Looking at figures for the North Grove the average sale price is $755,071, up from $702,515 in 2010. The per square foot average is up from 2010’s $249 to $263 . There were 51 sales in 2010 and 65 last year.

South Grove also had healthy increases in average sale price and per square foot average. In 2010 the average sale price was $938,698 ($282 per square foot) compared to last year’s $993,000 ($293 per square foot). There were 104 sales in 2011 and just 66 the year before.

So far this year there have been 10 sales in the South Grove with an average square foot price of $297, and in the North Grove 7 sales at an average of $243 per square foot.

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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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.

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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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.

Welcome to my new look! 2011 brings the name of RealEstateCoconutGrove.com and it’s all about Coconut Grove. Of course!

It just feels right to narrow my focus to the neighborhood I know best and love the most. When there’s a good reason I’ll throw in a dash of something outside Coconut Grove, but I hope this will be your go-to place for Grove-centric real estate information.

You see the new look featuring a view of the bay from Peacock Park, a streamlined sidebar making navigation through the site easier, links to other professionals who can help you, and new categories from which to select what most interests you.

I’m happy to hear your ideas and comments, and I’m most interested in helping you with all your real estate needs. Call me anytime at 305 794.6570 or leave me a message.

To stay updated with all Coconut Grove real estate information, receive my blog posts via email by subscribing here.  Once you register, you must activate the subscription in a follow-up email.

I subscribe to a site called Keeping Current Matters, which caters to real estate professionals. Today I received a post from KCM listing 5  reasons why you should use a Realtor when selling your home. Since I couldn’t have said it better myself, I’m posting this on my site for everyone to see.

Here are five important reasons to use a real estate professional:

1. Pricing Is Difficult

Just a few years ago, you didn’t have to worry about overpricing your home. If it was too high, all you needed to do was wait as historic appreciation was taking place. The situation is quite different today. With experts calling for another drop in home values, overpricing your property will cost you time. In this market, time costs you money. A professional real estate agent will discuss how increasing inventory could dramatically impact the value of your property in the months to come. They will help you set the right price in today’s market.

2. Negotiating Ability Is Crucial

Buyers today have an almost unlimited supply of homes from which to choose. They realize that puts them in a great negotiating position. Most buyers are now being represented by an agent. Sellers need to also be represented by a professional expert trained to negotiate real estate contracts.

3. Mortgaging Is Key to the Deal

The biggest impact of the housing market collapse is that lending standards are much stricter today than they were a few short years ago. Rules are constantly changing. Even FHA has gone through a guidelines overhaul in the last several months. You need a real estate expert who has teamed up with a knowledgeable mortgage professional to make sure that the buyer in the deal is in fact capable of obtaining a mortgage. Losing time with an unqualified buyer costs you money in a market where prices are falling.

4. Your Family’s Safety

We have always found it puzzling that the same person that will lock every door and window and set the alarm today will then allow total strangers into their house tomorrow. The real estate industry trains its practitioners to take steps to protect themselves and their clients. Take advantage of putting a person between you and the person calling on an ad or yard sign.

5. You Probably Have More Important Things to Do

Selling a home could turn into a full time job. Learning the necessary disclosures, coordinating the dates of your closings, dealing with a challenge regarding your appraisal and re-negotiating the offer after an engineer’s report are just a few of the concerns you may face. You would probably be better of spending that time with the items important to you and your family and leaving the challenges to your agent.

Bottom Line

To make sure the sale of your home is handled professionally – hire a trained professional. In the long run, you will wind-up with more money in your pocket and have less challenges with the move.

If you are thinking of selling your home, let’s get together and make a plan for you. I’m always available at 305.794.6570 or you may leave me a note.

Cervera Realty has a great example of what can be found at 1501 Lisbon Street. This 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom was built in 1967 and has a one-car garage. At just under 1500 square feet on a lot of 5250 square feet, this home was originally priced at $399,000 and has been adjusted to $369,000.

Eleven homes listed for less than $300,000

Thirty Homes listed between $300,000 and $400,000

Thirty-three Coral Gables Homes listed between $400,000 and $500,000

Within the last 3 months, there have been 30 sales in this northern area of Coral Gables for less than $500,000. There are some really good opportunities out there, too.

This home at 445 Zamora Avenue has 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and a den on a corner lot with room for a pool. It was listed by Coldwell-Banker for $549,000 originally, then reduced to $499,000. It closed this month for $441,500.

I’ve noticed that some of the closed sales went for more than list, which indicates that a compelling asking price can actually bring a seller more than anticipated!

Breaking down what has sold within the last three months we have 6 sales for less than $300,000, ten between $300,000 and $400,000, and another 14 closed sales between $400,000 and $500,000.

I study the market so you can make informed decisions when you buy or sell in Coral Gables. Call me to arrange a meeting at 305 794.6570.