Beth Kipnis

Seller's Information Category

Facing Hurricane Season Again

It’s a fact of life here that at some time we will have another big storm. May as well be as ready as you can before the inevitable long lines everywhere make preparations even harder. All local television will broadcast updates 24/7 and reiterate what you need to have and do, but it’s better to have to deal with only the last-minute items around your home.

If you live in a single family home you can prune trees and shrubs and harvest heavy fruits, coconuts and dry palm fronds so the city can haul them away before the action begins. Decide how you can protect landscaping and very large outdoor potted plants and consider creating a space indoors for movable containers.

Unless you have impact resistant windows make sure you have every nut and bolt needed for your shutters, as well as heavy-duty gloves, ladders, and W-D 40. You can also check for a specialized drill bit to speed up tightening those bolts.

If you don’t have either of the above, get thee to a lumber supply place and talk to someone who can help with a temporary plan for your home’s protection.

Gather your important documents and policies and store everything together in a watertight container. In this age of baying bills online, it makes sense to schedule future payments in case the electricity is out for an extended time.

For complete checklists of everything you’ll need visit the National Hurricane Center site. Taking steps now can mean one less family – yours – in line when the inevitable happens again.

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Coconut Grove is a unique village, and you need a hyper-local specialist working for you here. Whether you are selling, buying, renting or investing I can help you make the right decisions. Call me at 305 794.6570 or leave me a note.

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Checking in at Ye Little Woods

One of my EWM colleagues, Riley Smith, recently sold one of the most eclectic and beautiful homes anywhere in Coconut Grove. Designed by architect Max Strang for his own family, the house has almost as much open-air living space as that under air-conditioning. The generous expanses of floor to ceiling windows and doors make every square foot of the house feel connected to the outdoors.

The house has been featured in Architectural Digest, the Wall Street Journal, the Miami Vice movie, and I recognized it in a recent episode of our very own Burn Notice on television. There are 5 bedrooms and four and a half bathrooms, tropical pool and spa, a guesthouse, and a spectacular jungle-like lot that’s just under an acre in size.

The truly unique feature of this one-of-a-kind property is the upstairs open-air living space. There’s a kitchen, bar, dumb waiter (food elevator), gigantic seating areas, dining area, bathroom, and tanning terraces.

The property had been listed by Rex Hamilton and closed for $3,100,000 on April 24. Great jobs, Rex and Riley! View the details here.

Although it isn’t literally within it, the house sits just at the entrance to one of the most private and historic gated communities in the Grove, Ye Little Woods. The oldest home there was built in 1902 for William Vogleson Little, developer of the community. Other well-known past residents include Gene and Barry Massin, father and son artists and Baron Joseph “Sepy” Debronyi, the self-proclaimed bon-vivant and playboy who hosted his final bacchanal in April, 2010 and whose home is now for sale.

As well as the Baron’s home there are 4 other homes for sale now. You will see details of them all here.

New to the market is another spectacular home built in 1920 at 3948 Little Avenue, offered fully furnished for lease at $19,500 a month.

Coconut Grove is where I live, work, and play. If you are buying, selling or renting in Coconut Grove you need a local specialist. Call me at 305 794.6570 or leave me a note.

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Raise Your Family on the Coral Gables Waterway

I’ve listed a home at 4910 Biltmore Drive that is perfect for a growing family. Its central location is just north of the University of Miami on the Coral Gables Waterway, and the ample lot has room for just about every outdoor activity you can imagine.

As well as formal living and dining rooms there’s a family room and eat-in kitchen that open onto the enormous covered patio facing the canal. In the spacious backyard there is a heated infinity pool and spa and a dock over the water. There are three fixed bridges to reach the bay on your boat.

In 2005 a second level was added creating an upstairs master suite with bathroom, walk-in closet, and a smaller room ideal for a nursery or home office. There are 3 or 4 bedrooms downstairs, depending on how you use the rooms, and 3 full bathrooms. Other features are an oversized 2-car garage, circular driveway with room for a dozen cars, and a utility/laundry room.

The home has 3,300 square feet under air, a lot of 13,651 square feet, and is listed at $1,450,000.

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See all homes on the Coral Gables Waterway for sale

To see this or any home you fancy, call me at 305 794.6570 or leave me a note. To stay updated with all local real estate information, receive my blog posts via email by subscribing.  Once you register, you must activate the subscription in a follow-up email.

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