Miami Dade Real Estate Scoop

In just a few weeks, at Tamiami Airport the 24th Annual Sunrise Community Hot Air Balloon Race will take place. 

The Sunrise Community is an organization that helps people with developmental disabilities.  Their mission statement is as follows:

To provide people with disabilities the assistance and support
necessary to enable them to live valued lives in the community.

On this very special weekend, you can arrive early to see more than 35 hot air balloons being launched.  Parking at the airport begins at 5:30 and the launching is scheduled for 6:30AM.  Have you ever stood by as a 7-story hot air balloon goes airborne?  Here's your chance to see not one, but many.  The crowd whoops it up and cheers as they take off.  There will be events scheduled throughout the weekend.  To get full details about the race, please visit their official website.

Living in the Redlands, I often see hot air balloons floating overhead.  It's always a magical sight, and that's just from the ground.  But 35 balloons (or more!) will be quite a sight.  Here's hoping our lovely South Florida weather cooperates that weekend so we can all enjoy it.

Teenagers and/or others who may need community service hours can volunteer at this event.  See the website for details.

When: Saturday and Sunday, April 14th & 15th, 2007

Where: Tamiami Airport, SW 137th Avenue & SW 136th Street, Miami, Florida

A man and a friend are playing golf one day at their local golf course.

One of the guys is about to chip onto the green when he sees a long funeral procession on the road next to the course.

He stops in mid-swing, takes off his golf cap, closes his eyes, and bows down in prayer.

His friend says, "Wow, that is the most thoughtful and touching thing I have ever seen. You truly are a kind man."

The man then replies, "Yeah, well we were married 35 years."

Yesterday I was asked by someone if I sold houses.  I replied, "Yes.  I am a REALTOR®" 

"Oh, so you do mortgages and stuff?"

"No, I am not a mortgage broker.  I prefer to wear one hat only and do it really well."

"So then what does a REALTOR® do?"

I was surprised to hear the question, as it seems the whole world knows what REALTORS® do: we make obscene amounts of money for selling houses (that is sarcasm people.  Don't call me on it).

I started to provide an answer when we were interrupted.  So, Alexandra, if you're reading, this is what a REALTOR® does:

For buyers: 

• Educates her buyers about the home buying process and what it entails.
• Makes sure the buyer's financing is in place before he starts looking so he stays within his price range and is ready to rock and roll when the right home is found.
• Scours the MLS database (where all the homes being sold by real estate agents are) for the right match for her buyers.
• Sets up appointments and sees homes with her buyers.
• Once the right home is found, makes sure you don't offer more than it is worth.
• Structures an offer that is beneficial to you, yet attractive to the seller and his REALTOR®.
• Negotiates on your behalf should the offer not be accepted as is.
• Refers you to competent individuals who can provide financing, title work, legal representation, home inspections, appraisal services, homeowners insurance, and more.
• Makes sure the deal is moving along the way it should.  If a deadline on the contract is looming, your REALTOR® is on top of it!
• If a wrench gets thrown into the works, as it often will in this very detailed process of buying a home, your REALTOR® will be there to try and straighten things out with the experience necessary to do so.
• Although not required to do so, most REALTORS® will attend the closing with you, where they can explain things you may not understand about the closing process.
• Adheres to a strict Code of Ethics while engaging in every part of this business.
• 99% of the time, the buyer pays absolutely nothing for the above services!

For sellers a REALTOR® serves equally well:

• Will enter into a listing contract to sell your house.
• Will do a thorough evaluation to determine the correct price to sell the house for.
• Will place the house, it's features and pictures into the MLS database.
• Will market the house in various ways to gain maximum exposure (the extent of this varies by individual so ask for specifics!)  A lot of the ways utilized are not available to the general public and can be quite costly if available.  Again, ask for specifics about the marketing plan.
• The bottom line is a REALTOR® will look for a buyer for your house. 
• Once a buyer is found, negotiates on your behalf so you don't sell the house for less than it is worth.
• The work continues after a buyer is found.  As with buyers, makes sure the deal is moving along and tries to fix things if it's not. This is where many pitfalls can be avoided by using the services of a REALTOR®.
• Again, adheres to a strict Code of Ethics.
• Gets paid the agreed upon commission ONLY when the deal closes.  That's right.  Up until closing the REALTOR® has been working for free basically, under a promise to be paid only when the deal closes.

