It is November 30th, the end of hurricane season. Once again, we were very fortunate as we were spared of any storms that can be so devastating to our beautiful city by sea.

We can all enjoy the wonderful autumn and winter pleasant temperatures that have already begun. This weather is a constant reminder of why I live in Miami Beach and put up with the steaming summer heat and the yearly threat of hurricanes.

So, Miami Beach residents and visitors alike: Let’s relax and enjoy paradise, we have six wonderful months until the next round.

I went to Chile for a couple of weeks to attend my sister’s wedding, visit family and eat enormous amounts of delicious food.

The weather was in the 80’s with no humidity, the fruits and vegetables were plentiful, and everything was blooming as it always does in the springtime.

I did miss a few football games, but kept myself informed by checking the scores on the Internet.

It feels good to be back home in Miami Beach, humidity and all… This week we have Art Basel to look forward to and of course a football-filled weekend.

And now, back to reality and to selling real estate. Season is beginning and the possibilities are endless….

Another issue that we often hear about is illegal construction and conversions. It amazes me to still see people doing major construction in their home without permits and inspections. To resolve those problems later is very expensive and time consuming.

Properties in South Florida with illegal construction and conversions are becoming more difficult to sell. More municipalities are requiring inspections upon sale of a property to find illegal conversions – eventuall all may do it. Also some banks, title and insurance companies are refusing to fund or cover such properties. When the market was real hot, sellers could force buyers to accept those problems– but things have changed.

More recently I came across one situation that I found very interesting – sellers who change the living area in their property without proper certification. At EWM we are required to use the Adjusted SF area as shown in the tax roll for all listings. Any variation for any reason has to be clearly documented in the remarks and in most cases the administration will not accept a change.

I recently sold a house the seller had expanded from a 2 bed/1 bath house into a 3 /3 with about 500 SF more in living area. They had pulled a permit, but since they had not received their final inspections and Certificate of Occupancy, the tax roll still reflected the house as 2/1. We listed the house as a 3/3, but clearly explained the reason for the difference. Once they received the CO, they asked the tax assessor’s office to measure the house and confirm the room count. The tax-roll was changed and the buyer bought a legal 3 bed/3 bath house.

On the other hand I just had a buyer who loved a recently remodeled house that was shown on the tax roll as 3/2 being sold as a 4/3 and listed as 500 sf larger than the tax roll. The seller tried to justify the differences by saying that every house house in that neighborhood had similar situation because “everybody’s doing it.” Those differences and the seller’s inability to correct the problems resulted in a low first offer and subsequently the deal falling through. In today’s market you don’t want to lose any buyer – so that was a costly mistake on the part of that seller.

Just because someone tells you that “everybody’s doing it”, it doesn’t mean that everybody is really doing it or that it is legal or that it is good for you. Know what you buy and if you are going to buy problems, make sure you are compensated for the risk – you may need to solve those problems later.

Also, keep in mind school boundaries are changing again in Broward County. Due to the extremelly high number of students going to Cypress Bay High School, we should see some relief occuring with the help of the new LLL High School in Pembroke Pines. Keep yourself informed by logging into www.browardschools.com, click on departments, click on school boundaries and click on boundary senarios.

I have a great new listing in Coral Gables. It is located at Village Place right off Bird Avenue and Salzedo Street. Residents will have the luxury of walking across to enjoy the upscale shops and dining of the Village of Merrick Park. Along with mall’s great amenities, Village Place features a state of the art exercise room, a quarter mile jogging path on the fourth floor, and a large pool deck and clubroom great for entertaining.

The units also add luxury with their Italian cabinets and granite countertops in the kitchen, and marble bathrooms. My listed unit is 2 bedrooms, 2 baths with 1065 square feet of living space. Enjoy the view of Coral Gables on the large balcony. Even pets are welcomed!

Hurry only a few units remain in one of the best locations in Coral Gables. Please contact me for any more information.

Edificio tipo boutique no solo por su tamano pues con 18 pisos cuenta con 85 unidades y 4 townhouses pero tambien por la calidad de sus terminados y por todas las amenidades que ofrece, entre ellas una sala privada de cine, closet climatizado para los vinos y los tabacos

Se encuentra localizado en Collins Avenue y la 38. En ese mismo sector se estan construyendo condominios de lujo, lo cual va a atraer a clientes bien selectos. La forma como fue disenado el edificio hace que todas sus unidades tengan la doble vista hacia la playa y al intracoastal. Cada unidad tiene su propio lobby, haciendolo de esta forma bien privado. Las cocinas estan completamente abiertas y por esta razon la calidad de los gabinetes y electrodomesticos son optimas.

Hablando ahora si de la unidad en si, esta tiene 3 habitacion, 3 banos completos y magnificos terminados, su pisos son de marmol travertino. La vista es excepcional, pues desde el interior del apartamento la vista es directa hacia la playa.

Esta listado para la renta por un valor de $4,500 mensuales.

Anissimova was born and raised in Kazakhstan and has lived in South Florida for 10 years. She has a master’s degree from the Conservatory of Music in Kazakhstan. She is a current member of the Realtors Association of Greater Miami and the Beaches.

February is a native of Miami, Florida. She earned an Associates of Arts degree from Miami-Dade Community College and a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology from Barry University. Prior to joining EWM, she worked for Lennar Developers, Inc. at their Park Towers location. She speaks fluent English and Spanish. She is a member of the Realtors Association of Greater Miami and the Beaches.

Toppe is originally from Guatemala and has lived in South Florida for three years. She holds a degree in architecture and is a legal translator, both in English and Spanish. Prior to moving to South Florida, she worked in construction remodeling projects in her native town of Guatemala. She is an avid runner and enjoys playing squash in her free time. She is a member of the Realtors Association of Greater Miami and the Beaches.

Turtula was born in Argentina and has been in the South Florida area for 10 years. She earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration in Argentina. She is a licensed broker and has been in the real estate industry for over nine years, as well as having the designation of Certified Property Management Specialist. She is a member of the Realtors Association of Greater Miami and the Beaches.

Yudovich is from Israel and has lived in Florida for 18 years. She attended the Bar Ilan University in Israel where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology, anthropology and school administration. She is a member of the Realtors Association of Greater Miami and the Beaches.

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Precioso y amplio apartamento, localizado en una de las torres mas lujosas de Ocean Club. Esta unidad tiene 3,581 pies cuadrados y cuenta con 4 habitaciones, 5 banos completos y uno de visitas. Ademas de todo esto tiene cuarto de servicio completo, el cual tiene tambien salida hacia el corredor. El diseno de interiores fue hecho profesionalmente por un arquitecto. Los pisos son una mezcla de marmol saturnia y madera, dando asi un efecto bien fresco. Como la unidad tiene de area el ancho del edificio, estos hace que las habitaciones tengan cada una su propia independencia. La alcoba principal es de gran tamano, cuenta con 3 closets y un bano con todas las comodidades. La vista es hacia el jardin de la piscina del condominio pero tambien vista parcial del mar desde los balcones. Es un verdadero placer mostrarlo!!!!!!!!!!!!! Se esta ofreciendo a un magnifico precio de $2,950,000.