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A Broker’s View: ‘In 50 Years Of Miami Real Estate, I’ve Seen These Five Big Changes’

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For nearly five decades, Master Brokers Forum board member Donna Bloom, an agent with Douglas Elliman, had the privilege of helping people buy and sell their homes all over Miami; particularly in Miami Beach.

She witnessed extraordinary changes to the real estate market and industry during that time, often in step with the transformations of the community itself.  She describes it as a wild and fun ride.

The following are her thoughts on the five most remarkable changes she experienced along the way.

1. More Technology (But Fewer Personal Connections)

It is simply impossible to understate the impact technology has had on real estate — in ways both positive, and negative, in my opinion. When I began my career, there were no smart phones, no tablets, no fax machines, and no computers. What we did have were phones, cars, and plenty of hustle! At the time, we had to personally present offers, which meant a lot of literal “back and forth” between buyer and seller — often late at night.

Today, contracts can be completed and signed over smartphones, any time of day or night — a big change from when I made my very first sale of a house on North Bay Road, for the price of $35,000. (Really!) We didn’t have preprinted contracts, only a form that had to be filled in by a typewriter, and you had to insert all the terms yourself. I showed that house, the buyers wanted it and I completed the form — by hand — on the trunk of my car.

Back then, the mantra was “work hard!” Now, it’s “work smart!”, which technology certainly allows one to do. (This does not mean that today’s agents don’t work hard; we all definitely do, in ways that are far different than before.) But very often, that involves dealing more with machines and screens than with real, live human beings.

2. Luxury Condos… Everywhere!

It really is fascinating to see “before” and “after” photos of downtown Miami’s skyline over the past 20 years. When I got started, the only luxury condominiums could be found along a stretch of Collins Avenue in Miami Beach, and it was aptly named the “Condo Canyon.” At the time, the prevailing logic was that condo buyers would only trade square footage for beautiful waterfront views. While that is largely still the case, and Miami Beach remains the epicenter of luxury condo development, the landscape for that development has extended considerably. Today, amazing new luxury condos can be found in Sunny Isles Beach, Coconut Grove, Surfside, Edgewater, Coral Gables and everywhere in between.

All these new condos have truly altered the way any successful Miami agent does their business. We have to keep up to speed on all the new projects, which developers make the best buildings, amenities, emerging neighborhoods, and especially where to find the best value for our clients. The “muscles” we agents use for buying and selling condos are very different than the ones used for selling single family homes, and they certainly get stretched and worked like never before.

3. Power Shift: From Agents To Customers

I’ll admit it: Before the internet became mainstream, real estate agents held all the cards. We had access to all the data and information, and the only means by which anyone could buy or sell their home. Good luck trying to sell your home yourself in those days — how could you possibly know how to find comparative pricing, get access to other agents and their customers, or handle the mountain of rules and paperwork involved in the process?

It all seems quaint now as today’s buyers and sellers have a world of listings, data, advice and marketing tools at their fingertips. It has become common to meet with prospective clients who are well-versed on recent “comps” and have good, strong opinions on how and where I should market their home.

Rather than resist this increase in customer savvy, veteran agents like me highlight specialized services that only we can provide: our local experience and expertise. It still means something to sellers when an agent can tell them, “I’ve already sold this house — and ten of your neighbors’ houses — over the years.”

4. More Competition

As Miami has evolved into a true world class-city since the turn of the century, more people earn their real estate license and take their shots at “the game” with each passing year. While real estate is a fantastic and rewarding career choice, the majority of new Miami agents enter the market with (and I choose my words carefully here) vastly unrealistic expectations for what it takes to do the job well, and earn a living doing so. This can make it challenging for customers to filter through the inexperienced or unqualified members of our industry, but it also emphasizes the need for the rest of us to market ourselves well and maintain good reputations. We also face increasing competition from online sources such as Zillow and for-sale-by-owner (or “FSBO”) entities.

5. Dramatic Population Swings

Political and environmental events have significantly shaped and altered Miami’s demographic identity over the past 50 years. From the mass exodus of Cuban exiles to Hurricane Andrew’s wrath to today’s surge of new residents from South America and Russia, agents like me have learned to roll with these changes accordingly. Very often, it has meant working with customers and colleagues whose first language may be different from mine, seeing the identity of an entire neighborhood change in months, and advising clients on the critical importance of insurance and shutters. Without even realizing it, experienced agents can simply get used to the idea of change itself being a constant.

