Tag Archives: Townhouses
Where are the best waterviews in South Florida?
You can go to pretty much any city on South Florida’s coastline and find a beautiful view of the Atlantic Ocean, but where do you go to find that perfect mix of Ocean, Intracoastal, City, and Bay views?
I recently took a poll and here were the results:
#5 – Fort Lauderdale
Building: Las Olas Grand
Price: $1,250,000
Location: Downtown Fort Lauderdale
#4- Boca Raton
Building: Reflections
Price: $1,150,000
Location: Lake Boca Raton
#3 – Fort Lauderdale
Building: Point of Americas
Price: $2,149,000
Location: Harbor Beach (Fort Lauderdale Inlet)
View: On a clear day, you can see from Lighthouse Point to Miami. Located right on the inlet, cruise ships and yachts are daily sights from your balcony. Beautiful ocean views as well.
#2 – Palm Beach
Building: One Watermark Place
Price: $2,995,000 – $12,000,000
Location: Singer Island
View: Palm Beach Ocean and Lake views, overlooking all of Palm Beach.
#1: Miami
Building: Carbonell
Price: $1,500,000
Location: Downtown Brickell
View: Ocean, Miami River, Bay, Downtown Skyline, Key Biscayne, Miami Beach
Beach homes that don’t break the bank
Santa Catalina Island, Calif.
$699,000
A 1,109-square-foot furnished Mediterranean-style condominium in Avalon with two bedrooms and two bathrooms and a golf-cart parking space
DETAILS: The condo, built in 1988, has travertine tile floors and two balconies including a private deck off the master bedroom. Shared amenities include a pool, an 18-hole putting green and a croquet court.
ISLAND LIFE: Santa Catalina Island is 22 miles off the coast of Los Angeles. A ferry between Avalon and Long Beach, Calif., departs about every two hours. Most residents use golf carts for transport.
Juan Dolio, Dominican Republic
$630,000
A 2,259-square-foot contemporary villa with three bedrooms, four bathrooms, staff quarters and a two-car garage
DETAILS: Completed last year, the two-story home comes fully furnished. The triple-height foyer has a wooden staircase made of Brazilian hardwood and eucalyptus railings. Floor-to-ceiling glass sliding doors opens the dining and living rooms to the pool and yard.
ISLAND LIFE:The villa is part of a private gated community called the Club Residences, Collection Guavaberry. There’s an 18-hole golf course, polo and equestrian facilities.
NEARBY SANDS: Residents have access to a private beach club and beach, a seven-minute drive away.
NEARBY SANDS: Hamilton Cove, a private beach, is just outside.
Harkers Island, N.C.
$749,900
A bank-owned oceanfront home of 3,827 square feet with four bedrooms, five bathrooms and a powder room on 0.6 acres
DETAILS: This three-story home, built in 2006, includes a two-car garage, an elevator, two offices and a porch with a hot tub.
ISLAND LIFE: Harkers Island, on North Carolina’s central coast, is about five miles long and 0.75 miles wide and has a large second-home community.
NEARBYSANDS: The home sits on the edge of West Mouth Bay. There’s a beach out front at low tide. There are other sandy beaches nearby on the island.
Manhattan Home Prices Plunge
Huge downturn for co-op and condo owners in pricey housing market. Number of sales ticks up as buyers with money take an opportunity.
The housing bust has finally clobbered super-pricey Manhattan home prices.
Reports released Thursday by four major New York brokers show that prices cratered during the three months that ended June 30.
Prices fell between 13% and 19% compared with the same quarter last year. The brokers found median prices that ranged from $795,000 to $849,000.
The decline shows a marked turn from the first quarter of 2009, when the year-over-year change in median home prices ranged from a loss of 2% to a gain of 6%.
Another change in the recent period: More people are buying.
The number of sales picked up by more than 28% in the second quarter, according to Prudential Douglas Elliman.
Driving the increase were sales of studio apartments and one-bedrooms, both of which gained market share, according to Jonathan Miller, president of appraisal company, Miller Samuel, which compiles data for Prudential Douglas Elliman.
