Category Archives: Buyers

South Florida Real Estate Market Showing Signs of Rebound and Growth

access_timeNovember 29, 2012personScott Patterson

There’s reason to celebrate a little for the South Florida real estate market – especially if you’re a home seller with a list price under 1 million.

From a decreasing supply of available homes for sale to rising sales prices – now is a great time to be a Seller especially if your property is listed under 1 million today. It’s all about “Supply & Demand” which is very price sensitive and it’s very important to understand the market depends on the “List Price” of your property, the higher the “List Price” the more inventory there is.

Below, I’m going to tell you some of the recent findings from a national index on the health of the South Florida housing market.

Selling South Florida Real Estate

According to a recent market report, South Florida home prices increased by more than 5 percent in July when compared to July 2011 (depending on price range).

That’s not all that has South Florida home sellers excited!

Here’s a look at some other good news that has recently come out about the market:

In August, Broward County had fewer than 5,000 single-family homes for sale.
When compared to a year ago, Miami-Dade & Broward County’s inventory has nearly been cut by 40-50%.
Meanwhile, Palm Beach County’s home inventory was about 6,648 in August, which is 43 percent less than it was a year ago.
In Miami, the average price per square foot of Miami area homes was $155, down 4.3 percent from the same period last year.
Between July and September, the median sales price for Miami homes was $155,000, up 6.9 percent from the year before.
Also during that period, the total number of Miami home sales decreased by 11.6 percent.
Broward County’s unemployment rate decreased from 8.1 percent to 7.8 percent between July and August. This is good news for home sellers because it means that more home buyers are in a position to purchase a home.
Broward County’s unemployment rate is now better than the national average, which is 8.1 percent.
Meanwhile, Palm Beach County’s unemployment rate also fell to 9.6 percent, albeit that’s still higher than state and national averages.
Interest rates have continued to fall, with the average 30-year fixed rate falling to a record-setting 3.4 percent recently. Such low rates are sure to attract additional home buyers.

Still, the recent article I read noted that there are some ways in which the housing market can improve even more.

For instance, inaccurate home appraisals have been blamed in recent years for delaying or costing real estate deals.

Experts are now calling for more accurate and consistent appraisals to aid in the housing market’s recovery.

Some are also saying that a slight increase in interest rates may increase home buyer demand since home buyers will feel a sense of urgency to invest before interest rates continue to climb.

Your Dedicated South Florida Real Estate Expert

The South Florida real estate market is a complicated industry with plenty of moving parts that may affect your experience as a home seller.

So for an optimal experience that results in you selling your home in a short amount of time and for a great price, please contact me, Scott Patterson.

I have years of experience working on the South Florida real estate market and I’ll be happy to provide you with invaluable advice, helpful home-selling resources and more!

Start today by requesting my free selling South Florida real estate eBook or a pre-listing package!

Until next time,

Scott

EWM International Realty is now Larger and Better than Ever!

access_timeNovember 26, 2012personScott Patterson

We have exciting news to share with you about our company’s parent company, Berkshire Hathaway.

Berkshire Hathaway has purchased the real estate franchise “Prudential” / Real Living and launch an entirely new brokerage brand for these agents: Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices.

Our South Florida real estate company EWM has been owned by Berkshire Hathaway for the last six years.

This new purchase, however, is guaranteed to make the company even stronger and more responsive to home buyer’s and home seller‘s needs.

Selling Real Estate in South Florida and Around the Country

Berkshire Hathaway has acquired Prudential’s agent network from Brookfield Asset Management.

Next year, Berkshire Hathaway and Brookfield will begin converting Home Services agents over to the new brand as well.

The new company will be based in Irvine, California and will be led by a team of Prudential Real Estate executives.

Here are some more facts of this recent deal:

Berkshire’s HomeServices of America (which already owns local brokerages with 16,000 agents in 21 states) will be the majority owner
The Prudential and Real Living brands will be eliminated over time.
Independent local brokers that HomeServices already owns will not have to switch affiliation but their branding will start to note that they’re owned by Berkshire Hathaway.