With that in mind, I close with the question of what changes Miami real estate will experience over the next 50 years? What will the job of a Miami real estate agent look like in 2068? I’m really not sure, but I’ll be happy to write a follow-up column at that time.

 

Source: Miami Herald

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Miami Real Estate Mostly Spared From Irma’s Fury, Industry Players Say

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Just days after Hurricane Irma lashed downtown Miami and the neighboring Brickell financial district with vicious winds and surging water that took out two construction cranes and flooded major streets, industry players told The Real Deal that the deadly storm largely spared the city’s urban core and coastal communities from catastrophic damage.

Suzanne Amaducci, who leads the real estate group at commercial law firm Bilzin Sumberg, said 1450 Brickell Avenue, the office building where her firm is headquartered, reopened Tuesday morning,

“The power is on and we have air conditioning,” Amaducci said. “If you look at new construction, it withstood the storm very well.”

Carlos Melo, co-founder and principal of the Melo Group — which has developed 12 condo and apartment towers in Miami’s Edgewater, Little Havana and Allapattah neighborhoods — said he weathered Irma at his corporate office, which is on the second floor of his company’s rental building at 425 Northeast 22nd Street.

“We had about one foot of water at ground level,” Melo said. “It only affected the parking area, but it never reached the building. And about an hour-and-a-half after the hurricane passed, the water had receded.”

Melo said none of his buildings sustained extensive damage and that the only major problem is a lack of electricity.

“Nine of our rental buildings are without power and using generators,” Melo said. “The biggest problem is that there are too many downed trees and power lines to pick up.”

The Melo Group currently has two new projects under construction. Aria on the Bay, a 53-story, 648-unit luxury condo tower at 1770 North Bayshore Drive, topped off in May and is scheduled for completion later this year. The firm is also building Square Station, twin 34-story towers at 1424 Northeast Miami Place.

“Both sites are intact and did not sustain damage,” Melo said. “Aria is all glass windows. And none were damaged. The building is intact. The same goes for our neighbors. Square Station, where three construction cranes are currently in operation, was also unscathed. After inspecting the Aria construction site yesterday, we are fully operational again. But work has not begun again at Square Station because we don’t have power there.”

But a pair of projects will have to contend with damage caused by falling cranes. Irma took out the boom from a crane tower at Property Markets Group’s 300 Biscayne Avenue development in downtown Miami and another crane collapsed at the Related Group’s GranParaiso condo tower at 480 Northeast 31st Street.

Ryan Shear, a principal of New York-based PMG, declined comment. Carlos Rosso, president of Related’s condo division, said he couldn’t comment because he was not in Miami to assess the situation at GranParaiso.

A third crane in South Florida also fell at Related’s Auberge Beach Residences and Spa in Fort Lauderdale.  A spokesperson for the project said the crane is “fully contained within the job site,” adding that there was no damage to the tower structure and that power has been restored. The developer and contractor, Moss Construction, are working on a plan to remove the damaged jib, the representative said.

On Wednesday, Moody’s Analytics released a report estimating between $64 billion and $92 billion in property damage and immediate economic lost output caused by Irma, though specific assessments for much of South Florida have not yet emerged. The Florida Keys were battered, with the federal government estimating 90 percent of buildings sustaining damage, but the storm mostly drifted west of Miami.

Chad Warhaft, director of construction and operations for brokerage CREC, said the company’s portfolio of 13 million square feet of commercial space across Florida held up well during Irma.

“Mainly, we are dealing with landscape damage and minor roof leaks,” Warhaft said. “There was a little bit of facade damage at two properties. Other than that, we have been in really good shape.”

Residential developers who spoke to TRD said their projects in Miami were relatively unscathed, and don’t believe the aftermath will have a profound negative impact on their bottom line or construction schedules.

“The 10-story, 81-unit apartment tower at 1657 North Miami Avenue had some stucco fly off and some water intrusion but nothing too severe,” said Nir Shoshani, co-founder and principal of NR Investments, which is developing the Filling Station Lofts in Miami’s Arts & Entertainment District.

His company is also developing Canvas, a 513-unit condo building at 1630 Northeast First Avenue, that has two cranes on site hovering at 425 feet in the air.

