Miami Riverfront Market Update

mint-at-riverfront-miami-condos-6

As promised, we’re back with another market update of one of the submarkets in Miami’s Greater Downtown area! Today, we’re going to check in at the Miami Riverfront. This is a gated enclave of 3 condo towers, Mint at Riverfront, Ivy at Riverfront and Wind by Neo. Some people also consider Neo Vertika and Latitude on the River as a part of the Riverfront since they are technically on the river, but since they are outside of the gated enclave, I’m considering them a part of West Brickell for today. The gated enclave currently has 1,517 condo units. Mint has 530 units, Ivy has 498 and Wind has 489.

Let’s start with the scary part of the update and get that out of the way. This year has brought 18 closed sales between the three buildings. While some may think that is ok for the first quarter, there are also 189 active sales listings. That is a whopping 31 month supply!

Now that we have that cat out of the bag, let’s talk about some more positive aspects of my findings. The average list price of those 189 available units was $380/square foot. The average sold price of the 18 that did find buyers was $323/square foot. Also, there are 15 units that have found buyers but are awaiting closing. The average asking price of the pending sales was $365/square foot, and we’ll learn the sold price as soon as the closings are logged.

The highest price listing in the area was Ivy’s Penthouse 5, listed for $1.8 million. While I love to look at photos of this 3 bedroom triplex with an amazing rooftop terrace, we can’t really consider it in our statistics since it is such an outlier. Aside from the penthouse, the most expensive offering in the area was Ivy at Riverfront #4009. This one is a furnished 3 bedroom that is offered for $785,000, or $472/square foot. The seller is offering seller financing and the furniture is beautiful but I imagine we’ll see this one on the market for awhile still.

The lowest priced listing is also at the Ivy. Unit 1812 is am 816 square foot 1 bedroom corner unit. It is priced at $240,000, or $295/square foot. Looking at the history of the listing, it seems the seller is playing pricing see-saw. The price has been going up and down and the listing has been on and off the market several times in the last year. I feel like that if the seller can be reasonable, this one will not stay on the market for too long (I’m not sure what’s going on with that little pricing dance they’re doing though).

For buyers looking for two bedroom plans, the lowest prices are found at Wind. Unit 2114 is listed for $305,000 ($326/square foot), but despite being officially a two bedroom, I really consider this a one bedroom plus den. The second bedroom is very small and many times is open to the living area. For a full-on two bedroom with two enclosed bedrooms, the prices start at $325,000 for Wind #2606.

Is there better news in the rental market?

Yes! Despite the press that Miami has recently received, I’m finding that the rental market is still relatively healthy. Case in point: There are currently 84 rental listings in the Miami Riverfront and the last 3 months have brought us 71 closed rentals. That gives us a very healthy rental market.

Also, I have noticed that while the prices have fallen in the area, the landlords have less need to negotiate below their asking price in order to secure a tenant. The average asking price of the 71 rented condos last quarter was $2.36/square foot. They closed at an average of $2.30/square foot. That’s not a lot of wiggle room for an opportunistic tenant who wants to take advantage of a desperate landlord. The rentals are moving and they’re moving close to the listing price.

The highest price rental was that same Ivy penthouse with the amazing terrace. They have secured a tenant for $9,000/month after listing the property for $10,000/month. Outside of penthouses and townhouses (which I also consider outliers), studios are starting at $1,650/month at Wind, one bedrooms are starting at $1,750 at Ivy and you could get a three bedroom for as much as $4,300/month at Mint. Two bedrooms start at $2,400-$2,500 in all three buildings currently. To be fair, the $1,650 studio I mentioned is listed as a one bedroom, but has no separation between the bedroom and the common area so lives more like a studio.

Overall, I am pleasantly surprised to see how the market is holding up in the Riverfront area, just as I was pleasantly surprised by how well IconBrickell is doing during their massive renovation. How do you think the trend will continue? Are there any additional metrics that you would like to see?

 

Mint at Riverfront Is Getting A New Lobby

Mint Lobby Construction

Nine years after being built, Mint at Riverfront is getting a lobby face-lift. The project began on January 30, and includes new terrazzo flooring and accents. The work should be complete by the end of March.

After a rocky start in 2008 when Corus Bank (the bank that financed Mint’s construction) went out of business, Starwood Capital stepped in and completed the building. When they re-released the sales of the residences just in time for the market rebound in 2010, the building was a big success.

Since then, the building has remained a success. It is a popular choice for tenants and buyers alike, and has been very well kept. I imagine that the refreshed lobby will only enhance the value of the apartments there, once completed.

Units are trading in the high $300’s per square foot right now, and rental prices start at $1,950 for one bedrooms, $2,350 for two bedrooms, $3,600 for three bedrooms. There is also one three bedroom duplex penthouse on the market for $5,200/month.

Mint Lobby Renovation

Downtown Miami Rental Market

Below, is a spreadsheet I compiled earlier this afternoon that shows various statistics regarding the Downtown Miami condos rental market.  Click on the link below the spreadsheet to view it in its entirety.  I calculated the months of inventory figure by dividing total units available by the average units rented over a three month period from December 1, 2010 to February 28, 2011.  You will see that Downtown Miami currently has 2.55 months of rental inventory.

Downtown Miami Rental Market as of March 15, 2011

Mint – Sales Expected to Launch at the End of This Month

Mint Miami condos

Over the past three months, I’ve received a number of inquiries from people in regards to Mint.  A few have inquired as to when sales are expected to begin while others have asked when they should expect rental listings to hit the market.  Over the past four months, ST Residential has been working with original contract holders to get them to the closing table.  According to public records, closings at Mint began on August 27, 2010.  Since that time, there have been 110 recorded closings with prices ranging from$203,900 to $1.09M.  Rental listings at Mint started to appear on the MLS within a few months of the first closing.  There are currently 20 condos available for rent at Mint on the MLS with prices ranging from $1,575 to $1,750 per month for a one bedroom and $2,200 to $2,900 per month for a 2 bedroom.  Sales are officially expected to launch at the end of this month to the general public.  It’ll be interesting to see how the general public reacts to pricing once it is released.  Mint is located at 92 SW 3 St, Miami, FL 33130.

Starwood Capital Group Hungry for More Distressed Condos

Acquiring $4.5B in property 15 months ago wasn’t enough.  Starwood Capital Group is back for more, and this time, according to the Wall Street Journal, they are targeting individual properties and portfolios offered by banks and the FDIC.  Recently, as the article points out, Starwood Capital Group bid on Everglades on the Bay (now known as Vizcayne South and Vizcayne North) but lost out to Rockwood Capital LLC.

Through the acquisition of Corus Bank’s portfolio in October 2009, Starwood controls roughly 6,700 units throughout the country, with a good chunk of them residing in South Florida.  Paramount Bay and Mint at Riverfront are two luxury condominium developments under Starwood’s control.  Both Miami developments are scheduled to begin sales in the first quarter of this year.