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.

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.

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.

How do you feel about the issue?

Amid Oil Price Standstill, South Florida Gas Prices Decline

As oil prices reached a standstill with positive U.S. economic news conflicting with the failure of a European debt crisis agreement, South Florida gas prices declined slightly last week.

According to the AAA Fuel Gauge Report, the price of crude oil continued on an upward trend, rising 94 cents to close Friday at $94.26 on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

"Oil prices are stuck between an uncertain future for Europe's financial system and glimmers of hope for an economic recovery in the U.S.," AAA Auto Club Group spokeswoman Jessica Brady said in a news release. "Despite the slight increase in oil prices and the market's bullish sentiment, retail gas prices have actually decreased through the past couple of weeks. Reports from the Department of Energy show stagnant fuel demand numbers and weekly gasoline deliveries are 4 percent behind last year’s numbers. Unless oil prices make significant gains this week, consumers may find minimal changes in prices at the pump."

South Florida fuel average details:

• Miami: A gallon of regular unleaded gasoline was $3.48 a gallon, down from $3.50 a week ago and up from $2.87 a year ago.
• Fort Lauderdale: Regular unleaded was $3.46 a gallon, down from $3.49 a week ago and up from $2.86 a year ago.
• West Palm Beach/Boca Raton: Regular unleaded averaged $3.50 a gallon, down from $3.52 the previous week and up from $2.92 a year ago.
• Florida’s average price of $3.39 is 3 cents less than last week.
• Florida’s average price of $3.39 is 3 cents less than last week, while the national average price of unleaded regular gasoline dropped 4 cents to $3.41 a gallon.

Click here for the full South Florida Business Journal report

Coldwell Banker: Issues and Answers

Coldwell Banker recently held three Issues and Answers sessions in Dade and Broward. These special events attracted nearly 200 Coldwell Banker Associates to hear their peers discuss best practices. Topics included getting sellable listings and pricing them properly, finding qualified buyers and getting them to make realistic offers, and overcoming challenges with closing transactions.

Thank you to the following associates who gave freely of their time and shared their expertise:

Elba Hernandez, Kendall office, Daniel Hertzberg, Miami Beach office, Julia Pulles, Kendall office, Gary Feix, Coral Gables office, Michael Greene, Kendall office, Judy Wolf-Seigel, Pinecrest office, Dondi Hopkins, Plantation office, Steve Kaminer, Coral Springs office, Michelle Ali – Plantation, Patricia Lewis, Weston office, David Caporini, Coldwell Banker Home Loans, Jason Winder, Sunbelt Lending, Sharon Edelman, Coral Springs office, Dean Sklar, Weston office, Andrea “Andi” Wites, Coral Springs office, Stuart Berger, Aventura office, Natalie Bojarski, Hollywood office, Jonathon Keith, Ft. Lauderdale NE office, Jan Overton, Ft. Lauderdale Beach office, Richard Schultz, Ft. Lauderdale SE office and Cindy Spoerr, Hollywood office

Additionally, Henry Ensler from Sunbelt Title was on hand to discuss contract issues, such as FIRPTA, title selections and deadlines. In addition, David Caporini and Daniel Eguiguren of Coldwell Banker Home Loans and Russ Smith of Sunbelt Lending actively participated in the panel. Rochelle Fraga was also present to update Associates on the many Coldwell Banker marketing tools available to support their efforts.

Having top Associates who are making things work in these challenging times helped other Associates understand they are not battling these issues alone and there are solutions to many of these challenges.

A Boost for South Florida's Job Market

According to the South Florida Business Journal, officials of the Seminole Casino Coconut Creek have announced that they plan to hire 800 full-time employees by the end of the year – the largest mass hiring in South Florida since the tribe's resort in Hollywood had a hiring spurt in 2004.

The Coconut Creek casino already lists job openings for assistant managers, cocktail servers, chefs, player development executives, sous chefs, a warehouse supervisor and a slot technician.

Riding For a Cancer Cure

Last year the Miami Dolphins inaugurated the Jim Mandich Dolphins Riding Challenge, a 170 mile, two day round trip bike ride to Palm Beach. They raised $533,000 with 100% of the funds going to the University of Miami Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Coldwell Banker’s own Sandy Levinson, a Sylvester patient herself and Tom Levinson, who serves on the Board of Governors at Sylvester are sponsoring one of our own in her efforts to raise money for this important cause.

Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate Sales Associate, Kristina Cunetta, is a long term thyroid cancer survivor at Sylvester and an experienced long distance cyclist. Kristina has committed to riding the full 170 miles on November 5 and 6 to raise money for cancer research.

Please join in the fight to cure cancer and show your support by donating online at www.ridecc.com and donating under Team Sylvester. You will receive a receipt from the Dolphins and your donation will be posted to the website with your name. 100% of ALL donations will go to Sylvester for cancer research.

Miami Market Moves Forward with Sales and Prices

Sales of residential property in Miami, Florida, keep rising as the area’s record sales activity leads the real estate recovery, according to a recent article on www.propertycommunity.com.

Sales of existing single family homes in the Miami Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) went up 46% in September, as figures from the member Miami Association of Realtors indicate.

According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), sales of existing condominiums increased 58 and statewide sales increased 10%. Nationally, sales of existing single family homes, townhomes, condominiums, and co-ops went down 3% from the previous month and but were 11.3% above September 2010.

Miami Home Sales Spike 46% in September

Sales of existing single-family homes in the Miami Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) rose 46 percent in September, from 582 to 848, compared to September 2010, according to the Miami Association of Realtors. Sales of existing condominiums went from 833 to 1,319, an increase of 58 percent, as compared to September 2010.

Statewide, the sales have increased 10 percent to 15,036 for single-family homes and 10 percent to 6,666 for condominiums, as compared to September 2010. National figures show sales of existing single-family homes, townhomes, condominiums, and co-ops declined three percent from the previous month and but were 11.3 percent above September 2010, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR).

Click here for the full World Property Channel article by Michael Gerrity.