Introducing the Brickell and Downtown Miami Condos Google+ Community Room

Lets hope that three times a charm Since launching this website in 2007 I have attempted on two separate occasions to introduce a forum which would allow those with an interest in Miami real estate to communicate and share with one another related content such as pictures videos and new stories Both attempts failed mainly due to bots who would litter the forum with an insane amount of spam It was impossible to keep up with and a huge waste of time even attempting to do so

A year ago next week Google launched a service called Google+ Communities which allows people to form groups based around a specific topic Since then I have joined a variety of communities and have been very impressed with how clean and spam free these groups can be This is mainly due to the requirement in which participants must log in using their Google account The fact that there is a face and profile attached to a name keeps everyone for the most part on their best behavior

Earlier this year I created a Google+ community room called Brickell and Downtown Miami condos It is my hope that this will end up being a sort of round table for all interested parties to discuss and share freely content related to the topic at hand As stated above to join you must have a Google account This helps keep the forum clean and free of spam Presently there are 29 members My goal is to get that number up to 100 members by the end of next month and 1000 by the end of 2014 The success of this room however will heavily rely on your participation So please take the time to join the communities room introduce yourself and share a piece of content if you have anything interesting to share

Introducing Nine at Mary Brickell Village

I am pleased to introduce Miami’s newest luxury condo development – Nine at Mary Brickell Village. The condo development, which is currently under construction, will be situated directly atop the western portion of Mary Brickell Village. The co-developers – Starwood Capital Group and LYND – had planned to deliver the building as a luxury rental development but it was announced just a few days ago that upgrades will be made to their original plans and that the units will instead be sold as condominiums.

Construction is well underway and the development is projected to be completed in May 2014. Nine at Mary Brickell Village will have 1, 2 and 3 bedroom units starting from $300,000. There are 30 available floor plans ranging from 744 to 2,098 square feet. Residences will boast beautifully appointed kitchens with stainless steel appliances, quartz countertops and backsplashes, designer fixtures and hardware, oversized mirrors, spacious walk-in closets and large soaking tubs. Units will have 9 to 11 foot ceilings.

I should have official pricing for units in the coming days but it is expected to average $475 per square foot with finished flooring. In fact, all units at Nine at Mary Brickell Village will be delivered with imported porcelain tile flooring in a wood grain finish and solar window shades. $475 per square foot is very well priced compared to pre-construction developments that have recently launched in Brickell at $500 to $600 per square foot. The great thing about this development is that it is in the heart of Brickell sitting atop of Mary Brickell Village and will be just a few blocks away from Brickell CityCentre once it is completed. Location doesn’t get any better than this!

I expect this development to sell out quickly so if you have an interest be sure to contact me immediately. I should have pricing, floor plans, reservation agreements and wire instructions available in the coming days.

Below is the deposit schedule to purchase a condo at Nine at Mary Brickell Village:

10% due at reservation (within the next week)
10% due at contract (within the next 45-60 days)
10% at top-off
Balance due at closing

Fully Furnished 2 Bedroom + Den with 16-foot Ceilings at Icon Brickell II – $5,400/mo

Within the next month, a client of mine will be closing on a 2 bedroom + den at Icon Brickell Tower 2. The unit is very unique because it features soaring 16-foot ceilings from the 41st floor. This is the highest floor in the building that has high ceilings. The unit also includes motorized shades in both bedrooms, three crystal chandeliers, TUI furniture package and a state-of-the-art electronics package. Electronics package includes: Blu-ray 3D player, 3D TV and 3D surround sound system. Wake up each morning to a breathtaking view of Biscayne Bay from the 41st floor. 1 assigned parking space. Rent includes basic cable TV, Internet & water. Asking price is $5,400 per month. If you have an interest please contact me at 786-247-6332.

Vue at Brickell Makes Amazing Turnaround from its Dire Days

A much needed facelift is well underway at Vue at Brickell. The building recently had a brand new fitness center installed and is only two weeks away from unveiling its brand new pool and pool deck. Also, permits were recently obtained in order to begin renovation on its lobby. Work is scheduled to begin later this month.

