We have officially launched our revised and updated Brickell condos page. It went live earlier this week but a few minor kinks had to be worked out before I wanted to make the announcement. Around 90% of our business comes from non-locals so, first and foremost, I wanted to create a page which catered to those who are unfamiliar with the area. Our new neighborhood page is loaded with fresh content. I included a brief description, geographic and demographic information, as well as a short history lesson about Brickell. It also has a video/picture slideshow which contains over 150 pictures of the neighborhood. A Yelp widget was included as well to give people a sense for the quality of restaurants and other types of businesses throughout Brickell.
Towards the middle of the page, we have highlighted the five most recent resident reviews for condo buildings in Brickell. We hope that people who currently reside or have resided in one or more of the buildings in the neighborhood will share their experience and assessment with those looking for an unbiased opinion when shopping for a new condo in Brickell.
For those who are used to the old version of the page and wish to skip to the Brickell condos section, click on the “jump to Brickell condos” link found at the top of the page. We have, however, modified the way this section is organized. Now, not only can you get a quick glance at the inventory counts for each building but you can also see how many short sales and REOs are currently available for sale on the MLS. As you will see, a majority of the condo buildings in Brickell do not have any short sales or REOs on the market for sale. In fact, excluding the three pre-construction condo developments, two-thirds of them (20/30) do not have any distressed sales at all. That is pretty remarkable given how bad things were just a few years ago.
Perhaps the greatest new addition to the Brickell condos page is the statistics box in the upper right-hand corner just above the video. Towards the middle of each month, we will begin posting various neighborhood statistics calculated using sales figures as of the last day from the previous month. The reason why we wait a few weeks is because real estate agents tend to forget to change the status of a property from pending to sold in the MLS after it closes. Only sales figures for condo developments in Brickell that are found on the page will be incorporated. Think of it as a mini Brickell Condo Index. Expect the first update to be released around the middle of September.
Considering my day-to-day responsibilities as a real estate agent and the amount of time I already put into the website, my hope is to roll out a new neighborhood page every 2-3 months. I would appreciate any feedback that you might have so that these neighborhood pages will continue to evolve and get better with time.
IconBay to Include Garage-top Tennis Courts and Watersports Marina
Rooftop tennis courts? Why didn’t anyone say anything? I’m not an avid tennis player but I wouldn’t mind partaking in a few games of tennis if they were to be held on a rooftop offering a majestic water view. Heck, I’m not even a tennis player period but I might just volunteer to be the line judge. Where do I sign up? One of IconBay’s latest renderings reveals two tennis courts atop its parking garage. It appears, however, that only one of the two courts will offer an unobstructed view of Biscayne Bay. I wonder what the wait time for that court will be. The tennis courts at IconBay will be located on the 7th floor and offer ball and towel service, filtered water stations and access to his-and-hers locker rooms. The courts will even be lighted to allow for nighttime play.
It seems that recreational activities and encouraging its residents to live a healthy lifestyle will be a central theme for Icon Bay. Icon Bay’s latest marketing piece states that it will include a watersports marina for windsurfing, paddleboarding, sailing, jet skiing and other motorized and non-motorized aquatic activities. How awesome is that?
The waterfront sculpture park will also be a distinguishing feature for Icon Bay. Featured artists will include: José Bedia Valdes, Carolina Sardi, Edouard Duval Carrié , Gary Nader and Daniel Maman. In the rendering above, notice the dog park, sculpture garden, exercise stations, play fountain and interactive sculpture along with the winding walkways and baywalk. Sounds like it will be one helluva park!
The Infinity-edge pool at Icon Bay will be accented by a snack and cocktail bar and private cabanas. Towel service will also be offered.
The fitness center and spa at IconBay will include top-of-the-line cardio and weight training equipment, sauna and steam rooms, personal trainers, yoga and Pilates classes and more.
