Coldwell Banker CARES Gives Back

By Guest Contributor Judy Campo, Manager, Coconut Grove office of Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate

Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate LLC is the largest real estate brokerage company in Florida and we believe in giving back to the local community through Coldwell Banker CARES by providing charitable contributions to a wide array of non-profit organizations in the neighborhoods we serve.

This year we are pleased to present 17 charities with checks totaling $46,000. Agents contribute their time, talent and treasures to help ensure a brighter future for underprivileged children, cancer and diabetes research, feeding the elderly and other worthy non-profit organizations. Many of our sales associates support CARES by donating a percentage from each closed sale.

February 6-18, we are volunteering our time to construct an affordable home for a deserving family who will also participate in the build through Habitat for Humanity of Greater Miami where ten homes will be built in ten days at Habitat Oaks in Liberty City.

In May, we will be having our Second Annual Golf Tournament and Silent Auction, our largest fund raiser of the year! This is an exciting time for us and I wish to thank all of our managers, staff and associates who unselfishly work toward this goal!

The Jills(R), Florida's #1 residential real estate team in sales volume, recently made national news with their latest listing.

Drake, the rapper and Grammy-nominated recording artist who currently holds the spot for #1 rap album in America, put not one, but two, of his Miami apartments on the market and choose Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate's top-Florida team to find a buyer. The side-by-side units, 4906 and 4905 in the Marquis Residences, both boast 20-foot-high ceilings with waterfront views, glass walls and marble staircases, and can be combined as a single apartment to create 5,475 square feet of living space. The total asking price? $2.5 million (the larger 4906 is selling for $1.9 million, while 4905 is priced at $599,000.

"Both units are just stunning," says listing agent Jill Hertzberg. "Everything is state-of-the-art, from the kitchen with oversized Viking appliances, to the two-story, soaring living rooms -- mesmerizing views."

The apartments are located in one of Miami's most "elegant" buildings on Biscayne Boulevard, featuring A-list amenities such as a spa and fitness center, an open-air sky pool deck, state of the art meeting room facilities and private elevators.

To read AOL Real Estate's article on Drake's Miami digs, click here.

Coldwell Banker Unveils Lineup for 2012 Gen Blue Experience

This year at the “Generation Blue Experience” event, Coldwell Banker professionals will converge on the New Orleans Convention Center from Feb. 29 to March 3, 2012 to exchange ideas, enjoy primetime entertainment and take time to recognize outstanding accomplishments among their colleagues. Below is one of the many attractions for this year's lineup.

Housing Town Hall

This Coldwell Banker event will feature a “Housing Town Hall,” headlined by renowned former presidential advisors Karl Rove (R) and Robert Gibbs (D), who will share their unique experiences from the White House inner circle. Rove and Gibbs will go head-to-head in a politically charged discussion on critical issues shaping the 2012 election, including housing.

“With 2012 being an election year, it is the perfect time for us to bring together two recent presidential advisers from each side of the political aisle to go head-to-head and discuss the extent to which they believe that real estate will be on the minds of the candidates and the American people,” said Budge Huskey, president and chief operating officer, Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. “Our brokers and agents are in for a treat.”

To see the rest of the lineup for the 2012 Gen Blue Experience, click here

Recently, Forbes.com posted as article entitled “Trulia’s Real Estate Crystal Ball for 2012,” in which Trulia’s chief economist, Jed Kolko, gave his thoughts on where the housing market will go in 2012. One of his predictions applauded Texas, specifically Austin, Houston, Fort Worth and San Antonio, for their steady job growth and construction revival.

Kolko writes:

“Smart cities are hot. In 2012, the local housing markets that will enjoy rising prices, new construction or both, are those that start the year with stronger job growth and fewer empty homes holding back the market. Based on these factors, along with other leading indicators, here are my top five cities to watch:

• Austin, TX, and Houston, TX. The bloom’s not off the yellow rose of Texas. Steady job growth and a construction revival make Austin and Houston two of my five cities to watch. Texas isn’t hung over from the housing boom like the other big states of the South and West, so there’s little to hold back growth. Honorable mention to Fort Worth and San Antonio.”

To see the other four cities, and read the entire article, click here.

Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate is proud to announce that Miami Beach sales associates, “The New Wave of Real Estate,” group, along with Nancy Corey, branch manager at the Miami Beach office, will be featured speakers at the company’s Generation Blue Experience in New Orleans on February 29 through March 3, 2012.