As some might recall, Vue at Brickell was initially developed as a rental community before being converted to condos soon after being completed in 2004. From 2007-2008, Vue at Brickell was an unfortunate victim of widespread mortgage fraud which ultimately led to an insurmountable number of foreclosures and short sales throughout the building. At the height of the crisis, over 200 units were delinquent on paying their monthly condo association dues out of 323 total units! This obviously led to budget shortfalls and spending cuts. The building was in disarray and prices followed. Prices tanked so much in 2008 that it was not unheard of for condos at Vue at Brickell to sell below $100,000.

That was then. The building has come a very long way from those dire days! Condo prices at Vue at Brickell have made an amazing turnaround. In fact, at this time, the lowest priced unit in the building is asking $265,000. A one bedroom recently sold for $245,000. Of most importance is its location. Vue at Brickell is located in one of the hottest areas in Brickell. At the base of its building, there are a number of popular restaurants that can be found such as Golden Fig, My Ceviche and Piola. It is also within walking distance to the shops and restaurants at Mary Brickell Village and two Publix grocery stores. Best of all, the area will only get better with time as SLS Brickell, and its highly publicized restaurants, will open directly across the street. Also, the $1.05B mixed-use development known as Brickell Citycentre, which is currently under construction, is just blocks away. The future is most certainly bright for Vue at Brickell owners.

Pharrell Williams’ Miami Penthouse Marked Down $5.9M

It appears that the market for Miami penthouse condos is not all sunshine and rainbows. Despite a red hot Miami luxury real estate market which has seen an array of record-breaking penthouse sales during the first half of this year (See Exhibit A, Exhibit B, Exhibit C and Exhibit D), the Bristol Tower penthouse currently owned by hip-hop sensation, Pharrell Williams, has seen its price slashed $5.9M since hitting the market this past November. Initially set at $16.8M, the tri-level mansion-in-the-sky was recently marked down to $10.9M – a whopping 35 percent price reduction!

Formerly the residence of Bristol Tower developer, Ugo Colombo, the 5 bedroom, 6.5 bath penthouse features 9,080 interior square feet, private elevator entry, grand living spaces with impressive floor-to-ceiling glass walls, a 180-degree wrap-around balcony, 7 assigned parking spaces and rooftop terraces with summer kitchen, pool and Jacuzzi. The one-of-a-kind penthouse also sports a sensational view! It offers sweeping 360-degree views of Biscayne Bay, the Atlantic Ocean and sparkling city lights at night along with the opportunity to enjoy both the sunrise and sunset each day.

According to property records, Mr. Williams acquired the penthouse in March 2007 for $12,525,000.

Echo Brickell – Brickell’s Latest Pre-construction Condo Development

It appears that a luxury pre-construction condo development named Echo Brickell will begin accepting reservations next week. The Miami Herald reports that the skyscraper will rise 750 feet , or 60 stories, and feature large floor plans with up to 250 total units. The penthouses are expected to span over 7,000 square feet – unusually large by Brickell standards. Once completed, Echo Brickell will be the second tallest building in the neighborhood.

Unlike the handful of other pre-construction condo developments in Brickell that have been announced over the past couple of years, Echo Brickell will be located directly on the famed Brickell Avenue. The development will be erected at 1451 Brickell Avenue – a corner lot between The Four Seasons and St. Jude Melkite Catholic Church. Echo Brickell will be developed by Property Markets Group – the same development group which recently had a very successful launch of a 190-unit condo development in Aventura called Echo Aventura. World famous architect, Carlos Ott, has been chosen to design the luxury high-rise. Units at Echo Brickell will feature 10, 12 and 14-foot ceilings. The article states that plans for Echo Brickell include a swimming pool, which will encompass an entire floor about midway up the building, along with a fitness center and spa above it. The units will be sold move-in ready.

No mention of pricing was included in the article. However, in the coming days, I plan to get more information regarding Echo Brickell…so stay tuned!

Penthouse Floor Plans Released for SLS Brickell Residences

Preliminary floor plans for the penthouses at SLS Brickell Residences have been released. You will see below that there will be a total of seven floor plans on the penthouse level but only five of them will have unique layouts when compared to the other floor plans in the building. The five uniquely designed floor plans will essentially combine one and two bedroom floor plans from other levels to create larger spaces which will range from 1,845 to 2,332 interior square feet. Unfortunately, these units will not have a rooftop terrace or other distinguishing features which are typically associated with penthouses. There will, however, be a rooftop pool but that will be for all residents in the building to enjoy and not just those who own a penthouse. Regardless, if you are excited about SLS Brickell Residences but feel that the floor plans are too small, the penthouses might be a great opportunity to look into. However, being that there are only five combination units in the entire building, I do not expect availability for these to last long.