“It’s value-based shopping,” said Pam Liebman, chief executive of the brokerage Corcoran Group. “People are coming back into the market, but nobody is going to overpay.”
Of course, in Manhattan “value” means studio prices that go for a median of $400,000 and one-bedrooms that fetch $650,000.
South Florida Market Looking Better
MIAMI – June 16, 2009 – South Florida home prices have hit bottom, but threats to the housing market still loom as foreclosures rise, mortgage rates creep up and inventories remain high.
That’s according to a prominent economist and several top real estate brokers who spoke here Thursday during the International Real Estate Congress hosted by the Realtor Association of Greater Miami and the Beaches.
“We’re certainly near the bottom if not at the bottom,” said Lawrence Yun, chief economist for the National Association of Realtors.
The median price of an existing single-family home in Palm Beach County has plunged more than 40 percent since 2005. Yun cited a study released last week by research firm IHS Global Insight that said home prices in Palm Beach County are undervalued by 32 percent.
Mike Pappas, head of Keyes Co. Realtors, agreed that the withering collapse of the past three years finally has ended.
“We believe the worst is behind us,” Pappas said.
That’s not to say that the housing market is poised for a big rebound. Realtors see obstacles, including:
• Foreclosures. The number of foreclosure filings in Palm Beach County rose 33 percent from April to May, research firm RealtyTrac said Thursday. “Unfortunately, foreclosures will continue to increase,” Yun said.
• Rising mortgage rates. The average rate for a 30-year mortgage spiked from 5.29 percent last week to 5.59 percent this week, Freddie Mac said Thursday. Yun acknowledged that rates above 6 percent would slow the recovery, but he predicted rates will fall to 5.2 percent later this year. “I believe the bond market is overreacting,” Yun said, causing rates to rise.
• High inventories. The number of homes for sale has fallen over the past year, but there remains a glut of homes on the market. Inventory “is still much higher than it should be,” said Ron Shuffield, head of EWM Realtors.
• A sluggish high-end market. Although properties priced at under $200,000 are moving quickly, the high-end market is “stagnant,” in part because of high rates for jumbo loans, said Rei Mesa of Prudential Florida Realty.
Copyright © 2009 The Palm Beach Post, Fla., Jeff Ostrowski. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
Lennar Being Sued Over Chinese Drywall
Chinese drywall continues to be a headache for home builder Lennar Corp.
Lennar said Monday that it had been sued in U.S. District Court in Florida in connection with imported drywall that smells bad and possibly releases dangerous gases.
The suit was filed by an individual, Lorena Garcia.
Lennar itself is suing two Chinese drywall manufacturers, claiming the drywall, which it bought and installed in 2005 and 2006, is defective and is causing electrical problems and foul odors in homes it built throughout Florida.
Source: The Wall Street Journal, Ingrid Pedrick Lehrfeld (04/20/2009)
Types of Downtown Properties
The Types of Urban Living Homes in North America
There are many opportunities for a prospective individual or couple to get into the real estate market. Whether you are looking for a permanent residence or a real estate investment home, both the United States and Canada markets provide numerous types of housing that will suit your lifestyle and requirements. Obviously, the most expensive but most sought after urban living real estate property is a home. Not only does a private home provide you with ample space and privacy, but they are really at a premium in most major cities and towns these days as they have become quite expensive, especially homes and residences near city centers and major transportation routes. The more common real estate development now sees the construction of townhomes and townhouses which are attached dwellings that give the privacy of a home but within a residential community that is based on smaller properties for couples and families. The most urban type of real estate property on the market these days in both Canada and the United States are definitely condos or condominiums. Also called apartment residences, condos in both the United States and Canada have seen an exponential increase in both the number of units being planned and built, but also in the interest from all types of buyers and investors. Living in a high-rise residential building has its perks including amazing views, luxury amenities, features and finishes that are comparable to a custom home and of course the community aspect. With condominiums, there are penthouse suites as well as loft residences available to the real estate investor or home buyer as well.