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Tag Archives: Hollywood Florida

Positive Signs for South Florida Real Estate Market in 2012

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The year 2012 may turn out to be a better year for the South Florida real estate market than previously expected, according to panelists at a Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce meeting.

During the panel discussion on real estate and new construction, experts predicted that the South Florida housing market had finally bottomed out.

Ron Shuffield, president of our company Esslinger Wooten Maxwell Realtors, attended the meeting and participated in the discussion.

Continue reading to learn  about his predictions for 2012 and what it means for interested South Florida home sellers.

South Florida Homes for Sale

According to housing experts, low interest rates as well as depressed sales prices on the South Florida real estate have attracted a new influx of home buyers.

Given the increasing demand for homes, Ron Shuffield said that the only thing that may slow down home sales in 2012 would be a shrinking home inventory.

For instance, typically there should be a seven to nine month home inventory. But right now, there’s a six to seven month housing inventory.

Panelists credited that shrunken inventory to heavy discounting, especially for South Florida condominiums.

Here are some of the predictions that these real estate experts made for the New Year:

  • The last of the 4,700 condominium units remaining from the 49,000 built in the region in the last several years will be sold in 2012
  • Many of those 4,700 condominium units will likely be converted into rental properties.
  • Several of the proposed condominium projects in Miami-Dade County will reach fruition in 2012, adding about 4,200 units to the market.
  • European and Latin American investors will continue to fuel much of the activity on the South Florida real estate market
  • A possible increase in mortgage interest rates as well as land prices, however, may slow down the economy once more.
  • What’s more, new condos priced too high could also stall real estate activity.

South Florida Properties

The outlook on the South Florida real estate market definitely seems to be improving each year, suggesting that the market is starting to swing back toward a neutral market rather than a buyer’s market.

This should be welcome news for South Florida home sellers trying to get a good deal on their home.

From my expert advice to my many home selling resources, I’ll make navigating the South Florida real estate market a breeze for you.

Until next time,

Scott

A Look Back at South Florida Real Estate Activity in 2011

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The year 2011 was marked by increasing sales volumes, international home buyers using cash only and depressed home prices, according to a recent report from the Miami Association of Realtors.

Continue reading to learn more about how the South Florida real estate market fared at the end of 2011 – and what local real estate experts are predicting for 2012.

Florida Homes for Sale in the Aventura, Hallandale and Golden Beach Areas

Here’s an overview of some of the trends that South Florida REALTORS saw on the local housing market in 2011:

  • International home buyers spent about $3.5 billion in cash on distressed South Florida real estate
  • Although home sales increased and the total housing inventory decreased in South Florida, home prices remained relatively stagnant.
  • The South Florida rental market saw growth as former home owners became renters.
  • The home inventory in South Florida dropped to 28,000, or by about 40 percent.
  • Meanwhile, the shadow inventory of foreclosed homes that are not listed for sale yet increased to more than 200,000.
  • South Florida existing home sales increased at a slower rate than earlier in the year, although median home prices began to increase.
  • In Miami-Dade County, there were 1,064 condo sales in November, up 2 percent from November 2010.
  • Meanwhile, single family home sales increased by 11 percent year-over-year, to 755.
  • In Broward County, there were 1,089 condo sales in November, down 1 percent from November 2010.
  • Meanwhile, single-family home sales increased by 22 percent year-over-year, to 961.

Analysts are cautiously optimistic about what 2012 will bring for the South Florida real estate market.

While some believe that there isn’t likely to be any real market rebounds until 2013, others believe housing market activity will improve considerably in 2012.

Here are three predictions that the Miami Association of Realtors made for the new year:

  • Home prices will remain low. Experts believe that the high number of distressed properties on the market will keep home values depressed. As an illustration, more than half of all South Florida home sales in November involved a foreclosure or short sale. In a normal market, those types of properties would have made up less than 5 percent of sales.
  • There will be an increase in foreclosed properties on the South Florida real estate market. In 2011, there was a slowdown in foreclosed properties entering the market as banks dealt with a backlog of court repossession paperwork. But experts predict that slowdown will end in 2012, possibly dragging down home values further.
  • More people invest in the rental market, fueling South Florida home sales. While it may seem counter intuitive, an increasing number of South Florida investors are buying homes to turn them into rental properties because of the high demand for rental properties in the area. This in turn is helping create activity on the local real estate market.