The lists above are not meant to be all inclusive, but they cover the highlights.  Interview several REALTORS® when you're ready to use the services of one.  And if you're looking in the Miami, Redlands and Homestead areas, by all means call me as well.  I'm a REALTOR® and proud of it.

I've read several very touching posts in the last few days which were patriotic in nature.  I had received this email years ago and still remembered it so I thought I'd dig it up again:

:::To nobody's surprise there were protestors today in DC, they attempted to disrupt the metro system and block the Key Bridge, a leading artery into DC from Northern Virginia. I got hosed twice because I come in from NoVA [Northern Virginia] on the metro and it is raining hard which makes traffic worse anyway...to the point--

I got off my train in Rosslyn because I had to use the bathroom. When I was getting back on the train, there were protestors on the train platform handing out pamphlets on the evils of America. I politely declined to take one. An elderly woman was behind me getting off the escalator and a young (20ish) female protestor offered her a pamphlet, which she politely declined. The young protestor put her hand on the old woman's shoulder as a gesture of friendship and in a very soft voice said, "Ma'am, don't you care about the children of Iraq?" The old woman looked up at her and said, "Honey, my first husband died in France during World War II so you could have the right to stand here and bad mouth your country. And if you touch me again, I'll stick this umbrella up your ass and open it."

I'm glad to report that loud applause broke out among the onlookers and the young protestor was at a total loss for words.:::

Whether this really happened or not is unknown.  Snopes does a good job of not figuring that out right here.  But it sure does express how some folks feel. 

I borrowed the title to my post from Brian Foxworth's post's closing line.  Thanks Brian!

I've seen something happening lately and wonder if this has been happening since the beginning of time in the world of real estate?  I've only got a year and a half of licensure under my belt so I can't rightly say. 

I'm talking about offers submitted that are so low they're..well, extremely low.  Not verbal offers.  I wrote about that before. These are bonafide written offers, signed and everything.

I received an offer for a listing I have.  It's listed at $347K and the last comp sold for that exactly.  I believe it is priced right.  The offer came in at $300K, $500 earnest money, no additional deposit, 100% financing, zero allowance for repairs, and 6% seller contribution (another $18K in addition to the $47K already deducted on the purchase price).  I'm making no comments on the strength of this offer.  Any real estate professional can sum it up quick.

It is not my job to decide for the seller if an offer is acceptable.  It is my legal obligation to present it to him and let him decide that for himself.  But I'd be lying if I said I wasn't taken aback by the offer.  I mentioned it to an agent in the office after I had discussed it with the seller.  She told me she had received a written offer just recently for $120K on a $320K listing.  That one floored me! 

These are offers on non-distress sales.  Public records clearly show which homes are on their way to foreclosure.  Have there always been buyers fishing like this?  And fishing so seriously that they go all the way with a written offer?  Written offers take time and paper.  Those poor trees!

This post is not real estate related.  I still feel compelled to write it.  And you don't have to be compelled to read it.  Exit without any further obligation on your part.  No hard feelings.  Really.

Have you ever thought that learning opportunities are everywhere?  I think that about life in general.  Each day that dawns is another chance for me to learn something new, smile at someone who may not get smiled at often, help someone who may be thinking there's no help in sight and just be glad that I'm alive.

This past weekend I travelled to Orlando with both my kids to a cheerleading competition.  It was the much awaited Nationals event.  The kids have been suffering bruises, sore muscles, endless hours practicing, practically no social time and even a broken arm (yes, 8 weeks with a cast, plus another 4 immobilized) just to make it to Nationals where they can try one final time to show what they're made of. These kids work their butts off (and I don't want to hear for the umpteenth time that cheerleading is not a sport.  My kids don't shake pom poms and scream "rah, rah, shish boom bah!") to perform a routine that may last 3 minutes tops and hopefully hit every single stunt, throw their flyers higher than seems possible, catch them when they come down, land perfectly from each back flip and wow the crowd with their showmanship.

