Hi everyone! I am sure you are keeping an eye on Hurricane Dorian. A hurricane watch is in effect for the Bahamas and we are waiting to see what the next advisory states for us in South Florida. According to the Hurricane Center it should be making landfall in Florida between Monday and Tuesday and we might experience rain and wind late Sunday. Below are some tips when getting ready:

• I’d certainly recommend filling up your gas tanks as one of your very first tasks in this process, as gas stations tend to become a mad house the closer the storm gets. Most stations don’t get restocked quickly with gas after the storm passes.
• Get flashlights ready, especially make sure you have extra batteries, and refill propane tanks if you have gas powered grills or generators.
• Stock canned foods, soft drinks, and water (if it’s still in stores). *Hot tip, you might be able to still order water on Amazon. That way, you can avoid the craziness of the store water aisles. Also, if you have a gas stove, you can boil water from any tap source in your household after the power goes out, and you will be totally fine to consume it.
• Put shutters, window and door protection in place if instructed by local officials. Also, in contrary to some narratives, it is not a good idea to trim branches or limbs from your trees. These could get picked up like twigs in a storm of this strength and thrown directly at your property by the wind.
• Locate the turnoff valves for electricity, water, and gas.
• Bring in your patio furniture, and any other outdoor items that could be picked up by the wind.
• Take out cash, just in case. Credit card transaction systems may be out after the storm.
• Here’s a good one – go and buy an extra refillable battery charger or two for your iPhone. It will definitely be worth the expenditure when it could be your only communication with the outside world. Charge them now, before the power possibly goes out.
• Refill all necessary prescriptions!
• I’d definitely recommend collecting not only your property insurance paperwork, but also your medical insurance information as well. It could also help to take an inventory of especially valuable or important personal property for future insurance claims.
• Please don’t forget about your furry friends! Ensure they have enough food and also take into consideration that they will need water as well.

With specific respect to my clients, you can always reach out to us with any other questions you may have on this topic. If given the word, we can take down signs, can advise you on the most sensible time to put up hurricane shutters, and much more. Stay safe everybody!

If you are looking to buy or sell a home anywhere in Miami, please call me at 305-798-8685, or visit my website at: Luxury Miami Real Estate

The Ultra Music Festival is back in town. This year, instead of being held at Bayfront Park, it will be on Virginia Key. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Miami, Virginia Key is an island connected to the mainland by one causeway, so there is really only one way in and one way out as far as driving. Ultra attracted 165,000 festival goers in 2017 alone, so getting people to and from the event is going to be one heck of a challenge!

Now that they have relocated, the only way for attendees to get to the festival is via its own transportation, which is either a bus or a water taxi. There are three bus hubs and two water taxi stations set up downtown, and the event’s organizers are strongly urging festival goers to use public transportation to get to those locations so as to lessen traffic. In years past I have always seen attendees on the Metrorail, so the use of public transport should not be a problem. If you are wondering how I know that I’ve seen attendees, it is because they are very often wearing neon tutus and body paint: it is quite a spectacle!

I have never been to Ultra myself, the laid-back Tortuga Music Festival is more my speed, but I know that it generates a good amount of money for Miami, so I have no objection to it. If I lived on Key Biscayne and felt like I was trapped on my island for the weekend I might be singing a different tune, though. Have you been to Ultra? What do you think of the new venue?

If you are looking to buy or sell a home anywhere in Miami, please call me at 305-798-8685, or visit my website at: Luxury Miami Real Estate

Although it is technically located in Unincorporated Miami-Dade County, the Ponce Davis neighborhood is really in the heart of it all. Surrounded by south Coral Gables, and High Pines, and just a stone’s throw from the pedestrian center of South Miami and many schools, it is truly a convenient location here in town.

Houses in Ponce Davis typically sit on large lots, many with parcels that are over an acre in size. Because the lot sizes are bigger, homes tend to be bigger as well. I just did a quick MLS search and out of the 16 Ponce Davis properties that are currently listed, the average adjusted square footage is 7,484 with the largest house measuring in at 12,713 adjusted square feet. Prices for houses in the neighborhood (not for lots) currently range from $2,695,000 to $11,900,000!

I love the Ponce Davis neighborhood, and guess who else does? A-Rod and J.Lo! Alex Rodriguez is a longtime resident of the exclusive neighborhood who, I have heard, just bought an additional plot of land for extra privacy. Not too shabby of a neighbor!