Your South Florida Real Estate Expert

By aligning ourselves with this new and improved super real estate company, EWM will have even greater access to real estate resources that will ultimately help you as the buyer or seller!

Thus, we’re quite thrilled about this newly formed real estate company!

If you’re considering entering the South Florida real estate market anytime soon, please contact me, Scott Patterson.

I’ll be happy to assist you as you navigate any one of the following South Florida markets:

Until next time,

Scott

South Florida Developers Are Proposing Dozens of New Condominiums

access_timeNovember 1, 2012personScott Patterson

Developers are feeling so confident with the South Florida real estate market lately that they’re planning on constructing dozens of new condominiums in the upcoming months and years.

According to a recent article I read, developers are proposing almost 55 new condominium projects totaling more than 10,000 units in the communities of Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach.

This signals that the South Florida housing market is becoming increasingly robust and attractive for real estate transactions!

South Florida Luxury Condominiums for Sale

Miami-Dade County has been leading the area with new condominium projects in the works.

Evidently, there are nearly 40 proposed projects in the county, all of which total more than 7,900 units.

These condominiums are expected to be built in Aventura, Bal Harbour, Miami, Key Biscayne, Miami Beach, Sunny Isles including the development The Village at Island Estates that I am representing.

Broward County has the second most proposed projects with 11. These condominiums will bring an additional 1,600 units to the area and will be constructed in Fort Lauderdale, Hallandale Beach and Hollywood.

In third place is Palm Beach County with at least 5 proposed condominium projects totaling 700 units. These condominiums are expected to be constructed in Juno Beach and West Palm Beach as well as Gulf Stream.

Experts are saying many domestic and international prospective developers are sweeping South Florida searching for previously approved projects that were put on hold after the housing market bubble burst in 2007.

Leading the way in this latest condominium development blitz is the 23 Biscayne Bay condominium in Greater Downtown Miami.

One tower has already been constructed and an additional 11 are expected to be completed as soon as 2014.

As of the second quarter of 2012, buyers have purchased about 93 percent of the nearly 49,000 new condos created in the largest coastal markets during the most recent South Florida real estate boom that began in 2003.

At the current sales pace of nearly 150 units per month, the 3,400 unsold new condos could be acquired in the first half of 2014.

Many of these newly proposed condominiums appear to cater to niche markets, such as the high-end luxury condominium market.

These new developments plan to attract high-end buyers with such features as incredibly spacious balconies, automobile elevators and personal swimming pools.

Your South Florida Real Estate Expert

This is an exciting time to be a South Florida home buyer – especially given all of the new luxury condominiums that are expected to be constructed soon!

If you’re thinking about relocating to South Florida anytime soon and investing in your own condominium, please contact me, Scott Patterson.

I’ll be happy to walk you through the condo-buying process with helpful advice and user-friendly resources such as:

Until next time,

Scott

Report: Fewer Homes for Sale Available on the South Florida Real Estate Market

access_timeOctober 31, 2012personScott Patterson

Available homes for sale on the South Florida real estate market have decreased significantly year-over-year, according to a recent article I read.

The Palm Beach Post reported that the available inventory of homes for sale was down 34 percent in September when compared to September 2011.

This is fantastic news for South Florida home sellers in such communities as Golden Beach and Sunny Isles who are hoping to get a great price on their property.

South Florida Homes for Sale

Here’s an overview of recent activity on the South Florida real estate market, according to the real estate analysis firm Zillow:

High-priced homes for sale in Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties were down 34.4 percent year-over-year.
Meanwhile, inventory of homes in the lower-priced tiers were down 33 percent.
In that same period, the national inventory of homes for sale has decreased by 19 percent.
In Palm Beach County, the inventory of single-family homes had fallen to less than five months in August.
When compared to August 2011, Palm Beach County’s home inventory has fallen 57 percent.

