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.)
Currently, there is only one foreclosure condo listed in the MLS that is priced at $1M or above. That is a 3 bedroom/4.5 bath double corner unit at The Setai South Beach with 3,691 square feet of interior space. The list price is $4.2M, or $1,138 per square foot. However, there are currently 48 short sale condos listed in the MLS priced at $1M or above. Below is a list of what I feel are the 10 best luxury short sale condos that are currently available:
Aqua Allison Island #6111 – Asking $1.69M. Property was purchased for $3.15M in June 2005.
Mosaic #TH-3 – Asking $1.7M. Property was purchased for $3.2M in February 2007. Bank approved at $1.7M.
Oceanside Fisher Island #7941 – Asking $1.85M. Property was purchased for $3.9M in November 2006.
Oceanside Fisher Island #7735 – Asking $1.85M. Property was purchased for $2.4M in September 2005.
Oceanside Fisher Island #7761 – Asking $1.95M. Property was purchased for $3.2M in September 2005.
The Bath Club #1004 – Asking $1,999,999. Property was purchased for $3.5M in January 2007. Bank approved.
Turnberry Ocean Colony #2804 – Asking $2,295,000. Property was purchased for $3.27M in January 2008.
Bayview Fisher Island #5123 – Asking $2.3M. Property was purchased for $3.7M in March 2007.
Acqualina #4201-2 – Asking $2.8M. Sales history not found.
Oceanside Fisher Island #7821 – Asking $2.8M. Property was purchased for $3.92M in November 2006.
1800 Club – 2 Bedroom/2 Bath with Direct Bay Views – $385,000
1800 Club offers some of the best water views in Miami from its 2 bedroom condos facing direct east. Unit 3505 is currently available for $385,000. It has 1,222 square feet of interior space plus a 252 square foot balcony. Maintenance fees for this condo are $518.98 per month.
Below, you’ll find a video of the view from the balcony of unit 3505 that I shot a few weekends ago. You’ll also find various photos that I shot of the interior of the condo as well as the view.
Day & Night – Miami River Condos
Just wanted to share some day and night photos that I shot earlier today of various newly constructed condo buildings along the Miami River while showing some units at Brickell on the River North.
Daytime shot of Epic. Closings at Epic began in November 2008.
Nighttime shot of Epic:
Daytime shot of Wind. Closings at Wind began in February 2008 and has residents living there.
Daytime shot of The Ivy at Riverfront. Closing at The Ivy at Riverfront began in June 2008 and also has residents inhabiting the condo building.
Daytime shot of The Mint at Riverfront. As far as I know, The Mint at Riverfront has not obtained its certificate of occupancy yet. From the looks of the picture below, it appears that the pool deck has not been completed. Expect closings to begin within the next 2-4 months.
Daytime shot of The Mint at Riverfront, The Ivy at Riverfront and Wind.
Nighttime shot of The Mint at Riverfront, The Ivy at Riverfront and Wind.
The following is not a building located on the Miami River but I wanted to share this great shot that I took of the Bank of America building from the pool deck of Brickell on the River North.
Bulk Sale Opportunities Emerge in the Miami Condo Market
For the past couple of years, vultures have been circling the skies of Miami waiting for the right moment to swoop in for the kill. Their day of reckoning seems to have finally arrived. I am now familiar with over 30 condo developments in Miami and Miami Beach with units available to be purchased in bulk. The list consists of partial and entire condo developments, including a few with Section 8 potential. Ballpark prices for these bulk sale opportunities range from $3M-$60M.
Throughout much of 2008, there seemed to be a stalemate between developers and vulture funds about price. However, market conditions have worsened considerably within the past six months, due in large part to ever-tightening lending practices. Even for creditworthy individuals, it has become extremely difficult to obtain financing for condominiums in Miami. As a result of the new Fannie Mae guidelines, financing has become especially restrictive for condos in recently completed buildings. Lately, it has been individual buyers strapped with cash, for the most part, who have been the ones pecking away at the remaining inventory in these new condo developments. Facing the realities of the market, developers – and their lenders – have begun to turn to vulture funds as a quick, easy way to part with unclosed condos.
Recently, two major arms-length bulk sales have closed in Miami-Dade County: the 60-unit bulk sale in the Downtown Miami high-rise called Marina Blue and the 101-unit bulk sale at Harbour House, a beachfront condo-conversion located in Bal Harbour. Both deals closed in December 2008. The 60 units at Marina Blue sold for $200 per square foot while the 101 condos at Harbour House sold for approximately $277 per square foot.