The weekend was filled with many emotions.  The first was tremendous disappointment when the eldest's squad had to forfeit competing as they had an injury to a vital teammate.  But that is another story I will tell another time.  There were too many tears involved to do it justice here as a passing mention.  It deserves it's own telling.  The Little One's squad performed fairly well on Saturday and we prepared ourselves to compete again on Sunday.  After Sunday's competition, the awards would be given out.

The Little One belongs to a middle school squad in Miami.  Since the beginning of the school year we have been attending regional competitions and usually placing second right behind another local middle school.  The rivalry that has been taking place is your typical rivalry.  The kids talk about beating the other squad simply because that's what they're trained to do...take number 1.  I root for all the squads when they do a good job, albeit a bit louder when it's our own kids up there.  I'm not one of those team Mom's like the one a couple of years back who was charged with criminal charges after she put bleach in a competitor's water bottle.  I don't believe in winning at any cost.  I believe in winning because you've earned it.

The kids have been working hard all year to bring it back to number 1.  After all, last year they placed first almost everywhere, including Nationals.  They keep losing out to another squad this year and it's just made them more determined.  No, I'm not going to tell you that Sunday's award ceremony provided a perfect climax for the year.  They placed second.  The other squad placed first.  My daughter walked up to the winning squad and congratulated them on their win.  I was proud of her.  She wasn't happy doing it, but she knows I'm a firm believer in sportsmanship and did it anyway.

After Universal Studios had provided a little more excitement in the way of thrills and chills on their phenomenal rides everyone headed back to the buses to begin the journey home.  My girls were travelling on different buses and I left a couple of hours earlier with another mom to tend to some stuff at home.  We had not yet reached Miami when I got a call from Little One crying and telling me that her bus had caught fire and they were making their way as far from it as possible in the event the engine blew up.  Imagine my shock!  I was hours away and felt helpless.  What could I do from where I was at?  I did pray.  I do that always.  Then the frantic phonecalls began as my friend and I called every single parent we knew was either on the bus or caravaning behind.  We even turned around thinking we might be able to go back and offer help, even if only to hug our kids who were sometimes calm and other times hysterical during the phonecalls.

It was very difficult to piece together what had happened exactly or what was going on even then.  Did they all get out of the bus?  Was the bus really on fire?  How far from the bus had they managed to run?  During one of the phonecalls I got the news that their rival squad had been travelling behind them and when they came across the scene and saw our girls, sponsor and team parents on the road, literally, they stopped and picked them up. I started crying even more then.  Our competition had seen us in trouble and come to our rescue.  The irony was not lost on me.  The same kids who had competed fiercely for 1st place were now consolling each other and offering kind words.  The parents of the other squad who were driving behind graciously offered to take their kids in their own cars to make room for our children on their bus.  Everyone arrived at home much later than was anticipated but they arrived safe and sound.  There were many individuals involved in getting the girls home safely and I can not thank them enough.

I asked Little One when I picked her up and was finished hugging her if she had talked to the girls from the other squad.  She said,"yeah, they were real nice."  Imagine that.  It took a burning bus to learn that those nameless children they'd been competing with all year were normal, nice kids just like them.  Kids who have favorite pillows and newly-purchased souvenirs they wouldn't want to lose either.  I think our girls have a new-found appreciation for their competition and all it took was a burning bus.

Disclaimer - I prefer not to use school names for security's sake.  But squad #1, if you're reading, you ROCK and I thank you...from the bottom of my heart.

A defendant in a lawsuit involving large sums of money was talking to his lawyer. 

"If I lose this case, I'll be ruined."

"It's in the judge's hands now," said the lawyer.

"Would it help if I sent the judge a box of cigars?"

"Oh no! This judge is a stickler for ethical behavior. A stunt like that  would prejudice him against you. He might even hold you in contempt of court. In fact, you shouldn't even smile at the judge."

Within the course of time, the judge rendered a decision in favor of the  defendant.