On the same day that Zillow released its report, the company RealtyTrac reported that Florida saw the most foreclosure activity in September.

Although some are concerned this may cause a drop in home prices as these foreclosed homes are sold, experts say that it’s more likely that these homes will more than likely be short-sold, which will help preserve prices.

List Your South Florida Home for Sale Today!

As I noted earlier, a drop in available homes for sale is a great sign for interested South Florida home sellers.

That’s because the low supply of available homes will spur even greater home buyer demand, which will ultimately drive up prices.

Thus, if you’re thinking about listing your South Florida property anytime soon, now is a great time to do so!

For expert tips on navigating the market as a South Florida home seller, please contact me, Scott Patterson.

I have years of experiencing helping home owners sell their properties in a number of local communities, including:

Until next time,

Scott

Sunny Isles Taxes Still Low, Despite Increase in Amenities

access_timeOctober 30, 2012personScott Patterson

Home owners living in Sunny Isles, Florida are enjoying the best of both worlds lately: low property taxes and a growing list of local amenities!

According to a recent article that I read, Sunny Isles Beach’s proposed budget may increase as much as 45 percent in the next year, and yet the property tax rate is expected to be 3 percent lower than the current one.

This is great news for those living in Sunny Isles or considering relocating to this beautiful South Florida community!

Sunny Isles, Florida Real Estate for Sale

Sunny Isles Beach city administrators recently proposed a $62.5 million budget for the upcoming fiscal year, which is about 45.3 percent greater than this year.

The increase in spending is related to 19 capital improvement projects that the city wants to pursue in the next year.

These projects total about $19 million and include the construction of the Gateway Park, which will be located west of Collins Avenue between the east- and westbound lanes of Sunny Isles Boulevard.

The park and the accompanying garage for visitors will be about $16 million.

Additional projects mentioned in the proposed budget include:

$1 million for an emergency bridge
$4 million for more classrooms at Norman S. Edelcup Sunny Isles Beach K-8 school
Various park restoration projects
Installation of security cameras at the Government Center and city parks

There are also several other additions in the budget, such as hiring more lifeguards for about $500,000.

Meanwhile, property taxes are not expected to increase as a result of the numerous capital improvement projects. In fact, they’re expected to drop!

Officials are proposing a tax rate of $2.80 for every $1,000 of taxable property, which is 3 percent less than the current rate of $2.8860.

City officials are getting the extra money for the budget mostly from such one-time revenue sources as land scales and transfers of development rights.

Your Sunny Isles, Florida Real Estate Expert

I hope you found the above information insightful as a current or future Sunny Isles Beach home owner.

For more information on how this proposed budget may affect you specifically as either a home owner or home buyer, please contact me, Scott Patterson.

And if you’re considering investing in Sunny Isles Beach real estate anytime soon, please be sure to check out my various home-buying resources online. These include:

Until next time,

Scott

South Florida Home Owners to Learn Their Proposed Property Taxes for 2012 Soon

access_timeSeptember 20, 2012personScott Patterson

South Florida home owners recently found out what their proposed property taxes will be for 2012, according to a recent article in the Miami Herald.

The Miami-Dade Property Appraiser sent out more than one million TRIM notices to property owners recently.

These notices lay out how much the county believes a South Florida property is worth, which is quite important to home owners, home buyers and home sellers.

South Florida Real Estate for Sale

No matter whether you’re buying or selling a piece of South Florida real estate – TRIM notices are important.

For home sellers, the county’s valuation of a piece of real estate is ultimately factored in to how much they will pay for taxes.

Property owners will have until September 18 to file an appeal of the valuation with the Value Adjustment Board.

Tax bills connected with the new valuation will be sent out by Nov. 1.

Here’s an overview of what the TRIM notices revealed:

In Miami-Dade, the tax roll increased by 1.98 percent, after 3 years of declines.
In Broward County, the tax roll increased by 1.5 percent on average.
Broken down further, about 24 cities saw increases and seven saw declines.