Your South Florida Real Estate Expert

While we may not be out of the woods yet, there are plenty of signs to suggest that the sluggish South Florida real estate market is beginning to improve.

The year 2012 may become a turning point on the South Florida real estate market.

For expert advice on the best way to navigate the local housing market as a home buyer or a home seller, make sure to contact me, Scott Patterson.

As your South Florida real estate expert, I have extensive experience working in such local housing markets as:

Until next time,

Scott

2011 Real Estate Market Report for Hollywood Lakes in Hollywood Florida

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Hollywood Lakes is a distinguished single-family home neighborhood located in Hollywood, Florida.

Over the years, this luxury South Florida neighborhood has gained a reputation for its unique eclectic architecture.

Homes in Hollywood Lakes were built starting in 1924, and range from 1,000 to 10,000 square feet.  The Lakes offer’s waterfront properties around Northlake and Southlake but there are also dry lots all in close proximity to the beach and new state of the art amphitheater.

During the first several months of 2011, there has been a lot of activity surrounding Hollywood Lakes homes for sale.

Continue reading to learn more about how Hollywood Lakes homes are faring on the South Florida luxury real estate market.

2011 Sales Data for Hollywood Lakes on the Hollywood, Florida Real Estate Market

Here’s a brief overview of the kind of activity that Hollywood Lakes properties for sale have seen on the South Florida real estate market:

  • Total Sales in 2011 YTD: 36
  • Highest List Price in 2011: $1,998,000
  • Lowest List Price in 2011: 229,900
  • Highest Priced Sale in 2011: $1.9 million
  • Lowest Priced Sale in 2011: $220,000
  • Maximum Square Footage on a Home Sold in 2011: 5503
  • Minimum Square Footage on a Home Sold in 2011: 1301
  • Minimum Days on the Market: 4
  • Maximum Days on the Market: 682

Hollywood, Florida Homes for Sale

In addition, residents are within just a short driving distance of all the high-end shopping and fine dining that Hollywood, Hallandale and Aventura have to offer.

If you’d like to learn more about homes for sale in the Hollywood Lakes subdivision – or any other Hollywood neighborhood – then contact me, Scott Patterson, your South Florida luxury real estate expert, today.

I’ll also  let you know about available listings and answer any questions you might have about surrounding communities, including:

Until next time,

Scott

New to the Market in Harbor Islands, Florida

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Harbor Islands, Florida is perhaps one of the most desirable communities to live in within Hollywood, Florida.  This South Florida community is well known for its lavish homes, beautiful neighborhood and great public and private schools.

Right now, you can invest in your own piece of paradise in Hollywood, Florida.  Two homes in this elite community were recently listed on the market.

Continue reading to learn more about these two Hollywood Florida homes for sale.

Hollywood, Florida Real Estate

I recently listed two luxury homes on the Hollywood, Florida real estate market.

Here’s a breakdown of what these two Harbor Islands homes have to offer interested South Florida home buyers:

1061 Harbor Court

  • Waterfront
  • Located in “The Estates” section of Harbor Islands
  • Year Built: 2001
  • Single Family
  • List Price: $1,999,000
  • 4 Bedrooms
  • 5 1/2  Bathrooms
  • 5,219  Sq Ft.
  • 50ft. private boat dock with 14K lb boat lift

Learn more about this South Florida home by visiting our 1061 Harbor Court page.

1535 Windjammer Way

  • Waterfront (Direct Intracoastal)
  • Year Built: 2004
  • Single Family
  • List Price: $1,989,000
  • 4 Bedrooms
  • 4 1/2 Bathrooms
  • 4,870 square feet
  • Private boat dock with 14K lb boatlift

Check out our community page for 1535 Windjammer Way!