If you are interested in living in Ponce Davis, check out my two gorgeous listings in the area: 8705 SW 52 Avenue and 5002 SW 86 Street.

If you are looking to buy or sell a home anywhere in Miami, please call me at 305-798-8685, or visit my website at: Luxury Miami Real Estate

A friend recently sent me an article from BusinessInsider.com that took a look at the so-called “tax refugees” that are moving to Miami for our tax breaks. The ramification that the article discussed was the uptick in applications for our city’s elite private schools. Palmer Trinity, Miami Country Day School, and Ransom Everglades, where my kids go to school, are all mentioned in the piece. Palmer Trinity and Miami Country Day have seen a major increase in applicants coming from New York, New Jersey, and Chicago. Ransom says that its waiting lists are always full, so they have not noticed whether that is due to the increasing number of families moving to Miami from high-tax areas.

Another thing that the article mentioned is that South Florida is getting a new private school called Avenues, which is set to open in 2022. The Miami outpost of this elite school will be the fourth campus, joining others in New York City, Sao Paolo, Brazil, and Shenzhen, China. Get this: their tuition is currently over $56,000 annually. And I thought that Ransom was expensive!

If you would like to read the full article, click here. It is a different perspective on the tax refugees that we have been hearing about lately.

If you are looking to buy or sell a home anywhere in Miami, please call me at 305-798-8685, or visit my website at: Luxury Miami Real Estate

It is tennis time in Miami again! But unlike in years past, the Miami Open is being held at Hard Rock Stadium this year, rather than its former home at Crandon Park. I personally cannot imagine how this change will work. To me, a day at the tournament has always meant a beautiful drive over the Rickenbacker Causeway (albeit in tons of traffic), enjoying the views, and then an enjoyable afternoon on sunny Key Biscayne. The idea of going to Hard Rock Stadium to watch Venus, Federer, and the rest of the stars play their sport just seems weird.

Don’t get me wrong, I actually really like Hard Rock Stadium and I think that they have done a fabulous job updating it, but I cannot seem to wrap my head around watching the Miami Open there. I would assume that not having to fight two weeks’ worth of tennis traffic is a boon to those who live on Key Biscayne – that has always felt like it must be a headache!

Anyhow, has anyone watched tennis at Hard Rock yet? If so, how did you like the new venue?

If you are looking to buy or sell a home anywhere in Miami, please call me at 305-798-8685, or visit my website at: Luxury Miami Real Estate

Interest rates are always something that we keep an eye on in the real estate business, for obvious reasons. Lately they have been fairly stable, but there is always talk of rates going up. If you take a peek at the chart above, you will see that even a small increase in rates can have a major impact on your buying power.

Lately in Miami we have had a lot of inventory on the market and prices that are coming down slightly, making this a great time to buy. With some 30 year fixed mortgage rates that are even lower than the baseline 4.5% noted in the chart, your dollar will go further today than it will when rates inevitably increase. Let’s go house hunting!

If you are looking to buy or sell a home anywhere in Miami, please call me at 305-798-8685, or visit my website at: Luxury Miami Real Estate

Whoops . . . I am a bit late posting this, but I thought that I would still share it!

I often write about the Fitbit Miami Marathon and Half Marathon when it has just been run because it is a time to be proud of Miami. First of all, I love the event! I have run the marathon once and the half a number of times and the course is amazing! You start in Downtown Miami with the American Airlines Arena next to you as they show the corrals starting on the jumbotron. It is very exciting! Once you start, immediately you run over the MacArthur bridge with the beautiful lights of Miami in every direction. At about the 5K mark you enter Miami Beach, which is great at that time. You have the fans that intended to come cheer people on and you have the people that just left a nightclub and found something fun to keep them from going home! After running up Ocean Drive you make the turn to go back over the Venetian Causeway, which is a shorter bridge and at this point you are glad about that. It takes you back to Downtown Miami where the half marathon will be done in two miles and the full continues on to Key Biscayne (just a short visit) and then through Coconut Grove.

So the course is great and not ever boring, and the fans really do come out. I was a fan rather than a runner this year because I have been injured, but I still enjoyed the race as I spent it at the 12 mile mark cheering on my son in his first half marathon and the thousands of other runners. What an international mix! You hear all sorts of different languages as both a runner and a fan, and it really shows that our community pulls together for the big events that make Miami great! What makes you proud to call Miami home? I would love to hear from you!

If you are looking to buy or sell a home anywhere in Miami, please call me at 305-798-8685, or visit my website at: Luxury Miami Real Estate