“When we started preparing for Irma, we were supposed to be right smack in the middle of its path,” Shoshani said. “There is nothing you can really do to secure those things. On the contrary, you have to let them spin.”

He said crews assessed the site on Monday and he hopes construction on the tower, which has a projected $221 million sellout, will renew before the end of the week. Shoshani said he doesn’t think Irma will cause a major downturn in Miami’s real estate market.

“Miami remains a very attractive place,” Shoshani said. “I also think people forget quickly and it won’t have long term effects on real estate here.”

 

Source: The Real Deal

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Miami’s Real Estate Stability Still Strong After Four Years

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The real estate stability in Miami is still strong.

For four years, Miami’s economy in real estate has not met any downturn and consecutively even with the rising cost of real estate, it is evident that the city is one of the biggest players in this sector.

“South Florida offers world-class amenities, a top-tier arts and cultural epicenter, a diversified economy and more. The strong demand is leading to fewer days on the market for Miami single-family homes while buyer offers are near asking price,” according to World Property Journal.

Meanwhile, the increase in sales of properties was not only due to U.S. homebuyers. There was also a report stating that part of the buyers that are seeing potential and interest in the city is from the international market.

“Miami real estate continues to attract international buyers from all over the world as well as a growing number of domestic consumers,” said Miami-based Realtor Christopher Zoller

One promising note about the stability in the real estate of Miami is that the city offers a limited number of properties that can be loaned in mortgage. Out of the thousand properties that were available to sell to the public, only a small number can be allowed for mortgage loans. This makes it all the more visible how many are really eyeing settling in this city.

“Miami existing condominiums have been impacted by a lack of access to mortgage loans. Of the 8,523 condominium buildings in Miami-Dade and Broward Counties, only 23 are approved for Federal Housing Administration loans, down from 29 earlier this year,” based from the article and the statistics from Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation and FHA.

In addition to this, there was a policy that was worked on this month to open up more opportunities for buyers to own a property in Miami. This could detail in more growth for the city’s real estate economy as people who are opting to own a residence in this city can apply instead via a mortgage loan.

“By increasing the number of local condo buildings approved for FHA loans, more consumers will be able to access FHA’s low down payment mortgages. Accepting Citizens insurance and co-insurance clauses is another significant development, which would help more than 85% of Florida’s condo projects in complying with FHA’s insurance requirements,” said MIAMI’s SVP Government Affairs & Housing Danielle Blake.

 

Source: Realty Today

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Foreigners Swoop Into Miami Real Estate With Piles Of Cash

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It’s a scene that’s played out countless times here in recent years.

A working-class couple identify a home they want to buy, they work with their bank on a mortgage and prepare an offer, only to find that the property’s been purchased by a foreigner who plunked down a full cash payment. “That’s happened to every Realtor in Miami,” said Adrian Foley, a lawyer and real estate agent.

That situation is partly why Miami has become one of the most expensive cities in the U.S. to buy or rent a home. Lured by the beaches or the relative security of the American real estate market, people from around the globe have flooded the area in recent years.

 Every time the Argentine or Brazilian economy takes a plunge, Miami real estate agents see a wave of people flying north looking for a safer place to invest their money. Whenever global oil prices fall, Russians and Venezuelans start showing up. Vacationers from Europe buy properties to serve as winter retreats. “And there’s now for the first time quite a lot of activity coming from Asian buyers, especially Chinese,” Foley said.

One clear indication of foreign purchases is the number of Miami homes being bought with cash. As much as 70% of total home purchases in the Miami area were cash sales in March 2012, according to real estate research firm CoreLogic. That was down to 58% in December, but still well above the national average of 35.5%.

Miami still remains relatively cheap for buying prime property. “They are very inexpensive compared to other places in the world, be it Buenos Aires, Bogota, Paris, Germany, Russia,” said Alberto Orso, a Miami real estate agent who works with many Latin American buyers.

Another factor has been a strong push from city leaders and developers to cultivate a global, cosmopolitan environment that attracts a wide variety of wealthy foreigners. Christie’s International Real Estate listed Miami among its top 10 luxury markets in 2014. Flip through the April edition of American Airlines’ in-flight magazine and there are several Miami-area developers advertising their properties, one even promoting it as a place to buy and immediately rent out as an investment.

