SLS Brickell Residences Now Accepting Reservations

SLS Brickell Residences

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.

SLS Brickell Residences site-plan

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].

7,400 Square Foot Penthouse at Villa Regina Sells for $1,925,000

Villa Regina PH-1

Last week, a 7,400 square foot penthouse at Villa Regina traded hands for $1,925,000, or $260 per square foot.  The 6 bedroom, 6.5 bath condo also included 1,600 square feet of balcony and a remarkable six assigned parking spaces!  The  residence has 10-foot high ceilings and offers spectacular views of Biscayne Bay, Key Biscayne and Brickell.  There is no doubt that this penthouse was sold at an amazing price but – before anyone gets all worked up about how they missed out on the deal of the century – let it be known that this property needed a lot of work.  I had the opportunity to tour the penthouse about a month ago.  Conservatively, I felt that it would require at least $100 per square foot to turn it into a penthouse-quality residence by today’s standards.  Regardless, even after forking over close to three-quarters of a million dollars (or more) in renovations alone, it would be well worth it.  A condo this large, and at this price point, just doesn’t exist in Brickell.

Brickell condos Miami

CNBC’s Coverage of the Red Hot Miami Condo Market

CNBC logo

 

CNBC’s Diana Olick reported once again on the red hot Miami condo market.  She points out that cash-ready foreign buyers are to thank for its swift and amazing turnaround. For those who missed the segment air on live television this afternoon, you can watch it in the video below.

 

Welcome to the New and Improved Miami Condo Investments Blog and Website!

Miami Condo Investments logo white

As you have probably noticed by now, there have been a lot of changes made to my website and blog.  This is probably the fourth or fifth version of the Miami Condo Investments website but by far the one of which I am most proud.  This project started back in October and the number of hours that were put into it, by myself and my website developer’s team, is quite incredible.  Coupled with everything else I have had on my plate over the past couple of months, it is surprising that I have been able to get any sleep at all.  First and foremost, I want to say that this website is still a work in progress.  Long-term, it always will be.  In the short-term, there are some bugs/issues that we are working through and some planned enhancements that you will see rolled out over the next couple of months.  Regardless, your input and feedback is greatly welcomed and appreciated!  Please let me know if you encounter any bugs or issues while navigating your way through the website.

The old adage says that buying real estate is all about the three L’s – location, location, location.  That may very well be true but I think the flip-side to that is the three P’s to selling real estate – presentation, presentation and price.  As everyone knows, the right price will always sell real estate but when marketing luxury real estate, it is presentation that matters most.  That was at the foundation of this new website.  Presentation matters most!  Any real estate agent can sell real estate at the right price.  My goal is to sell real estate at the right price for my client – provided it is realistic.  In a market like Miami’s, selling high-end real estate is about eyeballs.  The more eyeballs you get on a piece of property, the greater the chance you have of selling it.  Miami luxury real estate has an international audience and, in order to get the most eyeballs on it, it needs to be presented in a glamorous, yet profound way.

Gone are the days of 500 pixel pictures to sell real estate.  If you want to try to pawn your used Xbox 360 to the world, then that 500 pixel picture might very well do the trick.  For luxury real estate, however, 500 pixels just doesn’t cut it anymore.  Luxury real estate deserves to bask in all its glory.  When weighing out my options for my new website, there was no better choice, by advice of my website developer, than to incorporate a responsive website design.  It is the future!  Any website developer who tells you otherwise is either too lazy to learn how to implement it and/or hasn’t figured out the intricacies for doing so.  It can be quite complicated.  Did I mention that this project has taken almost six months?

You might be asking yourself – What is a responsive website design?  In a nutshell, it allows someone to show an image/picture at full resolution while taking into account the viewer’s display orientation and size.  Basically, the image/picture transforms itself to accommodate the viewer’s display and therefore allows itself to be presented in the best way possible.  Allow me to demonstrate:

Continuum 3301-3 view from balcony

The above picture is from the balcony of a $14.5M condo listing that my broker recently acquired.  As you can see, the front row view you would have of the Atlantic Ocean and the beach down below is exquisite, to say the least.  As a seller, wouldn’t you want this view to be captured in all its splendor for everyone who might be interested in purchasing?  Of course!  That is where a responsive website display comes into play.  If you’re sitting at a desktop computer, then take the bottom right-hand corner of your browser and move it up to the upper left-hand corner.  You will see the image above begin to transforms itself to accommodate your display.  In fact, this entire website will transform itself.  It is sort of like a Transformer Decepticon in digital form.  If  you are viewing on a mobile device, then the picture above is likely already at full capacity.  Not much you can do because we have already got you covered.

In the coming weeks, I will write more about responsive website design because I really feel that I, and my website developer, have left all other real estate agents in the dust with this one.  As a seller, you should gather your troupes and make sure that you are aligned with someone who has the technology to present your luxury real estate in the most fashionable way.

