Construction Shot of the Rooftop Pool at myBrickell
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
One Thousand Museum by Zaha Hadid to be Formally Announced Next Week
The wait is almost over. The new Zaha Hadid development to be located at 1000 Biscayne Boulevard will be formally announced next week. It had been expected to be called 1000 Biscayne Tower but that is no longer the case. The developers have instead decided to call the luxury residential high-rise One Thousand Museum.
Over the past two months, there has been a lot of buzz and excitement surrounding this upcoming development. The internationally acclaimed architect, Zaha Hadid, has a huge cult-like following all around the world, and for good reason. Her resume is impeccable with a laundry list of achievements and award-winning past projects. As a result, I expect there to be a lot of interest for condos at 1000 Museum. This development, however, will not be for the average buyer. My sources tell me that this development will target the uber-rich who are looking to not only invest in a luxury residence in Miami but also buy into a work of art that will be known all around the world. It is expected to set a new bar for condo prices in Downtown Miami. I would not be surprised to see prices for condos at 1000 Mueum hit $1,000 per square foot out of the gate.
By the way, I did a little research to see if I could substantiate the news which was provided to me yesterday. I discovered that Louis Birdman, one of 1000 Museum’s two developers, registered the domain 1000museum.com on January 9, 2013. If that’s not enough proof then I don’t know what is. Stay tuned because I will have a lot to report on this exciting project in the weeks ahead.
Miami Featured on “Today” Show This Morning
This morning, Miami was once again in the national spotlight. The young, vibrant and beautiful city was featured on the “Today” show for its Friday Field Trips series. The three minute video clip above will give you a gist of the praise that Miami received during the morning show’s coverage of the city. Miami is no longer seen as just a winter playground. It has seen tremendous growth over the past four decades and has exploded onto the international scene. Miami has become a cultural mecca for travelers from all around the world and now competes with some of the highly acclaimed international cities for their attention. I must say, Miami was captured quite beautifully in this piece. Great job!
Coming Soon: A New and Improved Miami Condo Investments Website
Behind the scenes, my business has seen a lot of big changes take place over the past couple of months. It has been an extremely hectic time for me with most days me getting only three to four hours of sleep. I’ll get into some of the other big changes at a later date. For now, I want to discuss a project that has been a little over three months in the making and something for which I am extremely proud of and excited. My website developers and I have been working diligently to put together all the pieces of the puzzle to create a masterpiece real estate website that will truly wow people. Our end goal when undertaking this project was to create a real estate website for consumers which is pleasing to the eye but also quick and easy to use. In a nutshell, we wanted to simplify my existing website and eliminate all of the clutter. The screenshot above shows what we came up with for the homepage.
It should immediately be clear that the Miami luxury real estate market will now be at the forefront of my business. That does not mean, however, that the mid-level market, which has been at the core of my business for years, will be abandoned. The new iteration of my website will continue to include the mid-level market but present it in a more sophisticated manner.
Below, you will see what we came up with for the building profile page. I like to think of this page as having a left and right panel. At all times, the left panel will display the picture slideshow for the condo development along with its description underneath. The right panel is where the magic and innovation happens. Clicking on the tiles in the right panel will cause content related to that tile’s description to suddenly slide into view. No new page to load and, most importantly, no need to scroll. All of the information is hidden off the screen ready to jump into view upon request by the user. When creating the design for this new website, we kept desktop, tablet and mobile users in mind. As a result, we went with a responsive website design. For those not familiar with responsive website design (RWD), the simplest way to explain it is that the design of the website transforms to respond to the size of the user’s display. See the third screenshot below to see what the second screen would look like on a tablet or smartphone with a vertical orientation. It is important to note that this is not a mobile-only version of the website. This is the exact same page but it has “responded” to the user’s display and has transformed itself automatically.
We plan to have the new website launched by the end of this month…so stay tuned.