Hollywood, Florida  offers its residents plenty of amenities in its own right.  But if you wanted to explore another community, you’ll find that Hollywood Florida is conveniently located within just a short driving distance to many other cities:

  • 25 minutes from Miami
  • 5 minutes from Aventura
  • 5 minutes from Golden Beach
  • 15 minutes from Fort Lauderdale

To learn more about living in Hollywood Florida – or about the two homes currently listed in Harbor Islands – contact me, Scott Patterson, your South Florida real estate expert.

While you’re at it, feel free to check out my other listings in such area South Florida communities as:

Until next time,

Scott

South Florida Real Estate Summer 2011 Market Update

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The median sales price for South Florida homes has steadily increased since the start of the year , according to Ron Shuffield, president of our company, Esslinger-Wooten-Maxwell, Inc. Realtors

Here’s some of the recent news that Ron shared with us about the South Florida real estate market:

  • Between January and May of this year, the median sales price in Miami-Dade County rose from $150,000 to $180,000.
  • Between January and May of this year, the median sales price in Broward County rose from $165,000 to $190,000
  • 61 percent of our company’s sales are for either a short sale or a foreclosure.  However, that is down from 67 percent just four months ago.

Ron said he is “cautiously optimistic” about the most recent trends on the South Florida real estate market.

As the inventory of South Florida homes for sale continues to dwindle, prices are expected to increase, he said.

Learn more about the current state of the South Florida real estate market by watching the below video from our company’s president.

Navigating the South Florida Real Estate Market

 

If you’re interested in entering the South Florida real estate market as a home buyer or home seller, contact me, Scott Patterson, your South Florida real estate expert, today.

Whether you’re an interested South Florida home buyer or a South Florida home seller, I’ll be happy to answer any questions you might have as well as provide you with a number of helpful South Florida real estate resources to help make navigating the market easier.

Until next time,

Scott

Foreclosure Numbers Down on the South Florida Real Estate Market

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Over the last couple of years, South Florida has gained a reputation for its many foreclosed homes.  But recent data suggests that that reputation is becoming increasingly inaccurate.

Foreclosures in South Florida dropped by more than 50 percent during the first quarter of 2011 when compared with that same period in 2010.

The greatest drop in foreclosures was seen in Broward County.

Statewide, foreclosures rates dropped by 32 percent year-over-year in the first quarter.

South Florida Real Estate

There have been steep and steady decreases in  foreclosure filings in South Florida since last fall, suggesting that the real estate market is recovering.

Here’s an overview of each of the three South Florida Counties:

  • In Broward County, foreclosures in the first quarter of 2011 dropped by 68 percent year-over-year, to 6,876 foreclosures.
  • In Miami-Dade County, foreclosures in the first quarter of 2011 dropped by 64 percent year-over-year, to 7,257 foreclosures.
  • In Palm Beach County, foreclosures in the first quarter of 2011 dropped by 57 percent year-over-year, to 4,734 foreclosures.

Investing in South Florida Real Estate

While it’s true that foreclosures are not viewed as a positive thing by interested South Florida home sellers, they can be a great opportunity for South Florida home buyers.

After all, South Florida foreclosures drive down home prices, which creates a South Florida home buyer’s market.

There truly are some great deals to be found on the South Florida real estate market right now.

But as foreclosures continue to decrease, home prices are expected to begin to rise again as we are already seeing in the market today.  Especially in many waterfront communities.

Thus, if you’re thinking about entering the South Florida real estate market as a South Florida home buyer, now is a great time to do so!

Contact me, Scott Patterson, today and I’ll let you know about available listings in the area as well as answer any questions you might have.

I’ll also provide you with a number of helpful South Florida home buying resources, including:

Until next time,

Scott

South Florida Real Estate Market Praised by National Government

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The Federal Reserve recently recognized the South Florida real estate market for its home resale market, according to a recent article in the Miami Herald.

The recognition was part of a larger report completed by the Federal Reserve in which they said the economy is expanding fairly steadily in most of the country, although some regions are showing negative growth.