Notice the triangular-shaped balconies on the backside of the building in the above rendering of IconBay. You also get a good shot of the two tennis courts. I must say that these latest renderings have me excited about the prospects for IconBay. It will definitely be a game-changer for the neighborhood. Hopefully the watersports marina will be open to non-residents as well.
I updated our Icon Bay building profile page to include all of the latest information that has been released including amenities and residence features.
900 Biscayne Bay’s Attention to Detail
There are several reasons for why 900 Biscayne Bay gets a 9.5 out of 10 quality score on our Condo Rankings page. The building management’s attention to detail is definitely one of them. In the photo above, take note of the pattern across the back of the sofa. Each morning, the cleaning person vacuums this pattern into the back and sides of each of the sofas that reside in the club room at 900 Biscayne Bay. Attention to small details like these that don’t go unnoticed by the most discriminating of buyers.
Alex Rodgriguez Lists Miami Beach Mansion for $38M
After moving into the property less than a year ago, Alex Rodriguez looks to part ways with his ultra-chic Miami Beach mansion. The New York Yankees All-Star recently listed the 20,000 square foot, waterfront home for $39M. The modern North Bay Road estate is situated on a 1.07-acre lot and has 9 bedrooms, 11 full baths and 2 half baths. The completely-gated property features 275 feet of water frontage, 2 boat docks, a 3,000 square foot sports room with batting cage, commercial-sized elevator, heated pool, gourmet open kitchen, home theater, outdoor kitchen area, guest house, Crestron lighting, 16 security cameras, surround sound system throughout, seamless indoor/outdoor living spaces, rooftop deck, separate gym building with steam room, covered terraces and a 2,200 square foot Master Suite with atrium, sitting area, his and hers baths and over-sized closets.
Alex Rodriguez purchased the property for a reported $24M in 2010 while it was still under construction.
New Rendering of Icon Bay
A new rendering of Icon Bay has been released. It provides a great shot of the proposed fountain that will reside in Biscayne Bay. The rendering also shows the Infinity edge pool which gives the illusion that the pool water flows into the bay as well as several cabanas that line the northern and southern part of the sundeck.
Reservations are now being accepted for condos at Icon Bay. Please visit our Icon Bay condos page for more information and additional renderings.
100 Montaditos Brickell Location Coming Soon
This past February, 100 Montaditos opened its first location in the United States. It chose Midtown Miami as the spot in which to introduce itself to America. The restaurant, known for its tapa-sized bread roll sandwiches, has since opened five other locations – all in South Florida – including one at the base of 50 BiscayneVizcayne in Downtown Miami. It now looks to expand once again by opening a seventh location – this time in Brickell – at the former site of Deli Lane. Admittedly, I have not had the chance to try 100 Montaditos for myself but I have heard great things and I’m sure its success speaks for itself.
Custom Built, Fully Furnished Condo at Marina Blue Sets the Bar for the Building
I have seen a lot of condos at Marina Blue over the 4+ years since the building debuted in February 2008. The vast majority of units have your average run-of-the-mill build-out with tiled floors, California-style closets, solar shades in the living room, black-out shades in the bedrooms and light fixtures that were likely picked up at Home Depot as an afterthought – nice but far short of spectacular. A few weeks ago, however, I showed a condo at Marina Blue that really blew me away and deserves to be in a league of its own.
Unit 5304 is a 2 bedroom+den/2.5 bath condo with 1,663 square feet of living space. The floor plan, known as a Sky Loft, is quite rare in the building and only 11 other units of this size exists at Marina Blue. The condo has 10-foot high ceilings with floor-to-ceiling glass windows, offering breathtaking views of Biscayne Bay, Downtown Miami and the Miami Beach skyline from its vantage point on the 53rd floor. While the view is remarkable, it is the unit itself that really makes it special. The condo was 100% custom built and includes a lot of bells and whistles. The furniture and artwork that you see pictured below is also included in the sales price.
