Beautiful 5 Bedroom Condo at Villa Regina with 4,100 Square Feet – $1,499,900
Five-bedroom condos in Brickell are very rare. In fact, at this time, there are only two other condos in Brickell that are listed on the MLS with that many bedrooms. Just last week, I listed the best priced 5 bedroom condo in Brickell in a building called Villa Regina. The new listing is attractively priced at $1,499,900. The next best priced 5 bedroom residence is listed for over $1M more.
If size, quality, and location are what you need, then look no further. The 5 bedroom listing at Villa Regina spans 4,100 square feet (380.9 square meters), has a total of 15 rooms, 5 full bathrooms, comes with 3 parking spaces, has 4 terraces with gorgeous bay and city views and has been tastefully remodeled. The kitchen has new granite countertops and stainless steel appliances with custom cabinetry. The air conditioning system was also replaced 3 months ago and the condo has impact resistance windows and shutters.
The amenities at Villa Regina include: 24-hour full-service concierge and security, swimming pool, fitness center, his and her spas, barbecue area and 4 grand party rooms. Villa Regina is located directly on Biscayne Bay and is one of the few condo buildings in Brickell with its own private marina.
Contact me today if you’d like to take a look at this 5 bedroom condo at Villa Regina.
Beachfront Foreclosure "Steals" Just Aren’t Happening in South Beach
I receive a number of phone calls each week from nonlocals looking to “steal” a condo in South Beach directly on the beach. I tell them every time that it’s just not happening. Beachfront property is still in very high demand.
Case in point is a foreclosure condo at Hilton Bentley Miami Beach that became available towards the beginning of February. It’s a 1 bedroom/1 bath with 620 square feet, fully furnished and listed at $379,900. I never posted about this foreclosure because I wanted my best clients to jump on this opportunity before other agents in town knew about it. I took a look at the condo and it was in prestine shape. Great views, plasma TVs in the living room and bedroom, stainless steel appliances and furniture that was in like-new condition. I submitted a few offers but I was told that 8 other offers were submitted and none of mine were the highest. One of my clients has contacted me a few times within the last couple of weeks, out of curiosity, to find out for how much the condo eventually closed. The foreclosure condo at Bentley Beach closed for $459,900 on March 26, 2008. Again, it was listed for $379,900. Someone bid through the asking price by $80,000!
This is not just one instance. I’ve been seeing a number of South Beach foreclosures and short-sale condos being bid through their offers. As the old adage says, if it looks too good to be true then it usually is.
The Sail on Brickell Penthouse 2 Bedroom/2 Bath Foreclosure – $299,900
I urge everyone to read my post in September. It will provide much insight as to how prevalent the mortgage fraud was back then in Miami. I actually reread my post and I was like “Damn! That was a great post”. Back then I didn’t have many readers. My readership was made up of just around one hundred people.
Currently, there are two 2 bedroom/2 bath short-sales at The Sail on Brickell listed for $599,000. Both short-sales are the condos that I discussed in my July and September posts that had recently closed. This makes it apparent to me that the buyers never had the intention to hold these condos but rather defraud our U.S. banking system. Our banking system in this country has enough problems. I’m very upset about my findings. Very!
Here are the two condos that were sold at The Sail on Brickell in July and September:
Unit 2504 was listed at $670,000 and sold for $670,000
Unit 2204 was listed at $670,000 and sold for $670,000
Both were sold by the same broker. <<<<<<<<<<<<<
Where is the mortgage fraud task force when you need them?
The Floridian 3 Bedroom Condo Foreclosure in South Beach – A Fantastic Deal at $444,900
A 3 bedroom/2 bath condo foreclosure was listed earlier today for $444,900 at The Floridian located at 650 West Avenue in South Beach. The condo is located on the 28th floor and faces west with direct views of Biscayne Bay, the Downtown Miami skyline and Star, Palm and Hibiscus Islands. The bank is also offering a $7,000 credit at closing to the buyer. Take a look at the MLS details of this condo foreclosure at The Floridian.
The following three bedroom units have sold on the MLS within the last 12 months at The Floridian:
Unit 2008 (faces east) – closed April 26, 2007 – $695,000
Unit 3007 (faces west) – closing June 15, 2007 – $725,000
My guess is that there will be multiple offers on this condo by the end of the week.
Vue at Brickell – Are Prices Finally Bottoming?
On May 24, 2007, I wrote a blog post entitled “Vue at Brickell – Overpriced or Insanely Overpriced?“. At the time, the average list price of condos available at Vue at Brickell was over $550 per square foot. As many of you now know, and as the blog post explains, the inflated list prices were a direct result of the rampant mortgage fraud that occurred in the building. Since that time, as more and more people became aware of the situation and as a large number of foreclosures in the building hit the market, prices at Vue at Brickell have come down like a ton of bricks.
There are now indications, however, that prices at Vue at Brickell may be close to reaching the bottom. Buyers are finally stepping in. Since the last week of January, there have been 7 condos at Vue at Brickell that went pending. With list prices of $190,000-$199,900 for 1 bedroom condos and $220,000-$249,900 for 2 bedroom condos, it makes sense that buyers are now beginning to accept the risks associated with buying a condo in a building that has a high number of foreclosures. It will be interesting to see the sales prices of these condos at Vue at Brickell once they close. It’ll give us a better indication as to the level of motivation of some of these banks.
