What more to look for in selecting an agent to exclusively list and market your property?  A seller is also going to be signing up with a specific brokerage firm.  So another thing that I recommend Miami Beach sellers look for – the overall strength and international marketing reach of the brokerage firm that the individual real estate agent is affiliated with.

One of the reasons that my team and I work with Fortune International Realty is that this is a financially strong company that has represented well over 50 large-scale national and international developers, with over 1,000 individual agents, with international marketing resources in Europe and most especially in South America.  Fortune International Realty is also a locally based company (with Argentine family origins), that has the resources and management expertise that understands unique local market needs and challenges.  So in interviewing prospective listing agents, my recommendation is to also inquire about the Brokerage firm- ask your agent why they work with their specific brokerage firm.  Keep in mind that you will be hiring the company that he is affiliated with, along with the agent.

This is my first blog post of the year, so I would like to wish everyone reading this a healthy and prosperous 2008! During my first full week back to work, I’d like to take a few moments to reflect on some of the different seller scenarios that I have most recently encountered:

Scenario #1: SHOULD HAVE SOLD LAST YEAR (Late on mortgage/tax payments, cannot continue with the fixed expenses, probably purchased property after 2003). Often characterized as a short sale with sale terms controlled by the lender. However, often times, the owner still gets to pick the Realtor/brokerage firm.

It is critical to be priced correctly from the start, and that the marketing be handled by an experienced, knowledgeable, detail-oriented, and top producing real estate salesperson/team. This should be someone that will be aggressive AND creative in the marketing of the property (be it a home, condo, or land). It is crucial to be working with a company/agent at the top of their field, and who will be a straight talker, positive but realistic, and gives the seller a good feeling that they will follow up with any and all potential buyers. I have recently seen several of these properties in Miami Beach, that are being poorly marketed. The owners (and banks) do not realize what this is potentially costing them.

Scenario #2: NEED TO SELL (Possible health reasons, relocating, retiring, some financial pressure, misc. life circumstances).

It is critical to price the property correctly from the start. I am writing this on January 10, 2008, and have personally spoken to over twenty potential buyers over the past week (and made two offers thus far within 10% of the asking price). Looking at recently closed sales (within three months), properties that are priced to sell usually receive lots of activity and sometimes multiple offers. These also are properties that are on the market for no more than 45 days. Obviously, the marketing needs to be handled by an experienced, knowledgeable, detail-oriented, and top producing real estate salesperson/team. Shockingly, I’ve seen several properties in South Beach that fall under this category, that are being poorly represented (no return phone calls/emails, disconnected phone numbers, agents that seem to have other jobs and don’t really care anymore, as well as poor pictures and text descriptions).

Scenario #3: CASHING OUT (Opportunity for greater returns from owning something else, owner of many years, general desire to move on).

We are certainly not at the top of the market, however, certain properties still receive strong buyer interest. Examples are certain PH-type units with unique locations/views/floorplans, and waterfront turnkey showcase homes in unique locations with strong curb appeal). Yesterday, I had the opportunity to see a comparison of SE Florida property prices versus major European/Caribbean and South American markets. Property in the greater Miami area is still relatively inexpensive, and the weak dollar is attracting a large percentage of European (especially Russian), Canadian, and some South American buyers. I am finding particularly strong buyer interest in Miami Beach and especially South Beach. Island waterfront homes, and South of Fifth Street (South Beach) premium location condo buildings are especially sought after by European buyers.

A joint venture of New York City-based ING Clarion LLC and locally based Flagstone Property Group plans to begin construction in summer 2008 on Island Gardens. The $600-million, mixed-use project is rising on Watson Island in Biscayne Bay. The project is slated for completion in 2010.

The project, located on 10.5 acres of previously undeveloped land, will feature a 43-story building with the 150-room Shangri-La Hotel and fractional ownership homes, called the Residences at Island Gardens, atop the hotel. It will also feature a 29-story business hotel/resort and the 50-slip Super-Yacht Harbour; CHI, the Spa at Shangri-La; and 221,000 sf of retail and restaurant space. Watson Island is situated between Downtown Miami and South Beach and is accessible by automobile via MacArthur Causeway (Interstate 395, the extension of Interstate 95 to South Beach.)

Flagstone Property Group chairman and CEO Mehmet Bayraktar tells GlobeSt.com that marketing efforts for the fractional units have started with prices ranging from $175,000 to $750,000 for a one-eighth interest. Final discussions are under way with the operator of the hotel/resort in the 29-story tower (announced at Art Basel as the Shangri-La Hotel Group).

Bayraktar adds that the retail space is not within the towers, but in separate structures alongside the retail avenue that runs between the two towers. Marketing efforts for the retail and dining space have recently commenced and several letters of intent have been received from restaurateurs and retailers. The positioning of the retail will be high-end luxury goods.

The project, located within minutes of Downtown Miami and Miami Beach, will feature unobstructed views of Biscayne Bay and the Miami skyline. â¬SWith its potential to transform the Miami skyline, we expect the complex to become one of the premiere leisure and hospitality addresses in the city,⬝ says ING Clarion managing director Edward Rotter, in a released statement.

The Super Yacht Harbor will be the only marina in North America to be able to accommodate mega-yachts up to 300 feet in length. A 100-foot, set-back landscaped promenade will extend along the 1,000 foot length of the sea wall. The project is being designed by London-based Eric Kuhne & Associates with interiors by Italy-based Piero Lissoni.