The kitchen includes a large custom island, Gaggenau stainless steel appliances and custom Italian cabinetry by Snaidero. The owner also had a DJ room/office built into the floor plan and is including the turntables and Evolution Entertainment music system with the sale of the condo. Each of the rooms is also wired with an Internet-based security camera system.
In all honesty, given the level of quality of both the furniture and the unit itself, this condo is a steal at its current asking price of $795K. The build-out itself cost at least $150K and I’m sure the replacement cost of the furniture and artwork is north of $100K. (Update: I called to check my estimates and was told that the owner paid roughly $350K total for the build-out, furniture and artwork.) Everything is pretty much brand new given that the owner has used the condo only a few times since it was built-out and furnished. Whoever ends up buying the condo is going to end up with the nicest unit that I have ever seen at Marina Blue.
1100 Millecento, BrickellHouse and myBrickell on the Brink of Selling Out
I realize that I run the risk of sounding like your typical salesman, but it must be said – “This market is hot!”. Over the past nine months in Brickell, three pre-construction condo developments – 1100 Millecento, BrickellHouse and myBrickell – were launched. I was made aware yesterday afternoon that only 20 units remain available for sale amongst these three developments combined! That represents 2.1% of their combined 948 total units. Only two units remain at 1100 Millecento, 8 at BrickellHouse and 10 at myBrickell. The first two projects haven’t even broken grounded yet. If that’s not hot then I don’t know what is. Before anyone starts to chime in with bubble talk, we need to keep in mind that all three pre-construction developments require a very large portion of the purchase price to be paid long before closing. In the case of 1100 Millecento the buyer will have already paid 50% of the purchase price by closing. BrickellHouse and myBrickell are virtually immune from default risk with the buyer required to pay 70% and 80% of the purchase price, respectively, by closing. Like I said – This market is hot!
$47M Sale of 3 Indian Creek Drive Shatters Previous Record Set in March
Records were made to be broken. Sometimes, however, records are shattered. The recent sale of 3 Indian Creek Island for $47M shatters the previous record-breaking sale for single-family homes in Miami-Dade County set earlier this year by 22%. Edward Lampert, Sears Holdings Corp.’s chairman and hedge fund billionaire, purchased a waterfront estate, also located on Indian Creek Island, in March for $38.4M.
3 Indian Creek Drive is paradise-living at its finest. The 30,000 square foot, waterfront home is situated on an 80,000 square foot lot and has 10 bedrooms, 10 full baths, 4 half baths, a 100-foot resort-style pool, a full catering kitchen, certified greenhouse, rooftop lawn and Jacuzzi, panic room, wine cellar, servant room, chromotherapy spa and massage room, library, elevator and a 7-limo-sized car garage.
No word yet on who the buyer of 3 Indian Creek Drive might be. There are currently two single-family homes available for sale which could potentially eclipse the record-breaking sale of 3 Indian Creek: 12 Indian Creek Drive, listed for $45M, and the former Versace mansion, located at 1116 Ocean Drive, which has an astonishing asking price of $125M.
Introducing Icon Bay – Related Group’s Newest Pre-construction Condo Development
First it was Icon South Beach. Then Icon Brickell. Related Group now looks to launch Icon Bay – a 300-unit, 40-story luxury high-rise along Biscayne Bay at the eastern end of NE 28 Street. Every unit in the building will have private elevator access and will face the water. The world-renowned architectural team Arquitectonica has been contracted to do the design. The interior designer has not yet been announced but it is expected to be someone highly reputable and impressive. A waterfront neighborhood park will also be developed as part of this project. GEO Arquitectonica, the landscape designers behind Museum of Modern Art in Miami, will design the bayfront park. Pricing is in the process of being finalized but given the level of quality, I foresee pricing to be along the lines of Paramount Bay. Letters of intent are now being accepted to reserve your space in line to choose a unit when sales officially begin. Contact us for more information if you have an interest in reserving an Icon Bay condo.