A $100,000 deposit is required to reserve a penthouse at SLS Brickell Residences. The balance of 20% will be required at contract, which should take place sometime between May and July. Contact me if you have an interest in reserving one (or heck, all five) penthouses at SLS Brickell Residences.

Latest Renderings of SLS Brickell Residences

I have to admit, until just hours ago, I hadn’t been overly excited about the recently announced SLS Brickell Residences. The first rendering, which was released to the public about a month ago, was rather boring. Being a foodie, the only thing that really excited me about the development was the fact that three amazing restaurants would be on-site: Bazaar by Jose Andres , Katsuya by Starck and a restaurant by Michael Schwartz. I’m a big fan of Michael’s Genuine so to have a brand new restaurant by Michael Schwartz only an elevator ride away sounded very appealing to me. Oh, and having a 250-foot long elevated pool – which I’m sure will be surrounded by some of Miami’s most beautiful women – didn’t sound so bad either. However, I just couldn’t get my mind off that very unexciting rendering of the development that made its way into my inbox last month.

That was the past though. With the latest rendering above, I’m back on board and am very excited about SLS Brickell Residences. It looks visually stunning and whoever created it did an outstanding job! Street-level, the rendering gives off a sense of activity and energy, which I have no doubt will be delivered true to life given the inclusion of the SLS Hotel, the three aforementioned restaurants and on-site Jazz bar. Mark my words, this is going to be the “in” place to be and live in Brickell once this development is completed. The party starts here!

As I had previously posted, reservations for condos at SLS Brickell Residences are now being accepted. Prices are expected to average around $500 per square foot. I had previously been advising clients to stay away from the west-facing units because they will look straight into units at Infinity at Brickell. However, the rendering above shows that the west-facing units will also have the privilege of checking out the activity down below at the pool deck. If you are planning to buy a west-facing unit, my advice is to go for a low floor. There is no point in buying a high floor on the west side of the building when the action will be down below. The price per square foot will be much lower as well.

Contact me if you have an interest in learning more about this exciting pre-construction condo and hotel development which will be located at 1300 South Miami Avenue in Brickell. You can find the brochure, floor plans, video and other information regarding this development on my SLS Brickell Residences page.

SLS Brickell Residences Now Accepting Reservations

The wait is over. SLS Brickell Residences is now accepting reservations. The recently announced pre-construction condo and hotel development will be located at 1300 South Miami Avenue, within walking distance to the shops and restaurants at Mary Brickell Village and upcoming Brickell CityCentre. The luxury tower, which has been designed by Arquitectonica, will rise 51 stories and be comprised of 450 condo residences and 133 hotel rooms. The SLS branded hotel component will take up the first nine floors. The residential units will be located on floors 10 through 51 with 11 units per floor. The ninth floor will house most of the amenities such as a 200-foot long elevated pool, spa deck, HYDE Bar and Lounge and CIEL Spa. The building will also have an 8,000 square foot ballroom, state-of-the-art fitness center, screening rooms and 3,000 square foot business center with private meeting rooms. A residents-only rooftop pool and lounge will encompass the entire top floor. On the ground-level, there will be three incredible restaurants, including Katsuya by Starck, Bazaar by Jose Andres and a restaurant by Michael Schwartz of Michael Genuine. Each unit will come with one assigned parking space.

Please refer to my SLS Brickell Residences page for more information. There, I have a full-color brochure, floor plans and video for the development.

To purchase a condo at SLS Brickell Residences, the payment structure is as follows:

10% at reservation – NOW!
10% at contract – June 2013
10% at ground-breaking – Fall 2013
10% at 25th floor slab – Mid-2014
10% at top-off – Mid-2015
50% at closing – Summer 2016

Contact me if you have an interest in reserving a unit at SLS Brickell Residences. You may reach me on my cell at 786-247-6332 or via email at [email protected].