But when foreigners are making the decision of where to buy, it comes down to one thing. “You go to the most attractive cities,” said Geoffrey Garrett, the Australian-born dean of the Wharton School of business at the University of Pennsylvania, during a recent visit to Miami. “Globally-mobile people want to go to the most cosmopolitan places, and Miami is certainly up there.

Drawing those kinds of investors, however, has come at a cost. Developers are building mostly high-priced condos and homes to match the international demand. And with banks hesitant to hand out loans following Miami’s real estate plunge during the recent recession, local residents are left with few options.

“Ninety percent of new construction underway in Miami right now is unaffordable for 90% of the population that lives here,” said Jack McCabe, a real estate analyst with McCabe Research & Consulting. “When people talk about this great divide between the rich and the poor,” McCabe said, “it’s very evident in Miami.”

The focus on luxury projects has also left renters with few options. According to the online real estate database Zillow, Miami-area renters spent 44.2% of their income on rent in the last three months of 2014, the second-highest figure in the country, after Los Angeles.

 

Source: USA Today

 

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Miami Real Estate Market Keeps Rolling

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The performance of the Miami real estate market remains consistent with record activity in 2013 due to strong demand despite increased existing and new construction supply.

Median and average sales prices continue to rise, according to the latest statistics from the Miami Association of Realtors.In the third quarter, the median sales price for homes in Miami-Dade County was $250,000, an increase of 8.7% compared to last year while the median sale price for condominiums rose 3.5% to $189,900. These third quarter price increases mark 11 consecutive quarters of growth for both single family homes and condominiums.

‘The Miami real estate market continues to attract the attention of both domestic and foreign buyers, fueling solid growth and creating opportunities for both buyers and sellers, said Liza Mendez, chairman of the association’s board. ‘While there is more supply available than a year ago, there is still strong demand, and the growth of supply, new listings, sales and prices is more moderate, resulting in a more balanced market,’ she added.

In Florida the state wide median sales price for single family existing homes in the third quarter was $182,000, up 4% from the same quarter a year ago, according to the latest housing data released by Florida Realtor. The median sales price for condominiums in Florida was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year at $139,000. Compared to last year, the average sales prices for single family homes and condominiums in Miami-Dade County increased 14.9% to $438,431 and 3.8% to $341,927, respectively.

There were 7,632 homes and condos sold in Miami-Dade County during the third quarter of 2014, a decrease of 5% compared to the third quarter of 2013, when there was record sales activity. Sales of single family homes increased 0.2% to 3,552, while condominium sales decreased 9% to 4,080 compared with the same period in 2013.

‘In Miami, market performance continues to vary greatly depending on location, property type, price range and other factors,’ said Franciso Angulo, residential president of the Miami Association of Realtors. ‘While in most cases, increased supply is offering buyers more choices and less pressure, others are still experiencing significant competition and bidding wars,’ he explained.

He pointed out that the Miami Association’s initiatives to increase inventory and focus on assisting members to get more listings has proven successful along with some additional distressed properties coming on the market. In addition, the fact that sales remain at historically strong levels while inventory is growing points to seller confidence. Sellers are listing properties for sale because they have confidence in the market, according to Angulo.

Home and condominium listings also increased in the second quarter but by narrower margins. There were 6,237 new single family home listings during the third quarter, a growth of 5.1% relative to the same period last year. New condominium listings increased by only 1% from 8,282 in the third quarter of 2013 to 8,366 this year.

At the current sales pace, current inventory represents 5.7 months of inventory for single family homes and 8.1 for condominiums. Compared to the third quarter of 2013, months supply of inventory for single family homes and condominiums increased 13.5% and 33.6% respectively. A balanced market between buyers and sellers offers between six and nine months supply of inventory.

The median days on the market of single family home listings during the third quarter was 45 days compared to 37 days during the same period last year, an increase of 21.6%. Similarly, the median days on the market for condominium listings were 57 days compared to 46 last year, an increase of 23.9%. In the third quarter some 55% of closed sales were all cash compared to 59.2% a year ago. All cash sales were 40.4% of single family home closings and 67.5% of all condominium sales.

Since nearly 90% of foreign buyers pay cash, the association says this reflects Miami’s position as a top market for foreign buyers. Miami has a significant percentage of international buyers, generating more than double the cash transactions than the national average.

 

Source: NuWire Investor

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