Best Luxury 3 Bedroom Condo Deal in Brickell
“Luxury” is a word that is oftentimes used carelessly without any regard for its true, intended meaning. When it comes to Brickell, only a handful of condo developments deserve to be mentioned in the same sentence as that descriptor. In my opinion, Santa Maria is at the top of that list followed closely by Four Seasons Residences. Despite being built in 1993, Bristol Tower is a second Ugo Colombo development that would make the short list of luxury residential buildings in Brickell. It has stood the test of time and remains one of Brickell’s most distinguished condo developments. Colombo’s work is synonymous with the word “quality”. Along with Bristol Tower, he has developed such masterpieces as Santa Maria, Epic Residences and Hotel and Grovenor House. All four buildings today look just as flawless as they did the day they were completed.
That being said, luxury three bedroom condos in Brickell are in very short supply. Very few are available at the aforementioned Brickell condo developments and most are priced above $2M. There is one listing, however, that is stunning and has stuck out in my mind as being an incredible deal. It is a spacious 3 bedroom plus den, 4.5 bath residence which has 2,825 interior square feet, a large wrap-around balcony offering majestic bay and city views, a laundry room with Miele appliances, white Porcelanato floors in the living areas, wide-plank hardwood floors in the bedrooms and a white Italian kitchen with rare Quartzite green countertops as well as kitchen appliances by Miele and Sub-Zero. The condo, unit 3302, is located on the 33rd floor, just two floors below the penthouse.
The best part of this elegantly appointed three bedroom condo at Bristol Tower is its price. The sellers are asking just $1,749,000, or $619 per square foot. For comparison sake, unit 2702 at Bristol Tower sold for $1.61M, or $570 per square foot, this past December. That was a complete gut-job though and requires at least $100 per square foot to make it comparable. Obviously, unit 3302 also has a better view being that it is located six floors higher than unit 2702. Additional evidence to support my assertion that unit 3302 is a great value can be found in a second recent sale at Bristol Tower which closed on October 29, 2012. Unit 3005, a smaller three bedroom floor plan, sold for $606 per square foot. It is important to note, however, that the 05 line at Bristol Tower faces southwest and has only a slight water view. It is predominantly a city view with a sliver of water. Also, all of the bathrooms in that unit are original whereas all of the bathrooms in unit 3302 have been upgraded. After adjusting for water view and upgrades, it becomes obvious that unit 3302 is a great deal even at full asking price. My prediction is that this one will be under contract by month’s end.
The Best 2 Bedroom Condo in Brickell for Under $800K
Update: This condo received three offers this past week and is now pending sale.
I know value when I see it and I recently saw it when I had the opportunity to show a stunning tower suite condo at Villa Regina. In my opinion, it represents the best 2 bedroom condo in Brickell that money can buy for under $800K. The spacious floor plan has 1,895 interior square feet, 400 square feet of balcony and soaring 11-foot ceilings. Every inch of this condo has been tastefully remodeled including both bathrooms and kitchen. The split floor plan has 24×24 marble flooring in the living room, wide-plank wood flooring in the master bedroom and bath, a private balcony off the master bedroom, front-loading washer and dryer, induction cooktop, recessed lighting throughout the condo and a very large walk-in closet off the master bedroom. It also offers an amazing view of Biscayne Bay. The best time to tour this condo though is around 6:10pm as the sun is setting. Pure beauty! The asking price is $799,000, or $422 per square foot, without the furniture. The owners, however, are open to selling the furniture separately. I highly recommend that because the furniture compliments the unit incredibly well.
This unit is located on the second highest floor in the building. At Villa Regina, the ordering of the floors is as follows, from the lowest to highest: Penthouse 1, Penthouse 2, Tower Suite 1, Tower Suite 2. This 2 bedroom condo is located on the Tower Suite 1 level.
I want to note that this is not my listing and am in no way affiliated with the office which has it listed. I also haven’t received any type of fee from the listing agent for promoting this condo. I just truly feel that the property represents a great value and whoever buys it will love coming home to it each day. That actually describes this property perfectly – it doesn’t feel like a condo; it feels like a home. Obviously, my hope is to represent the person(s) who buy this residence so please contact me if you have any questions or if you would like to schedule an appointment to see this unit in person. I also have a video which I can forward to you via email. You can reach me on my cell at 786-247-6332 or email at [email protected].
