Living on E-Lake is unique … offering you an utterly enviable lifestyle … and this home offers  a rare chance to have that!

In the back there’s a spacious chickee hut surrounded by a moat/pond…a beautiful Koi pond with sounds of the waterfall that feeds into it. Property on E-Lake is not often available.  This home at 9200 SW 140th Street  is situated on a corner lot. It’s one of the most sought-after  locations on E-Lake… and the home itself  is beautifully re-done!  Waterfront with understated beauty and a lifestyle you won’t find anywhere else.

The outdoor allure of E-Lake is unique…        simultaneously offering you an active lifestyle                    along with a  tranquil twist.

Shady nooks and  crannies to curl up with a book … savor your morning ‘caffe’ …. or unwind after a day in the ’real world’. 

Come home to paradise, to pampering… and to utter relaxation.   

One of the most sought-after waterfront locations           on E-Lake!   

Come home.   The REST is ALL ABOUT YOU!  

Call the Restivo’s … and take a peak a what E-Lake is all about.  MiamiRealEstateCafe.com

OPEN HOUSE: SUNDAY August 23  (noon-2pm)

BROKERS OPEN: WEDNESDAY August  26 (noon-3)

… or … contact Vicki Restivo (305)793-1365  and  Alexandra Restivo (305)632-0164 for a private viewing.

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