As the defendant left the courthouse, he said to his lawyer, "Thanks for  the tip about the cigars. It worked!"

"I'm sure we would have lost the case if you'd sent them."

"But, I did send them."

"What? You did??!!" asked the lawyer, incredulously.

"Yes. That's how we won the case."

"I don't understand," said the lawyer.

"It's easy. I sent the cigars to the judge, but enclosed the plaintiff's  business card."

Have a ball this spring break!  Kids aged 6-14 can attend one of more than 40 spring break camps offered by Miami-Dade parks.  The camps will be held week long April 2- April 6, 2007, from 9AM - 5PM with early drop-off and late pick-up available.

This is a great opportunity for kids to get outside and enjoy sports and activities instead of watching TV or sitting in front of the computer.

Volleyball, softball, basketball, swimming and tennis are just some of the fitness activities kids can participate in.  Of course, there's always the ever-popular arts & crafts activites as well. 

In addition to the general camps, there are also Nature Camps and Arts & Culture Camps.  With over 40 parks hosting these camps, there's sure to be one near you.  You can obtain information by contacting the individual park.  For a list of parks and contact info click here.

Last week I had the opportunity to revisit the beautiful Pinecrest Gardens in Pinecrest. 

 Pinecrest Gardens sits on 14 acres of lush land.  Parrot Jungle used to be there until 2003, when Pinecrest Gardens was dedicated by the Pinecrest Village Council.  The foliage you'll see there is incredibly beautiful.  From the massive banyan trees to the humble water lily.  There's so much to see and enjoy! 

 There are running streams and bubbling brooks everywhere you walk.  You can't get away from the sound of running water.  It's quite relaxing.

Even nicer is the fact that it doesn't cost a penny to get in and enjoy these sights.  It's free!  They also make their facilities available for weddings and other celebrations.  There are different lawn areas available for rental. 

The entrance to Pinecrest Gardens is on 57th Avenue (Red Road) and 110th Street.  They are open daily 8:00AM to Sunset.  Did I mention it's FREE?  =)

All these pictures were taken at Pinecrest Gardens.  Stop by and discover it for yourself!

Village of Pinecrest

Pinecrest is a village located in Miami-Dade County, Florida. It was incorporated in 1996 and just had it's 11th birthday this month.  Pinecrest is governed by a five member Village Council and operates under a Council-Manager form of government with a Mayor at it's head.  The physical boundaries of Pinecrest are US1 to the west (US1 is called Pinecrest Parkway along the stretch where it flanks Pinecrest), 57th Avenue to the east, 136th Street to the south and just a little further north of 88th Street (Kendall Drive).  Here's a map of Pinecrest.  It is just a hop, skip and a jump away from beautiful Biscayne Bay.

Driving along the streets of Pinecrest you will notice the abundance of mature trees with huge canopies!  There is so much green in Pinecrest and it really does add to its charm and attraction.  Even so, after incorporation, the village undertook a beautification project which included the planting of thousands more trees.  The homes are on lots which are much bigger than most of unincorporated Miami-Dade county.  Another thing you will notice are the unique street signs in the village.  They're forest green and distinctive from the rest of the county so you will know you're in Pinecrest by the signs.

Pinecrest has an amazing municipal park called Pinecrest Gardens.  It sits on what used to be Parrot Jungle.  The gardens are free to visit and quite a tourist attraction.  The natural flora is breathtaking.  You feel the grandeur of nature here.  And the colors are incredible.  There are orchids and other flowers everywhere.  On a recent visit I had to be careful as a 2 foot iguana was meandering across the parking lot just as I decided to leave. 

The schools in the Pinecrest district are wonderful.  As such, Pinecrest is a much sought-after community to live in.  Local real estate prices reflect that desirabilty.  The least expensive home in Pinecrest will cost around $650,000 with the vast majority of them hovering in the close to a million mark.  Of course, there are the multi-million dollar properties as well, mostly determined by the expansive acreage they sit on as well as how large and detailed the homes are.  In Pinecrest, it is not uncommon for a much older home that has seen better days but is still in decent shape to be purchased just to be torn down and built anew.  Land is that valuable in Pinecrest.

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