Buying and Selling South Florida Real Estate

Whether you’re thinking about buying or selling South Florida real estate, you’ll want to have the latest information about TRIM notices in the area.

So contact me, Scott Patterson, for expert advice and helpful information on any one of the following real estate markets in South Florida:

Until next time,

Scott

South Florida Home Prices Continue to Rise!

access_timeAugust 16, 2012personScott Patterson

For the seventh straight month, home prices have continued to increase on the South Florida real estate market!

This marks the best home price showing since Fall 2006!

Continue reading to learn more about recent South Florida housing market activity to see how it may affect you as a home buyer!

South Florida Homes for Sale

Here’s what the most recent real estate market data revealed about South Florida home sales activity in June:

June was the 7th month in a row that saw year-over-year single family home price increases in Miami-Dade County
The median price for a single family Miami-Dade County home was $194,250, up 5 percent from the same month in 2011.
The median price for a single-family Broward County home was $215,000, up 8 percent from the year before.
The median price for a Miami-Dade condo was $160,000, up 34 percent year-over-year.
In Broward County, the median price for a condo was $85,900, up 14.5 percent from last year.
There were 906 single-family homes that closed in Miami Dade County, down 1.8 percent from last year.
And in Broward County, there were 1,310 single-family homes that closed, up 14.5 percent year-over-year.
In Miami Dade County, there were 1,368 condos that closed, up 4 percent from last year.
Meanwhile in Broward County, there were 1,485 condos that sold, down 4.4 percent year-over-year.

The data suggests that things are definitely looking up here in South Florida.

Still, analysts are saying it will likely take until 2019 for home sales prices in South Florida to match what they were in 2006.

Purchase Your Dream South Florida Home Today!

Prices definitely appear to be on an upward trend on the South Florida real estate market.

Thus, if you’re interested in getting buying a home or condo, then you may want to consider entering the market soon!

For expert guidance on navigating the South Florida housing market as a buyer, please contact me, Scott Patterson.

While you’re at it, you may also be interested in checking out some helpful online home-buying tools:

Until next time,
Scott

Williams Island, FL Undergoing Major Improvements

access_timeAugust 6, 2012personScott Patterson

The prestigious South Florida community of Williams Island is about to get even better!

According to the most recent news, Williams Island is about to get a new guard gate and monument!

Continue reading to learn more about these recent developments, and how it will complement Williams Island’s existing reputation for excellence.

South Florida Homes for Sale at Williams Island

Williams Island is a luxury community comprised of 8 condo towers, the Mediterranean Village, Villa Flora and access to Island Estates.

The beautiful residences that comprise Williams Island range anywhere from 2 to 6 bedrooms and come with 1,580 to 5,030 square feet of living space.

This impressive South Florida community also offers its residents a number of recreational amenities, including:

Fitness center
Indoor pool
Tennis courts
Hair salon
Full service marina
And more!

And now Williams Island is about to become an even better place to live!

According to the recent newsletter I read, Williams Island residents voted on April 5 to renovate several amenities in the community, including:

Front Gatehouse
Porte Chochere
Resident Gate
Exit Guard House
Front entrance sidewalk
Signage
Landscaping
Bus Shelter
183rd Street Monument Sign

As part of the renovation project, there will be an expansion of the present gate house to include additional security equipment and monitoring systems.

What’s more, the renovated gate house will now hold the human resources department.

While construction on the Porte Cochere, front gatehouse and Williams Island monument had already commenced, construction on the resident gate and exit guard house will not be completed until after the Bellini building is constructed.

Your Williams Island Real Estate Expert

As you can tell by the recently approved renovation projects at Williams Island, the community is thriving and constantly striving to better serve its residents.

Even before these renovations began, Williams Island was already a premier South Florida community.

Now, it is bound to be an even more desirable residential community on the South Florida real estate market!

For more information on living at Williams Island – or to inquire about available listings there – please contact me, Scott Patterson, today!