There are some who negatively portray vulture funds as entities who feast upon the misery of others. Personally, I feel that vulture funds are a necessity to a real estate market such as Miami and do more good than harm. Bulks sales provide instantaneous feedback as to where the intermediate level of pricing resides for condos in the given development, as well as those in the surrounding area. Bulk sales also provide stability to a condo building which would otherwise have many uncertainties concerning its financial condition. One can assume that the vulture fund will have the capital resources to pay monthly homeowners association fees on time. It also has a vested interest to ensure that the condo development is well managed. The greatest benefit, however, is that thousands of unoccupied condos in Miami will be filled with residents much faster.
Most of the vulture funds that I’ve come into contact with over the past year have plans to buy condos in bulk, lease them over a period of 5-10 years and resell them for a profit on the back-end once market conditions have improved.
Please feel free to contact me if you have an interest in the bulk sale opportunities that are now available in Miami and Miami Beach. Investment packets complete with estimated operating budgets, a rental and sale market analysis, neighborhood demographics and projected cash flow statements are available to serious buyers for most of the bulk sale opportunities.
Can the Current Financial Crisis Be a Blessing in Disguise for Condo Contract Holders Scheduled to Close?
Last Friday, I had the pleasure of having lunch with Jared Beck and Elizabeth Lee Beck of the business litigation law firm, Beck & Lee. Jared Beck, who pens The Magic City Harvard Lawyer blog, raised an interesting question: Can contract holders of condos in Miami scheduled to close in the coming months use the current financial crisis and inability to acquire financing as a valid argument for nonperformance of their contractual obligation?
I know, I know…preconstruction condo contracts clearly state that performance is not contingent upon financing. However, a recent federal ruling in Hoosier Energy Rural Electric Cooperative, Inc. v. John Hancock Life Insurance Co., contains language that may assist condo contract holders who are scheduled to close in the near future.
Here’s some background on the federal case, as provided by Jared Beck’s recent blog post entitled, “Federal Court Endorses Financial Crisis As Basis For Relief From Pre-Existing Contractual Duties; Could Real Estate Contracts Be Affected?”:
The background is somewhat complex but essentially involves the owner of an electrical generating plant in Indiana, Hoosier Energy, which in 2002 entered into a complex lease-back arrangement over some of its assets with an insurance company, John Hancock, aimed at creating a tax shelter for John Hancock. As part of the deal, Hoosier Energy was required to obtain what amounted to a line of credit from Ambac, a financial institution called a “swap provider.”
Until 2008, Hoosier Energy made all of its scheduled payments under the agreement. Then, global financial crisis ensued, and the credit rating of Hoosier Energy’s swap provider sunk like a stone. Hoosier Energy was unable to find another swap provider with a suitable credit rating who could be substituted in a timely manner. John Hancock declared Hoosier Energy to be in default and demanded a large termination payment, shortly after which Hoosier Energy filed suit, requesting a protective injunction.
Mr. Beck went on to say in his blog post that “Hoosier Energy argued that the extraordinary freeze in the global credit markets at least partially excused it from performing under the contract as an instance of ‘commercial impracticability,’ mitigating the default declared by John Hancock”. The court agreed with Hoosier Energy’s argument.
Mr. Beck concluded his post with the following:
How could this newly articulated doctrine be more broadly applied? One possibility rests with the large number of individuals who signed preconstruction real estate contracts several years ago, with the intention of obtaining mortgage financing once the project was finished. Now that many of those projects have been or will soon be competed, those buyers are unable to close because, owing to the global credit crunch, banks will no longer extend mortgage financing for certain new real estate construction at 2004 or 2005 prices.
While many of these purchase contracts were drafted with clauses stating that they were not contingent upon the buyer qualifying for a mortgage, it could be argued, on the basis of the reasoning set forth in Hoosier Energy, that the deals were signed under both parties’ reasonable assumption that financing would actually be available from somewhereonce construction was completed. To quote the Southern District of Indiana in Hoosier Energy, “The crisis was not anticipated by the most senior economists in the country.” If that is true, why should the defense of commercial impracticability, based on the lack of accessible credit, be any less available to the individual real estate buyer seeking to mitigate the effect of a pre-existing contract then it would be to an electrical generating plant operator dealing at arms length with a multibillion dollar insurer? (To some degree, the question overlaps the analysis of whether “bailout” principles should apply equally to financial institutions and individual homeowners, both of whom are victims of their own inability to foresee the mortgage crisis).
The newly revised Fannie Mae guidelines, which went into effect on January 15, state that the government-controlled entity will no longer fund loans for new Florida condos if at least 70 percent of the total units in the development have not be conveyed or under a bona fide contract for purchase to either principal residence or second home purchasers. Contract holders who require financing and are scheduled to close in coming months are basically out of luck. It’ll be interesting to see how the courts handle this argument in 2009.
Brickell on the River South Closeout Sale
I received an email earlier this week about a developer closeout sale at Brickell on the River South. Prices of units include flooring and paint. The sale will open to the public January 14, 2009.
The ad states that they have “a limited amount of one bedrooms from $180,000 and two bedrooms from $213,000”.
