Distressed Condos Report – New Condo Developments
The spreadsheet below reveals 13 distressed condos currently listed in the MLS which reside in developments in Miami completed within the past two years. I expect this list to grow in coming months. I plan to provide future updates with new listings as well as track the outcome of condos previously listed. 12 of the 13 condos listed below are short-sales. The foreclosure process can be quite lengthy so I don’t expect to see many distressed condos in new developments become bank owned until at least the second half of the year.
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2 Bedroom Foreclosure at Latitude on the River – $266,000
Within the past three months, I’ve seen a handful of short-sale condos at Latitude on the River become available on the MLS. Earlier today, however, I came across the first bank-owned foreclosure condo in the building to appear.
The foreclosure condo is a 2 bedroom/2.5 bath with 1,212 square feet of interior and a 196 square foot balcony. The condo comes “decorator-ready” with concrete floors, as delivered by the developer, and is located on the southwest corner of the 20th floor. The list price is $266,000, or $219 per square foot. The most recent Brickell Condo Index published in November 2008 revealed that the average list price of condos available at Latitude on the River was $366 per square foot. There had not been any closed sales in the building at the time within the prior six months and there haven’t been any since. Lack of closed sales clearly means that prices of available condos at Latitude on the River haven’t yet fallen to a level that will attract buyers. It’ll be interesting to see if the 2 bedroom foreclosure condo at Latitude on the River will spark the interest of buyers.
View the pictures and listing information for the 2 bedroom condo foreclosure at Latitude on the River.
Top 5 Miami Distressed Condo Sales Closed in November 2008
I found a total of 17 distressed condo sales that closed in the month of November in the MLS located in Brickell, Brickell Key, Downtown Miami and the Arts District. The following are, in my opinion, the five best deals that took place along with one worth mentioning.
- Vue at Brickell – unit 1413 – 1 bedroom/1 bath (737 square feet) – This unit sold for $90,000, or $122 per square foot, on November 18, 2008. Foreclosure
- Brickell on the River North – unit 2703 – 1 bedroom/1 bath (775 square feet) – This unit sold for $172,750, or $223 per square foot, on November 19, 2008. Foreclosure
- Brickell on the River – unit 3714 – 2 bedroom/2 bath (1,058 square feet) – This unit sold for $255,000, or $241 per square foot, on November 10, 2008. Foreclosure
- Skyline on Brickell – unit 1107 – 2 bedroom/2 bath (1,367 square feet) – This unit sold for $349,000, or $255 per square foot, on November 17, 2008. Foreclosure
- The Club at Brickell Bay – unit 3524 – 3 bedroom/2 bath (1,232 square feet) – This unit sold for $249,000, or $202 per square foot, on November 4, 2008. Foreclosure
Runner-up: Blue Condo – unit 2504 – 2 bedroom/2.5 bath (1,158 square feet) – This unit sold for $305,000, or $263 per square foot, on November 25, 2008. Foreclosure
Top 5 Miami Distressed Condo Sales Closed in October 2008
I found a total of 30 distressed condo sales that closed in the month of October in the MLS located in Brickell, Brickell Key, Downtown Miami and the Arts District. The following are, in my opinion, the five best deals that took place along with one worth mentioning.
- Skyline on Brickell – unit 2505 – 1 bedroom/1 bath (791 square feet) – This unit sold for $200,000, or $253 per square foot, on October 28, 2008. Foreclosure
- Vue at Brickell – unit 1501 – 2 bedroom/2 bath (1,255 square feet) – This unit sold for $170,000, or $135 per square foot, on October 17, 2008. Foreclosure
- Jade at Brickell – unit 504 – 1 bedroom/1 bath (895 square feet) – This unit sold for $220,000, or $246 per square foot, on October 24, 2008. Foreclosure
- Solaris at Brickell Bay – unit 1607 – 1 bedroom/1 bath (730 square feet) – This unit sold for $146,000, or $200 per square foot, on October 24, 2008. Foreclosure
- Courvoisier Courts – unit 704 – 2 bedroom/2.5 bath (1,230 square feet) – This unit sold for $290,000, or $236 per square foot, on October 22, 2008. Foreclosure
Runner-up: Jade – unit 3509 – 2 bedroom/3 bath (1,730 square feet) – This unit sold for $710,000, or $410 per square foot, on October 13, 2008. Foreclosure
The Sub-$100K Brickell Condo Hits the Market
Prices have continued to fall hard at Vue at Brickell for quite some time. It’s incredible to think that in May 2007 when I wrote the post entitled, “Vue at Brickell – Overpriced or Insanely Overpriced“, the average price per square foot of condos listed in the building was over $550!
Yesterday evening, a 1 bedroom foreclosure at Vue at Brickell hit the market for $125 per square foot. With a list price of $99,900, it was the first one bedroom condo for sale in Brickell, built after 2000, to fall below the $100K mark.
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Solaris at Brickell Bay – Deal or No Deal?
There’s a one bedroom/one bath foreclosure at Solaris at Brickell Bay that is currently listed for $159,900. The price of this 730 square foot condo was recently reduced 33 percent. I showed the condo to a client this afternoon and found it to be in great condition. The condo has real hard wood floors, stainless steel appliances and a bay view from the balcony.
Normally, I would say that this condo, with a list price that amounts to $219 per square foot, is a great deal. However, there have been recent sales at Solaris at Brickell Bay that have me scratching my head. These closed sales do not appear in the MLS. Be prepared to be shocked!
- Unit 706 – 1 bedroom/1 bath – sold for $28,000 in May 2008 ($37 per square foot)
- Unit 803 – 2 bedroom/2 bath – sold for $10,000 in May 2008 ($9 per square foot)
- Unit 1103 – 2 bedroom/2 bath – sold for $22,000 in April 2008 ($21 per square foot)
Each unit was sold to separate individuals. Does anyone know the story behind these? Were these once owned by the same bank who needed to liquidate their properties quickly? I would think that they’d at least be able to get $125,000 for the one bedroom and $200,000 for the two bedrooms under normal circumstances.
Solaris at Brickell Bay was victimized by mortgage fraud which is now resulting in a high number of foreclosures. There are risks associated with buying into a building that has a lot of foreclosures because of the likely unpaid monthly maintenance fees from these units. There’s risk that a future special assessment could be billed to all condo owners if the association’s financial condition deteriorates as a result. There’s also a risk that the condo building is not properly maintained. Read the post entitled “Will History Repeat Itself in Miami?” to learn more about how bad things can get for a building who can’t pay its bills.
Nonetheless, with all risks considered, selling a condo for $9-$37 per square foot in Brickell seems crazy to me. I know someone out there has the story behind these recently sold condos. Please share with the rest of us.
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.
The Sail on Brickell Penthouse 2 Bedroom/2 Bath Foreclosure – $299,900
In September of last year, I revealed a very compelling piece about the apparent mortgage fraud at The Sail on Brickell. At the time, a 2 bedroom/2 bath at The Sail on Brickell had recently sold for $670,000!!! Now, there’s a bank-owned 2 bedroom/2 bath Penthouse condo at The Sail on Brickell that is listed at $299,900. Was I right about the apparent mortgage fraud or was I right?
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?
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.
