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Emilio Palomo (the past chair of the Master Brokers Forum, an elite network of the top real estate professionals in Miami, and the owner/broker of Riteway Properties III) recently went to a party for the opening of a Miami Beach hotel.

He was not familiar with this particular hotel or the people behind it, and attended on the invitation of a colleague. After a few minutes, it became clear to him that most of the guests were from Argentina (or of Argentine descent), and he was not surprised to learn that the owners are themselves native Argentines who have been — somewhat quietly — buying and upgrading Miami Beach hotels for many years.

Emilio worked with buyers and sellers from around the world over the course of his 47-plus years in Miami real estate. He feels fortunate to live in a city that draws so much global interest, with buyers coming from Europe, Asia, Latin America, Canada, and (of course) the U.S. Many find our real estate prices to still be reasonably low compared to their home nations.

Some foreign buyers come here because of political instability and lack of security in their countries, others because of our weather, beaches and everything else Miami has to offer. Whatever the reason, Miami has become one of the most desired international destinations in today’s market for a permanent or second (or third!) home.

And while buyers from Russia, Brazil, Colombia and Venezuela have drawn the biggest headlines for their respective impacts, he believes that Miami’s Argentines have not received nearly enough attention for their significant contribution to the economy and real estate market.

Some of this may be due to the nature of Argentines themselves, who in Emilio‘s opinion and experience tend to be quite modest and discreet. Thanks to referrals from friends in the banking community, over the years he has built a solid base of Argentine clients, and become friendly with many of them. (His Cuban-American family has become close with one particular group for whom he sold and managed units, and recently joined them to make some amazing wine in Mendoza, Argentina.)

But it would seem that the days of Argentines flying under Miami’s “real estate radar” are in the past. Some of the city’s most visible and exciting new projects are being created by developers with deep roots in Argentina, including:

  • Mid-Miami Beach’s acclaimed Faena District, a six-block project that features luxury hotels, bars, condominiums, a cultural center and a retail complex, from the visionary mind of Argentine developer/artist Alan Faena.
  • The Aston Martin Residences, the car maker’s first branded condominium project, which recently broke ground. The 66-story building located at the mouth of the Miami River is being developed by G&G Business Developments, a Miami-based firm owned by Argentine supermarket magnate German Coto and his mother Gloria.
  • The Oceana-branded condominiums in Key Biscayne and Bal Harbour, created by Buenos Aires native (and international art collector) Eduardo Costantini.

In addition to these high-profile projects, observers may have noticed a quiet explosion of Argentine restaurants and other businesses in Miami over the past few years, reflecting the growing population of residents and visitors. From what Emilio has noticed, many of the wealthiest Argentines make their homes in Key Biscayne, but there are also many to be found in Aventura, Miami Beach, Brickell, Downtown, Midtown and Edgewater.

Unfortunately, not all news involving Argentine interest in Miami real estate have been positive.

Last month, The Miami Herald reported that former president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner was accused by the nation’s top anti-corruption official of secretly owning more than 60 Miami properties bought with “dirty money.”

While this item is concerning, Emilio believes that Argentina’s recent change in government, and the stability being demonstrated by its new reform-minded leadership, will put the country on a path toward sustained economic growth. This would obviously allow even more Argentine investment in Miami — the “clean” kind we very much prefer.

Emilio is looking forward to many more years of welcoming Argentines and others who continue to make Miami a dynamic, evolving, and truly international city.

 

Source: Miami Herald

Every month, the Miami Association of Realtors announces the top 10 foreign countries that use its website to search for Miami real estate.

As you might expect, this list typically features the “usual suspects” month after month, such as Colombia, Canada, Brazil, Venezuela, Argentina and France. However, the most recently published report (from January 2017) included an unfamiliar newcomer: Turkey, ranked at No. 7.

Miami has always attracted foreign buyers, and we are very used to seeing strong interest from Latin America and Europe. But this marked the first time that a Middle Eastern country was included among that report’s top 10.

While time and circumstances could make this inclusion an outlier, it is also a fairly good demonstration of Miami’s rising profile among wealthy and sophisticated real-estate buyers from that part of the world.

Last September, CBRE Capital Markets reported that commercial investment in Miami from the Middle East totaled $517 million between January and June 2016 alone, making it the 10th most popular global market for Middle Eastern investment during this time period, and the fifth most popular in the U.S.

Why Miami?

A number of factors have coincided to propel this dramatic increase in demand for Miami real estate from the region. First, turmoil and unstable governments throughout the Middle East have pushed wealthy families to seek more and varied residency options, beyond the usual “comfort zones” of London and New York.

Second, Miami is considered a relatively new city, with many recently-constructed buildings and houses that offer state-of-the-art amenities, which appeal to prosperous Arabs.

Third, with the recent addition of world-renowned luxury hotels, restaurants, architecture, retail and cultural offerings (Four Seasons, Zuma, Zaha Hadid, Art Basel, etc.), Miami now enjoys a higher level of sophistication than in years past.

And finally, more direct flights from Dubai, Doha and Istanbul have literally put Miami within reach for more Middle Eastern buyers.

Put all these elements together, and Miami is now viewed as a secure, modern, upmarket, accessible and (important for Middle Easterners!) warm American city, with reasonably-priced real estate and amenities curated for high net-worth individuals.

(Recent buyers from Turkey present specific and compelling evidence of this observation. A few years ago, there was a big spike in their attention to projects like the Four Seasons in Surfside and the Capri in South Beach — just around the time that Erdoğan was elected president and began seriously consolidating power in that country.)

Three Broad Categories

Miami’s Middle Eastern buyers fall into three broad categories:

  • Wealthy individuals seeking pied-à-terres, to enjoy a few months of leisure
  • Investors looking to purchase at big projects like the W Downtown and the St. Regis Bal Harbour
  • Students attending college, usually at the University of Miami. Our country attracts many foreign students, and let’s face it — what 20 year-old wouldn’t love to spend four years here?

The really interesting phenomenon is that many of these Middle Eastern college students become the “gateway” for other family members, encouraging mom, dad, grandma and others to join them in Miami. Family is extremely important to Middle Eastern buyers, and real-estate professionals should be prepared to find housing for them that is suitable for and capable of expansion, or has more available units nearby.

No Trump Concerns

While President Donald Trump’s Middle Eastern travel/emigration policy (or “Muslim Ban,” as it has been described) draws international headlines and lots of cable news chatter, you might be surprised to know that clients from that region pay it little attention.

Prosperous Middle Eastern individuals do not feel unfairly “targeted” in any respect and feel no need to protest or complain. Their concerns are about finding safe, secure and reliable investments should they need to flee their home countries due to political, religious or military turmoil. This would be the case regardless of who occupies the White House.

While the region continues to be very unstable and capable of dramatic change, a mass influx of Middle Eastern buyers is not expected to Miami in the near or distant future. However, the trend of more wealthy individuals choosing Miami over major U.S. cities like New York or Los Angeles is here to stay, and Turkey and other Arab countries may become regulars on that list of online real-estate Web searchers.

 

Source: Miami Herald