Continue reading to learn more about the Federal Reserve’s predictions for the national economy as well as how South Florida home owners will be affected.

South Florida Real Estate Market Update

Although much of the South has demonstrated slowed growth, Florida actually stood out for its home resale market.

The report noted that Florida home sales are doing remarkably well and keeping at a pace that’s enviable. Real Estate market’s are very area specific and development specific, 31% of Florida sales are cash transactions but South Florida has a far higher percentage of cash transactions due to the higher number of International Buyers.

The report also found that leading economists predict that the national economy will expand at about 2.7 percent a year.

Although a complete economic recovery likely is still a ways away, it’s nice to know that the South Florida real estate market is standing out to the national government as an industry that is doing better than most.
This is definitely good news for South Florida home sellers as it shows them that there is movement on the South Florida real estate market and there are interested South Florida home buyers.

Selling Your South Florida Home

Have you been thinking about entering the South Florida real estate market as a South Florida home seller?

As a South Florida real estate expert, I will put together an aggressive marketing plan to ensure that we sell your home at the best price possible in as little time as possible.

To learn more about how I help South Florida home sellers, check out some of my FREE South Florida home selling resources, including:

Until next time,

Scott

South Florida Real Estate Market Update for July

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The MIAMI Association of REALTORS recently released some data that describe the current state of the South Florida real estate market.

One of the group’s biggest conclusions was that Broward housing inventory has fallen below a six month supply. Keep in mind this is averaged out for all price ranges, however when it’s broken up in different price range categories from like $1-2 Million, or $2-3 Million and up the picture is much different as there are more month’s supply, in other words the the higher the price range, the more inventory there currently is.

For example today in Broward County we have approximately 83 months supply of single family homes over 3 million dollars and less than 4 months supply for single family homes less than 300,000.

The group found that inventory of residential listings in Broward County fell by 27 percent – or from 20,143 in May 2010 to 12,742.

Comparatively, total housing inventory nationally only fell by 1 percent.

This is great news for interested South Florida home sellers.  After all, as there become fewer homes there are on the South Florida real estate market, demand for South Florida homes will inevitably rise.

When demand for South Florida homes rises, South Florida home sellers will have more bargaining room when it comes to selling their South Florida home.

More Information on the Current State of the South Florida Real Estate Market

Here’s some additional data that the MIAMI Association of REALTORS recently released:

  • Condominium sales in Broward County increased from 1,348 in May 2010 to 1,537 in May 2011.  That’s a 14 percent increase year-over-year.
  • Single-family home sales increased by 6 percent – or from 1,078 in May 2010 to 1,142 in May 2011.
  • Cash transactions made up 60 percent of all closed residential sales in May
  • Statewide, condo sales increased by 17 percent while single-family home sales increased by 3 percent.
  • Meanwhile, national homes sales decreased by 15.3 percent during that same period.
  • The average sales price of condominiums on the South Florida real estate market increased by 3.7  percent from May 2010 and May 2011.
  • The average sales price for single-family homes on the South Florida real estate market decreased by 2.3 percent from May 2010 and May 2011.
  • Statewide, the median sales price for condos increased by 2 percent from May 2010 and May 2011.
  • Statewide, the median sales price for single-family homes decreased by 5 percent from May 2010 and May 2011.

Entering the South Florida Real Estate Market as a Home Seller

If you’ve been considering selling your South Florida home, now is a great time to do so!

As the inventory of South Florida homes for sale continues to decrease, South Florida home sellers will have more of a say when it comes to setting a sales price.

As a South Florida real estate expert, I’ll be happy to walk you through what I can do for you as a South Florida home seller.

This includes answering any questions you might have, developing an aggressive South Florida marketing plan for your home, and providing you with such South Florida home selling resources as:

Until next time,

Scott

 

Mexicans Increasingly Investing in South Florida Real Estate

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For months I have been telling you about how Brazilian nationals have been spurring activity on the South Florida real estate market by investing in South Florida homes for sale.