“The New Wave of Real Estate” is a group of young REALTORS®, who use the latest technologies and social media tools to market properties to the masses. Brought together by branch manager Corey because of their youthful energy and passion for business, “The New Wave of Real Estate” created a concept called the “Social Media Hot Spot,” a technique that utilizes collaborative efforts in order to connect the group’s social media networks. With each member of the “New Wave Group” harnessing their Facebook®, Twitter ® and LinkedIn® networks, they are able to expose property listings to over 15,000 people in under 15-minutes.

Watch a video of “The New Wave of Real Estate” at work here.

Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate’s Danny Hertzberg Named to Forbes Magazine’s “30 Under 30”

Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate is proud to announce that Danny Hertzberg, sales associate in the Miami Beach office and member of South Florida and Miami Beach’s leading luxury real estate team, The Jills®, was named to Forbes magazine’s “30 Under 30: Real Estate” list. In 2011,Hertzberg, a Miami Beach native, closed a total of 39 transactions totaling over $43 million in sales volume.

Hertzberg has already reached a remarkable level of sales production in a very short period of time, and has been instrumental in forming “The New Wave of Real Estate,” a group of young REALTORS® who use the latest technologies and social media tools to market properties to the masses. “The New Wave of Real Estate” has created a concept called a “Social Media Hotspot,” a technique that utilizes collaborative efforts in order to harness the group’s social media networks, such as Facebook®, Twitter® and LinkedIn® to expose property listings to over 10,000 people in under an hour.

“Danny Hertzberg is a focused, disciplined and highly skilled individual who has the unique ability to combine personal attention to his clients while utilizing his expertise in negotiating,” said Nancy Klock-Corey, branch manager at Coldwell Banker’s Miami Beach office. “He is a natural leader who emanates a personal interest in everyone surrounding him, and to whom peers, community leaders, customers and clients are drawn Danny is truly a gifted and inspiring young man.”

To view the complete list, click here.

At What Price Should I List My House?

By Guest Contributor Chris Maccarone, Branch Manager, Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate Coral Springs office.

The price at which you list your property may significantly affect the ultimate selling price and the time it will be on the market. Although your motivation is a factor, the list price should be established only after careful consideration has been given to the reasonable range of value indicated by a Realtor’s Competitive Market Analysis.

The best time to sell your property is when the house has just been placed on the market.Overpricing may cause you to lose this valuable period. The following are some of the reasons why listing your property at too high a price is not in your best interest.

1. The wrong prospects look at the house, if any at all. People not only buy in price ranges, they also look in price ranges.
2. Realtors don’t want to lose credibility with their buyers by showing the overpriced listings.
3. Realtors know from experience that fair offers on overpriced houses are often rejected.
4. The house may become overexposed and shopworn. Potential buyers begin to assume there is something wrong with the house.
5. Even subsequent price reductions do not regain the lost market. Many qualified buyers who inspect overpriced listings decide at that point to eliminate that house from further consideration. It is often difficult to interest them again at a later date.
6. When people see that a house has been on the market for a long period, they assume they can get a bargain and extremely low offers are likely.
7. Overpriced listings help sell those houses that are properly priced.
8. Today’s buyers are knowledgeable and may ask for a Market Analysis from their Realtor prior to making an offer.
9. Institutional lenders are knowledgeable. Most purchasers require some form of institutional financing and this requires an appraisal by the lender.
10. While overpriced properties may eventually sell, they usually sell for less than if they were properly priced when first offered for sale.

Bottom-Line: If you want to sell your home in the shortest possible time, at the highest price and with the least amount of inconvenience to you, price your home to sell at the beginning…you’ll get great results!

Coral Gables Market Snapshot

By Guest Contributor Charlette Seidel, Co-Manager, Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate Coral Gables office.

Our weather is exceptional and so is our real estate market! November brought an increase in activity over October and the activity has continued into December. The Miami market again posted the highest sales increases of any major metro area for condominiums and all single family home markets in Florida.

Strong demand from international buyers is fueling robust sales activity in Miami. Short sales and foreclosures continue to have an impact on the market; short sales have a higher rate of approval currently in a faster time frame. The key is to have a great negotiator on the Seller’s side.

The Coral Gables market has 275 listings currently, 71 pending sales that are not closed and 16 closed in November. Most likely we will see more homes hit the market in January 2012.

Market Snapshot: Aventura

By Guest Contributor, Mike Brunnberg, Manager, Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate Aventura office

The current real estate market in Aventura offers a spectacular selection of the most gorgeous residences in South Florida. With 11.6 months of inventory in the $200,000+ price range, the average price per square foot through October is $194 which represents an increase from 4.1% from last month and 10% from a year ago. Properties are taking slightly little longer to sell, compared to a year ago, with the average Days on the Market increasing from 111 to 116. The average sales price is $263/square foot; however, the average price on the market is $645/square foot.

