On April 20, 2010, Marina Blue received a letter from Fannie Mae stating that the building has been accepted under Fannie Mae’s Special Approval Designation for twelve months. Qualified buyers will now be able to obtain financing using a Fannie Mae conventional loan.
Potential buyers may want to take a look at unit 2203 at Marina Blue. It’s a 1 bedroom + den/1.5 bath condo with 943 square feet of interior, 9-foot ceilings and a balcony that stretches the length of the unit. The condo offers views of Biscayne Bay, Key Biscayne, the Miami Beach skyline and Downtown Miami. At an asking price of $300,000, it is being offered at the lowest price per square foot of any 1 bedroom condo at Marina Blue currently active in the MLS. Take a look at the video tour below.
Best Priced 2 Bedroom at Marina Blue – $390,000 – Video
Take a look at the video below to view the best priced 2 bedroom currently available at Marina Blue. This 2 bedroom/2 bath condo has 1,198 square feet of interior, 138 square feet of balcony, 9-foot ceilings, tiled flooring throughout, stainless steel kitchen appliances, Wenge built-in closets in both bedrooms, washer/dryer and 1 assigned parking space. The asking price is $390,000.
Contact me at [email protected] or 305-428-3860 if you have any questions or if you’d like to schedule a showing. Broker participation is welcome.
The Mark on Brickell Granted Special Approval Designation by Fannie Mae
I was notified earlier this week that The Mark on Brickell was granted the Special Approval Designation by Fannie Mae. This news hasn’t been disclosed on the Fannie Mae website yet but the information has been confirmed. It should appear on the site this upcoming Monday when their next update is released. It will now be possible for qualified buyers to obtain a conventional loan for condos at The Mark on Brickell.
The Mark on Brickell recently completed the installation of a seawall between the building and the bay that cost nearly $500,000. This expense, however, is expected to save the association hundreds of thousands of dollars in insurance every year.
Currently, inventory at The Mark on Brickell is rather light. The 22 listings for sale in the MLS represent just slightly over 6 percent of the total number of units in the building. 11 total units have closed at The Mark on Brickell within the past six months. Furthermore, there are currently 10 pending sales in the MLS. These sales figures should only get better now that the building is Fannie Mae approved. For those who are curious, there are currently just 10 units available for rent at The Mark on Brickell in the MLS. That represents slightly less than 3 percent of the total number of units in the building.
I plan to release overall inventory figures for Miami-Dade County next week. I fully expect the data to show a significant improvement since the last time I provided an update in July 2009.
Rentals Now Available at Icon Brickell II
I was notified yesterday that rentals are now available in tower 2 of Icon Brickell. Tower 2 is the southeast tower of the Icon Brickell development. The units are renting fast! 56 rentals were made available on Saturday and as of yesterday 15 had already been rented.
Below, you will find the floor plans that are available along with the starting prices. The rent price includes 800 channels of cable, high-speed Internet, one parking space, water and a health club membership. Pets are NOT allowed.
Call me at 305-428-3860 or email me at [email protected] if you would like to schedule a showing.
H floor plan – 1 bedroom/1 bath – 732 square feet – starting at $1690
G floor plan – 1 bedroom/1 bath – 984 square feet – starting at $2000
G-Rev floor plan – 1 bedroom/1 bath – 1035 square feet – starting at $2100
E floor plan – 2 bedroom/2 bath – 1327 square feet – starting at $2750
C floor plan – 2 bedroom/2 bath – 1500 square feet – starting at $2850
B floor plan – 2 bedroom/2 bath – 1503 square feet – starting at $2950
D floor plan – 2 bedroom/2 bath – 1600 square feet – starting at $2500
There currently aren’t any studio or 3 bedroom rentals available.
Blue Condominium 2 Bedroom Sells For $190K
A 2 bedroom foreclosure condo at Blue Condominium closed earlier this afternoon for $190,000. This marks the lowest that a 2 bedroom in the building has ever sold. Unit 1207 has 1,158 square feet of interior space and a view of Biscayne Bay. It originally went under contract on August 10, 2009 but the closing was delayed for months due to problems that needed to be corrected with the deed. Currently, there are twenty 2 bedroom short sales at Blue Condominium, two of which are listed for less than $190K. Hopefully this recent sale will give banks the kick in the butt to start approving some of the short sales in the building.