Now it appears that another group of foreign nationals are finding South Florida real estate increasingly attractive: Mexicans.

According to a recent article in the Miami Herald, Mexicans find that South Florida is a safe place to invest their money outside of their home country, where violence has steadily increased over the years.

South Florida Real Estate Market Attracting International Buyers

While Mexican nationals have historically invested in properties in border cities such as El Paso and San Diego, an increasing number of Mexicans are investing in South Florida, specifically Miami.

By some estimate, Mexican investors have invested about $30 million in the South Florida real estate.

And according to the Commerce Department’s international trade administration, Mexicans made a direct investment of $31 billion in the United States in 2008.

Most experts attribute the surge in Mexican nationals investing in the United States to the violence that is occurring across the border.

Since the Mexican president Felipe Calderon launched a war on drug cartels in late 2006, more than 40,000 Mexicans have been killed in the fighting.

Consequently, the United States has issued an increasing number of visas to Mexicans.  Between 2007 and 2009, the number of visas for Mexican investors grew from 15,000 to 21,000.

In 2009, about 250 Mexicans were granted asylum in the United States.

Purchasing a South Florida Home for Sale

As a South Florida real estate expert, I have years of experience working with international buyers.

If you’re thinking about relocating to South Florida from another country  – or from another part of the United States – then contact me, Scott Patterson.

I’ll help make navigating the South Florida real estate market exponentially easier with my exclusive South Florida home buying tools.  These include:

Until next time,

Scott

Brazilian Home Buyers on South Florida Real Estate Market Get National Attention

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Brazilian nationals investing in the South Florida real estate market is making national news, as evident by a recent article by Bloomberg.

According to the article, Brazilian currency has developed  a 45 percent gain against the United States dollar since 2008.

And while the United States economy grew by 2.3 percent between April 2010 and March 2011, the Brazilian economy (which is the largest in Latin America) grew by 4.2 percent.

This means that South Florida real estate has become increasingly attractive for international buyers – and this is great news for interested South Florida home sellers.

Brazilians Increasingly Investing in South Florida Real Estate

For several months now, the number of Brazilian nationals investing in the South Florida real estate market has steadily grown as these international buyers search for deals on vacation homes and property investments.

The effects of this on the South Florida real estate market have been tremendous:

  • Total sales on Miami’s condominium market have increased by 79 percent since the beginning of the year when compared to that same period in 2010.
  • Brazilians bought 9 percent of homes and apartments sold to international buyers between April 2009 and March 2010.
  • Brazilians are the third largest group of international buyers on the South Florida real estate market, behind only Canadians and Venezuelans.
  • In May 2011, international buyers invested in 60 percent of existing homes on the market and 90 percent of newly built homes.
  • Of those downtown Miami condos that sold for more than $500,000 to foreign investors, Brazilians accounted for about half of that group.
  • Of those Miami Beach property sales that sold for more than $1 million, the investor was Brazilian in about fifty percent of those sales.

It’s easy to see why Brazilian home buyers are flooding the South Florida real estate market when one considers the current state of the Brazilian real estate market:

  • Home prices in Brazil increased by 25 percent between June 2010 and May 2011.
  • In Rio, home prices increased by 44 percent.

Meanwhile, homes in the Miami area are selling for about 51 percent less than they did during the peak of the housing boom – which was in late 2006.

Listing Your South Florida Home for Sale

All of the activity being generated by Brazilian nationals on the South Florida real estate market is great news for interested South Florida home sellers.

This activity is creating demand that is giving South Florida home sellers some bargaining room when it comes to sales price.

In order to capitalize on the momentum that Brazilians are creating on South Florida’s real estate market, you’ll want to work with a South Florida real estate expert who knows how to effectively market your South Florida home for sale.

Contact me, Scott Patterson, your South Florida real estate expert, today and I’ll let you know how I can get you the best price on your South Florida home in as little time as possible.

To get things started, feel free to browse all of the helpful South Florida home selling resources I provide to South Florida home sellers. These include:

Until next time,

Scott