The most active price point is the under $300,000 price range, with limited inventory in solid buildings with good operating associations and no assessments.

If you’re considering the Aventura market, there’s nothing quite like it. I invite you to explore a complete list of available properties at www.Floridamoves.com/Aventura.

Data supplied by Trendgraphix based on information from the Southeast Florida Multiple Listing Service pulled on December 2, 2011.

Happy Holidays from Key Biscayne!

By Guest Contributor, Susie Abell, Manager, Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate Key Biscayne office

www.Floridamoves.com/KeyBiscayne

As this is being written in mid-December, it’s currently 85 degrees outside, the sun is shining, the ocean is calm and inviting, the fish are biting, and one might think it’s just another day in paradise.

Well, it is…AND the holiday spirit is alive and well as children of all ages play soccer on the Village Green, swim races at the Community Center and take advantage of the newly renovated playground…right next to Key Biscayne’s beautiful seasonal display which includes a giant Christmas tree and a large menorah.

Key Biscayne offers all kinds of holiday festivities from Santa making a visit to The Square Shopping Center to the Winterfest Boat Parade to a multitude of religious celebrations. It’s a special time of year as families and friends gather in this “winter wonderland” and enjoy each other’s company.

ASK and you shall receive…

By Guest Contributor, Susie Abell, Manager, Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate Key Biscayne office

www.Floridamoves.com/KeyBiscayne

The Key Biscayne lifestyle appeals to everyone…especially if you want to lead an active one.

One very active segment of Key Biscayne’s population is thanks to the ASK Club. Active Seniors on the Key is a thriving organization that provides social, fitness, volunteer and other opportunities for its members. It receives funding from the Village of Key Biscayne Council.

Those who want to be fit can take advantage of the Enhance Fitness and Matter of Balance programs. The Enhance Fitness program focuses on strength training, low-impact aerobics, balance and flexibility skills all done to music of ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s. It draws great participation and is conducted at the Community Room at the Village administrative building.

There are also numerous volunteer activities that have been organized by the ASK group..from raising money to help underprivileged children and families across South Florida to help in the classroom, read to kids, offer tutoring, do clerical work, etc. at the Key Biscayne K-8 Center.

And, of course, when you’re not participating in an ASK activity, you can take advantage of the many outdoor opportunities the Key Biscayne lifestyle offers. It’s definitely a special place to call home!

For more information about the ASK Club or living on Key Biscayne, call 305.361.5722.

Unemployment Drops to 10 percent in South Florida

South Florida's unemployment rate dropped to 10 percent in October from 10.7 percent in September. The state's unemployment rate hit 10.3 percent in October, down from 10.6 percent in September – the lowest unemployment rate in 28 months, according to an article by Kevin Gale, Editor in Chief, South Florida Business Journal.

While the change in unemployment rates may seem painfully slow, unemployment in South Florida is down 1.8 percentage points from October 2010.

This has happened while the region's workforce has grown by 21,772 to hit 2.92 million. Economists have worried that growth in the workforce, such as previously discouraged workers re-entering the labor market, could cause the unemployment rate to actually rise as the economy improves.

Employment in the region has grown by 72,890 over the past year, including 24,510 in October alone.

Broward County had the region's lowest unemployment rate, at 8.9 percent, down from 9.4 percent in September. It was followed by Palm Beach County, at 10.3 percent, down from 10.9 percent, and Miami-Dade County, down to 10.7 percent from 11.5 percent.

Statewide, the job gains were led by hospitality and leisure, up 39,400 jobs over the past year.

Read more here.

Florida Markets Dominate REALTOR.com Top Ten Turnaround Report

Realtor.com has just released its "Top 10 Turnaround" report, which lists real estate markets that are making recoveries, and Florida cities dominate the list, comprising six of the top 10--specifically, Miami, Orlando, Fort Myers-Cape Coral, Fort Lauderdale, Sarasota-Bradenton, and Lakeland-Winter Haven!

Have you seen a turnaround in your market?

For the full Realtor.com report click here.

Kids Take on Real Estate (video)

Coldwell Banker Real Estate asked some children what their thoughts were on various aspects of real estate. Their responses are pretty priceless. Check it out here.

Florida Regions rank high for real estate turnaround

Sarasota-Bradenton and five other Florida markets made a list of metropolitan areas leading the nation's real estate recovery according to a recent article in the Herald Tribune.

The local market was No. 6 on Realtor.com's "Top Ten Turnaround Towns" list, released on Nov. 16.

The North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota area scored higher — No. 1 — on Trulia.com's "Metro Movers Index," released on the same date.

