Ashley Brinson Cusak

Archive for the 'Miami Real Estate Fun Facts' Category

Trying to Sell a Smelly House

A few months ago I showed a house in High Pines to one of my clients that smelled so badly, it’s all I could remember about it. Someone had just cooked a very strong, fragrant meal and it left me with such a bad impression. A different client wanted to see it this week so we made an appointment. When I realize which house it was I considered canceling it, remembering how bad it was. However, this time around it was adorable! The smell was gone, my client loved it and she’s considering making an offer. It’s amazing what an impression smells can leave! So, if you do a lot of heavy cooking or you have pets, be extremely aware when selling of the smells. The sense of smell is one of the most heightened of the senses so spray deodorizer, light candles or bake cookies. Make sure bad smells don’t drive buyers away!

Interested in real estate in Miami? My areas of specialty are Coral Gables, Coconut Grove, Pinecrest, Ponce-Davis, South Miami and waterfront properties. Feel free to call or email me today. Let me and my team help you in your search!

Tags: High Pines real estate, selling houses, sense of smell

Golf Carts in Palmetto Bay?

Are golf carts really allowed in Palmetto Bay?  This was a questioned asked of me this week while showing a client homes in the Palmetto Bay area.  We were leaving a showing as a golf cart came driving by on the road in front of the house and my buyer asked the question.  The answer is yes they are allowed, with a few stipulations.  The golf cart may only be  driven from dawn to dusk, the drive must be a licensed driver over 18 years old and the golf card must be road ready.  For more detailed information please check out the City of Palmetto Bay website.  And if you think owning real estate in a community where you can ride your golf cart to the park sounds like fun, give me a call and we will show you Palmetto Bay!

Tags: city of palmetto bay, golf cart, Golf carts, Palmetto Bay, Palmetto Bay Real Estate

Defining Today’s Real Estate

Puzzled by the lingo that everyone is using these days to describe distressed real estate? Here’s a quick breakdown of the most commonly used words:

FORECLOSURE – this is a property that the bank has taken over from the owners. It’s now owned by the bank that previously had the mortgage on a particular house.

SHORT SALE – this means homeowners owe more on their mortgage than what the house is worth. They are trying to sell them for less than what they owe the bank.

PRE-FORECLOSURE – this is when a homeowner is behind on their mortgage payment and is at risk of foreclosure. These are generally tomorrow’s short sales.

The Art of Pricing

One of the most common questions I get is how to price a property in this market.  Over the past year we’ve found that the closer the house is priced to where it will sell, the faster it sells and the higher the price. While this sounds obvious, many people believe that pricing higher will give them room to negotiate and hold a higher price. Sales in the Gables over the past 6 months from $800,000-$1,000,000 revealed a total of 18 sales (not including foreclosures & short sales). 7 sold in less than 60 days averaging 4.71% off the asking price, 3 sold between 60-120 days and they averaged 12.33% off original asking price, and 8 took over 120 days to sell averaging 23% off original list price. It becomes clear that pricing is critical to the length of time a property takes to sell.

While often hard to know what the correct sales price will be, it is critical to be objective in pricing, look at the comps and listen to other people’s perspective of the house. Often the owner or agent is emotionally attached to a home and is not as open minded as they should be. As the inventory depletes and the buyers become more active, it is clear early on as to how the market is receiving a home. Don’t mistake the fact that the market is very active at this time and buyers are willing to pay what they deem a fair price, but not what they believe is overpriced.

Tags: Coral Gables, pricing your home

The Old Spanish Style in Coconut Grove

3901 Braganza Avenue balcony

If you own an Old Spanish home you understand the pride we “historically inclined” homeowners feel. The Old Spanish homes tend to be one of the most beautiful styles of architecture in this magical city and take us back to an era gone by. That is right, I said we, as I have lived in an Old Spanish home for the past 10 years. It was actually my father’s best friend’s house when they were growing up and is where my parents were married-a little trivia that I love!

These Old Spanish homes have had a resurgence of interest as of late and so I thought I would give some attention to them and their beauty.  When George Merrick planned and developed the City of Coral Gables, he embraced this “Mediterranean revival” style of architecture. The first lots were sold in Coral Gables in 1921, so examples of this architecture were already being developed in Miami with Vizcaya as the greatest example.

George Merrick offered free coral rock for building materials, thus many homes contained coral rock exterior walls and details. They also embraced such features as arches, high ceilings, ornate fireplaces, courtyards and open porches. Many of these porches have cracked tile flooring. While I cannot confirm this, I have heard that there are so many cracked tile porches, because when the Biltmore was being built a shipment of tiles from Italy came in all broken. They had to do something with them and made use of them in homes throughout the city.

1137 Alhambra Circle

1137 Alhambra Circle, Living Room

1137 Alhambra Circle Dining Room

The Old Spanish style homes tend to sell at a slightly higher price than your typical ranch, because people truly appreciate the quality and style they offer.  We currently have two Old Spanish homes that exemplify the style beautifully.  1137 Alhambra Circle has a wonderful arched front door with coral rock detail  around it and the coral rock is also around it’s glorious fireplace.  1245 Andalusia is another special home we currently have on the market and it also has inlays of coral rock throughout the exterior and wonderful arched ceilings in the living and dining rooms.

1245 Andalusia Sitting Room

3901 Branganza Avenue Living Room

3901 Braganza Avenue Courtyard Entry

Enjoy the history of our city and have a love affair with an Old Spanish-I highly recommend it!

Tags: Coconut Grove, Coral Gables, George Merrick, Old Spanish