Below you’ll find the best deals at Vue at Brickell:
1 Bedrooms
Unit 2111 – short-sale – $162,500
Unit 1710 – short-sale – $162,500
Unit 1211 – short-sale – $162,500
Unit 1413 – short-sale – $162,500
Unit 2307 – foreclosure – $205,000
2 Bedrooms
Unit 1303 – short-sale – $229,900
Unit 1505 – short-sale – $250,000
Unit 1304 – short-sale – $279,900
3 Bedrooms
Unit 3006 – short-sale – $357,000
Unit 3606 – foreclosure – $379,900
The mortgages of three of the four short-sale one bedroom units listed for $162,500 are held with the same lender. This may be an opportunity for an investor to grab all three for a bargain-basement price. There are currently only 8 condos available for rent at Vue at Brickell. Within the past 12 months, the lowest that a one bedroom has ever rented was $1,300 per month. The lowest that a 2 bedroom rented was $1,550 while 3 bedrooms condos bottomed at $2,500 per month.
Blue Condominium – 1 Bedroom/1.5 Bath Foreclosure – $229,000
I was stunned when I saw this foreclosure listing at Blue Condominium. $229,000 for a 1 bedroom condo at Blue Condominium!!! In 2006, this unit would have likely been priced for around $380,000. The MLS listing shows it to be a 1 bedroom/2 bath condo but I don’t think that information is accurate, unless the owner added a second full bathroom. It is most likely a 1 bedroom/1.5 bath condo. The listing also makes no mention of it being a foreclosure but I looked it up and it is owned by Deutsche Bank.
This is a great buy for someone who is looking to purchase a 1 bedroom condo in a high-end waterfront condo building in Miami. The location may not be that great (the northern end of Edgewater Miami) but that is already reflected in the price, in my opinion. If this condo sells for around $200,000 then we’re now talking break-even cash flow with 20 percent down. I haven’t heard the term “break-even cash flow” for quite some time. Is that where prices are headed? I think we all know the answer.
Take a look at the Blue Condominium rental listings to get an idea of the type of monthly rent that this condo would bring. Feel free to export the listings to Microsoft Excel by clicking the “Export” link at the top of the grid.
By the way, for those of you not local to Miami, the highway in the picture above takes you right into Miami Beach.
2 South Beach Loft Foreclosures on Meridian Avenue
Within the past week, I’ve come across two great bank-owned lofts on Meridian Avenue in South Beach. The first is located at 1700 Meridian Avenue in a development called Montclair Lofts. It is a bi-level 3 bedroom/3 bath loft with 2,300 square feet. The unit looks to be in great condition judging by the pictures that accompany the MLS listing. The bank is asking $749,900, or about $326 per square foot. According to public records, the judgment amount on this foreclosure was $1,050,855.
The second foreclosed loft is located at 2001 Meridian Avenue in a building called Meridian Lofts. It is a 1 bedroom/1 bath loft with 1,046 square feet of interior space. This loft also appears to be in great shape judging by the pictures accompanying the MLS listing. The bank is asking $391,900, or about $375 per square foot.
Both developments were built in 2005 and are within walking distance of world-famous Lincoln Road. I think both of these lofts represent good deals, even in this market.
The Process of Buying a Foreclosure at Auction
I often receive emails and phone calls from people who would like to participate in a real estate auction but have little or no knowledge of how the auction process actually works. Paola Iuspa-Abbott, of the Daily Business Review, published a piece today entitled “Real Estate Auctions Can Help Homebuyers Gain Properties But There Are Pitfalls”. It’s a great read for anybody that wants to learn more about the auction process.
I also want to note that there is absolutely no cost to a potential bidder if they decide to work with a licensed real estate agent. The agent’s commission is paid for by the auction house from the buyer’s premium. The winning bidder must still pay the buyer’s premium regardless of whether or not they decide to use the services of a real estate agent.
Some Great Deals at Today’s Real Estate Auction!!!
I wasn’t able to attend this morning’s real estate auction, held at the Miami Beach Convention Center, but did learn the results of several condos that were auctioned. From what I’ve heard, there were more people in attendance at this auction than the Hudson & Marshall auction held on October 21, 2007, which I did attend. However, properties auctioned today sold for much less.
Below are the results of some of the condos that were auctioned this morning:
Courvoisier Courts – Unit 2312 – 3/2.5 – 1,655 SF (Brickell Key) – $540,000
Isola – Unit 1509 – 1/1 – 735 SF – (Brickell Key) – $185,000
Jade at Brickell Bay – Unit 502 – 2/2 – 1,460 SF – (Brickell) – $625,000
The Club at Brickell Bay – Unit 2603 – 1/1 – 825 SF (Brickell) – $175,000
The Club at Brickell Bay – Unit 3102 – 3/2 – 1,232 SF (Brickell) – $225,000
The Club at Brickell Bay – Unit 3202 – 3/2 – 1,232 SF (Brickell) – $270,000
The Cosmopolitan – Unit 2603 – 2/2 – 1,010 SF (South Beach) – $405,000
Vue at Brickell – Unit 811 – 1/1.5 – 796 SF (Brickell) – $180,000
Vue at Brickell – Unit 3606 – 3/2 – 1,551 SF (Brickell) – $290,000
It’s interesting to note that the units at The Club at Brickell Bay and Vue at Brickell sold in the range of $187-$226 per square foot. I think we’ll be seeing much more of this in the months to come. The high bidders of the units in these two buildings at the Hudson & Marshall auction simply overpaid.
The two units at Jade sold for around $425 per square foot. I think the BL45 unit is a terrific buy!
In June of this year, I submitted an offer of $440,000 for a client on unit 2603 at The Cosmopolitan when it was a short-sale. The bank rejected our offer. We were prepared to close within 30 days. It sold today for $405,000. This happens all the time! It really frustrates me which I why I rarely will deal with a short-sale. Banks just don’t get it yet! It’s a better use of my time to wait until the bank takes it back and have my client buy it for much less.