That calculation by the Internet real estate site, which logs 100 million property views each month, found six times as many "inbound" home searches by outsiders for this region as "outbound" by local residents.

The two lists were affirmations of what many in the region's real estate industry already knew: that the Southwest Florida real estate market is showing a dearth of home inventory harkening back to the boom, that prices have been stable for nearly all of 2011, and that hungry investors from both the United States and abroad continue to actively scour the region for bargains.

The Realtor.com analysis found that:

• Sarasota-Bradenton attracted 11 percent of Florida's international buyers.

• List prices in the market are up 17.5 percent from 2010.

• The number of days a home spends on the market before being sold is down 32 percent.

For full article by Harold Bubil go here

According to Study: Stimulus plan supports 50,000 Florida jobs

In Florida, 49,000 jobs were created or saved by the federal stimulus plan launched in 2009, but the number of jobs it is supporting has been on the decline, according to a report from the Collins Center for Public Policy.

The nonprofit organization hired Don Winstead – previously the special adviser to former Gov. Charlie Crist tasked with implementing the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act in Florida – to conduct the study. Current Goernor Rick Scott, an opponent of the stimulus plan, closed the state website that tracked its impact.

Click here to see more results from the study.

Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac Facing Huge Pay Cuts

According to the Washington Business Journal, the House Committee on Financial Services voted on a measure that could put a serious damper on the holiday gift buying plans of District-based Fannie Mae and McLean-based Freddie Mac employees.

The House Committee on Financial Services voted 52 to 4 on a bill that would align the compensation at the mortgage giants, which have been under government conservatorship since 2008, with that of federal employees. This would slash pay at the companies which, have been known for shelling out Wall Street sized compensation packages in an attempt to lure the brightest minds in finance.

The Equity in Government Compensation Act would, according to a press release from the Financial Services Committee, stop future bonuses and suspend multi-million dollar compensation packages.

Click here for the full Bryant Ruiz Switzky article.

Realtors….Have You Even Been to a REBAR Camp?

By Guest Contributor Dori Longhini, Manager, Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate Plantation Lakeside office

www.Floridamoves.com/PlantationLakeside

If you haven’t, here is your chance. There will be a REBAR Camp held on Wednesday, November 30th at 8:30AM - 4:30PM at Christine Lee’s at Gulfstream Casino complex and the event is FREE.

These are freeform, no structure events and there is no sales pitch. It is an opportunity for like-minded real estate professionals to have a casual, yet productive dialog about topics of value or concern within the scope of business. There is lots of tech talk, including social media and new and fresh ways to communicate.

Enjoy breakfast and lunch…stay as long as you like. Rotate to different topics at the end of each session.

I have been to the ones in that the Florida Realtors have done in Orlando. They are fast-paced and great ways to network and learn at the same time.

This event is being held in a beautiful setting…I am sure you will like it.

Previews Showings Up in Northeast Ft. Lauderdale

There has been a lot of Previews property ($1M plus) showing activity in the NE Fort Lauderdale area. The Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estates Previews Specialists are showing more property in this area than have been shown in the last two years. This area has always been one of the most sought after locations and now buyers are feeling like this is the time to purchase. The prices seem to be slowly rising in this area. We are seeing more Preview properties come on the market as our foreclosures start to disappear. Our Previews properties in NE Fort Lauderdale include some of the most gorgeous dream homes imaginable.

To see some of the beautiful properties available in NE Ft. Lauderdale please go to our office website www.floridamoves.com/ftlauderdalenortheast.

Contributed by Jay Chernoff, Manager, Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate Ft. Lauderdale NE office.

Miami Panel Divided on Gambling

About 200 people attended the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce 's Destination Gaming – Is it in the Cards? event, moderated by CBS4’s Elliot Rodriguez.

During the panel discussion on gambling at Miami's Jungle Island, state Sen. Ellyn Setnor Bogdanoff said gaming has been creeping into Florida for years, and her bill attempts to provide strategic direction for the industry.

Supporters of gambling say that the fact that Miami is already a destination for tourists and that industries including trade, biotechnology and art drive the economy will help it avoid a Las Vegas-like, neon-induced possession.

Some panelists at event, held at Jungle Island on Monday, voiced this position, including state Rep. Erik Fresen, R-Miami, sponsor of the bill the Florida Legislature will soon begin vetting.

He said it was time Florida residents had an adult discussion about gaming and faced the reality that not only is it all around us, but that the state has been selling it “on the cheap” for years by ignoring it. The gateway gambling vehicle for the state has been the lotto, which grows in its reach every time a Publix opens, he said.

Click here for the full South Florida Business Journal article by Oscar Pedro Musibay.

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