Completely Renovated Townhouse at Atlantis on Brickell
I remember walking through unit 306 at Atlantis on Brickell towards the end of 2007. The place was a disaster! Flooring was ripped out, walls were horribly damaged, mold was evident in a few of the rooms and the kitchen and bathrooms badly needed to be updated.
Unit 306 is a 4 bedroom/4 bath two-story townhouse with 2,628 interior square feet. In 2007, when the unit came onto the market as a foreclosure, the unit was listed for $799,900. After eight price reductions and a little over nine months later, the unit sold for $415,000, or $158 per square foot, on February 29, 2008.
After a complete overhaul, the unit made its way onto the market about six months ago for $1,130,000, or $430 per square foot – quite a stretch even after accounting for renovation and holding costs. The list price was slashed a few times before recently being reduced to $865,000, or $329 per square foot – a step in the right direction but still at least $100,000 away, in my opinion.
My guess is that it probably cost somewhere in the ballpark of $100 per square foot to completely gut and renovate the unit, given the quality and the fact that mold was present. I’ve estimated taxes to be around $25,000 and HOA fees to be around $22,000 over the past 21 months. That represents about an extra $18 per square foot to the cost basis of the owner. It’ll be interesting to see if the owner is able to make a profit or, at the very least, break-even on this investment, especially after accounting for cost of capital.
Before Pictures
After Pictures
Construction to Begin on Sky Palace at Mary Brickell Village Next Month
Construction is scheduled to begin on the condominium high-rise that was once known as Skyline at Mary Brickell Village in December 2009. The 369-unit Mediterranean-style condo building is now known as Sky Palace at Mary Brickell Village. It will sit atop the parking garage at Mary Brickell Village located on the west end of the commercial development. Completion of Sky Palace at Mary Brickell Village is projected to occur in the last quarter of 2011.
Ten Museum Park Penthouse Sells for $250 Per Square Foot
A 5 bedroom + den/6.5 bath, three-story penthouse sold for $250 per square foot at Ten Museum Park on November 6, 2009. The penthouse, with 20-foot ceilings, has 5,394 square feet of interior, 1,779 square feet of terrace and a private dipping pool on the roof. Prices have come down considerably at Ten Museum Park within the past 18 months. About a year and a half ago, a 3 bedroom/4.5 bath penthouse at Ten Museum Park sold for $622 per square foot. Although it was one of the first to be completed during this past condo boom, unsold developer inventory at Ten Museum Park still remains. I recently received an email stating the developer was looking to let all remaining lofts go for $300 per square foot. It’s going to be difficult to justify that amount when a penthouse just sold for $250 per square foot.
900 Biscayne Bay 06 Line
It’s no secret that 900 Biscayne Bay is my favorite building of all the condo developments in Miami that have been completed within the past three years. When I show properties to clients who wish to view 900 Biscayne Bay as well as other condo buildings, I tend to leave 900 Biscayne Bay last. Otherwise, everything else will look second-rate by comparison if I were to show it first. I guess it’s my “leave the best for last” mentality. 900 Biscayne Bay is in a league of its own. Building security is some of the best in Miami and the overall quality of the development and amenities is second to none. Additionally, valet parking is currently complimentary for a second vehicle as well as for resident guests. View a photo tour of 900 Biscayne Bay.
That being said, of all the floor plans at 900 Biscayne Bay, the 06 line is the one that excites me most. It’s a 3 bedroom + den/4 bath unit with 2,335 square feet of interior and 639 square feet of exterior. A few days ago, I showed unit 3006 at 900 Biscayne Bay to a client looking for a 3 bedroom rental. Below, you’ll find a photo tour of that condo as I walked throughout its spacious footprint. Notice the sizable foyer as you enter the condo from its private elevator, the top-of-the-line stainless steel appliances, deep terraces and amazing views. (Asking price to rent this unit is $4,200 per month.)