Until next time,

Scott

Conditions Are Ideal to Purchase a Broward or Miami Dade County Home for Sale

access_timeAugust 2, 2012personScott Patterson

The president of our company EWM Realty International recently released the latest housing market data for Broward and Miami-Dade counties.

The outlook is fantastic for interested South Florida home buyers, said Ron Shuffield.

Home sales have increased and the median home sales price is on the rise.

Continue reading to learn more about recent South Florida housing market activity to see how it compares to recent years.

Properties for Sale in Broward and Miami Dade Counties, Florida

Here’s a brief overview of what Mr. Shuffield reported about recent South Florida housing market activity:

In Miami-Dade County, the median price for a single-family home so far in 2012 is $200,000, up 12 percent when compared to the year before.
In 2011, the median price was about $150,000.
Also in Miami-Dade County, the median price for a condominium so far in 2012 is $150,000, up 21 percent when compared to the year before.
In Broward County, the median price for a single-family home in 2012 is $216,000, up 14 percent from 2011.
And the median price for a Broward County condominium in 2012 is $85,000, up 9 percent from 2011.

Mr. Shuffield explained that low sales prices, record low interest rates and affordable housing inventory at the foreclosure stage have driven the recent sales South Florida has seen.

As a result, available and affordable South Florida housing inventory is dwindling quickly.

For instance, in 2011, sales of foreclosed homes made up 65 percent of all home sales in South Florida. Now they represent 50 percent of all sales.

Your South Florida Real Estate Expert

Watch the video above to learn even more about why South Florida home buyers stand to gain a lot on the Miami-Dade and Broward County real estate markets.

And if you’re thinking about entering the South Florida housing market anytime soon, be sure to contact me, Scott Patterson.

I have years of experience successfully helping buyers find a home that meets their wants and needs as well as lifestyle in such markets as:

Until next time,

Scott

South Florida Real Estate Market Has Finally Bottomed Out, Experts Say!

access_timeJune 18, 2012personScott Patterson

I recently read an article in the Sun Sentinel that declared that the South Florida housing market has finally hit bottom.

According to Zillow.com, which is a Seattle-based real estate analysis site, home values in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties are now beginning to increase after six years of steady decline.

Continue reading to learn more about what Zillow said this means for the greater South Florida real estate market – as well as interested home buyers like you!

Properties for Sale in Aventura, Hallandale and other South Florida Communities

Here’s the most recent data that Zillow released about the local housing market:

The median value for homes in all three South Florida counties is $141,300, up 1 percent when compared to 2011.
Over all home prices are expected to increase by 6 percent during the next year, which would make South Florida a top-performing housing market in the nation.
Home sales prices are now beginning to resemble those prices seen in 2002 in South Florida.
Home values in 21 of 32 Broward Cities – including Fort Lauderdale – increased between 2011 and 2012.
Meanwhile, 17 communities in Palm Beach County saw higher home values, year-over-year.
Single-family home inventories in Broward County have decreased by 48 percent, year-over-year.
In Palm Beach County, inventories have decreased by 38 percent.
More and more homes are receiving multiple offers, many of which are above the original asking price.

All of this data suggests that home prices have fallen as much as they’re going to fall in South Florida before they begin to rise again.

And while some analysts are still skeptical that the South Florida housing market has truly bottomed out, nearly everybody agrees that the market will not likely see prices drop very much more if it hasn’t bottomed out yet.

Thus, for those who were interested in making an incredible investment on the South Florida real estate market, now is the ideal time to do so!

After all, once a market has bottomed out, the only direction home prices are going to go is up!

Your South Florida REALTOR!

If you’re interested in entering the South Florida housing market as a home buyer any time soon, please contact me, Scott Patterson.

As a trusted South Florida REALTOR, I have experience helping home buyers find their dream homes on a number of area housing markets, including:

Thus, I’d be happy to help you at every stage of the home buying process – from home showings to purchase offers to the final closing!

Until next time,

Scott