One Thousand Museum Condos

One Thousand Museum condos

To those not in the know, The Wall Street Journal article last week regarding One Thousand Museum helped to shed a lot of light on the closely guarded ultra-luxury pre-construction development before its formal unveiling later this month.  Although an image taken from a cell phone of the proposed residential high-rise had recently surfaced, the renderings which accompanied the article were the first to be made public by way of the developer.

The Wall Street Journal article is a great read, and I highly recommend it, but for those who like to get right to the point, here’s a quick rundown of what was shared regarding One Thousand Museum in the article:

  • One Thousand Museum will cost $300M to construct.
  • It will rise 706 feet and have an “exoskeleton” to eliminate the need for interior columns.
  • According to the developers, the duplex penthouse at One Thousand Museum will likely be priced between $30M-$50M.
  • Half-floor residences will have around 4,500 interior square feet.
  • Full-floor residences will have around 9,900 interior square feet.
  • Prices will range from $4M to $15M, or $900 to $1,400 per square foot.
  • The average price per square foot for oceanfront units in Miami Beach that are currently under construction is $1,000 to $1,250.
  • New construction prices for Downtown Miami is typically around $450 to $500 per square foot.
  • One Thousand Museum “will be financed with a combination of developer equity, a loan from a nonbank investment fund and deposits of 60% from buyers”.

By the way, you can view the renderings which accompanied the article on my One Thousand Museum condos page.  Check them out there!

Construction Shot of the Rooftop Pool at myBrickell

myBrickell rooftop pool construction shot

Last week, while showing a unit on the southwest corner of Brickell on the River South, I was able to take this great shot of the pool deck at myBrickell.  As you can see, the pool deck is currently under construction.  I couldn’t help but notice that the shape of the pool looks different than what was proposed in the renderings below. Also, the view of Biscayne Bay to the east has somehow magically disappeared.

myBrickell pool deck

myBrickell rooftop pool deck

Not all is lost though.  Residents of myBrickell will have a front row seat to the construction site of Brickell CityCentere – the $1B+ mixed-used development which will completely change the landscape of Miami forever. It takes an aerial view like the one below to appreciate how massive this development is going to be.  It is so big that I wasn’t able to fit one or two of the lots to the north into the shot.

Brickell Citycentre construction aerial

 

BrickellHouse Construction Update

Brickellhouse construction update

It seems just like yesterday that BrickellHouse was nothing more than an empty lot and a pile of dirt.  Look at it now.  A lot of progress has been made over the past couple of months as the construction crew keeps chugging right along.  Completion of BrickellHouse is projected to take place in 2014.

BrickellHouse construction update

A Look at the Life of Zaha Hadid

To those who closely follow architecture, Zaha Hadid is a living legend.  In 2004, she became the first female to win the highly coveted Pritzker Architecture Prize, the highest honor one can receive as an architect.  She has designed some of the most highly acclaimed and widely recognized buildings in the world.  For those unfamiliar with Zaha Hadid’s name and/or work, the video above will help you to understand why she is revered as one of the best architects of our time.  One Thousand Museum will be the first residential skyscraper designed by Zaha Hadid in the Western Hemisphere.

Furnished 1 Bedroom Condo at 500 Brickell with a Great Return!

500 Brickell unit 1608

Here is a unit that is perfect for  a value-conscious investor looking to purchase a condo in Brickell.  It is a beautifully remodeled 1 bedroom/1 bathroom condo at 500 Brickell with dark, wide-plank hardwood floors throughout, window treatments, light fixtures and a custom kitchen backsplash.  The 738 square foot unit has stainless steel appliances, a stacked washer/dryer, two closets and a south-facing balcony which spans the entire length of the condo.  The bathroom features a Jacuzzi tub and separate glass-enclosed shower.  The unit is being sold fully furnished and already has a tenant in place until September 24, 2013.  The tenant is paying $2,200 per month.  The condo association fees are $494 per month.  The current owner paid $2,607 in property taxes in 2012 which included a $25,000 Homestead exemption but it is important to note that the property taxes for a new buyer will be based on the newly assessed value determined by the city and whether the new buyer qualifies for any exemptions.  Best of all, the asking price is just $349,000.  If you find a better return on a condo in Brickell, then jump on it.

500 Brickell is walking distance to the shops, restaurants and bars at Mary Brickell Village and just a few short blocks from the upcoming $1.05B mixed-use development known as Brickell Citycentre.  The fabulous amenities at 500 Brickell  include: two swimming pools (one is a rooftop pool facing Biscayne Bay) two club rooms, a fitness center, 12-person theater, steam room, sauna, concierge and 24-hour valet parking.  The development also has ground-floor retail which includes a number of popular restaurants and bars.

If you or someone you know has an interest in purchasing this fully furnished condo at 500 Brickell, please give me a call at 786-247-6332 or email me at [email protected].  Feel free to contact me with any questions as well.

500 Brickell kitchen

500 Brickell 1608 bedroom

bedroom

bathroom with Jacuzzi tub and glass-enclosed shower

washer and dryer

500 Brickell