EWM Realtors » 2008 » October

For parents, I understand that we need to be more than resourceful and creative when it comes to providing activities to our family and kid/kids. These events are FREE!

Friday , Oct. 31st – FREE Jazz @ MOCA(Museum of Contemporary Arts) located at 770 NE 125th St., North Miami, FL 33161. The event starts at 7:00pm! For a complete guide to this event, click on this link –>FREE Jazz @ MOCA

Saturday, Nov. 1st – FREE FAMILY FEST! The Adrienne Arsht Center will present Family Fest, a free series featuring family-friendly out-of-doors activities and performances. The performances, hands-on demonstrations, and mini-workshops will provide active and engaging opportunities for parents to share with their children, while introducing “up-close” involvement in the performing arts. Families can make a puppet, learn a song, or try out a few new dance moves, while learning about the arts and other cultures. This event will be held at the Ziff Ballet Opera House. The event starts at 11:30am to 1:30pm! For a complete guide to this event, click on this link –> FAMILY FEST

Are you ready for some Football ?

James San Martin — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 16:11:18 +0000

Miami Dolphins play the Denver Broncos this weekend! Tune in this Sunday @ 2pm and lets cheer our Dolphins to another win!!

Elementary School Students Stay to Play

Jennifer Wollmann — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 02:36:21 +0000

Dade County Sports is coming to Pinecrest Elementary School and is already at Howard Drive Elementary. This sports program is a recreational (versus competitive) program that allows students to play sports at school after school. The program offers basketball, flag football and soccer. High school students are the ones who coach the teams along with an adult teacher/coach/supervisor. The high school students attend workshops every three-four weeks with a professional coach and come up with lesson plans. Elementary school students that participate on the teams practice two times a week after school and then play against other school teams on the weekends.

To kick off the program at Pinecrest Elementary, there will be 5 week soccer clinic with Real Madrid. The clinic will start the week on November 12. Look in your child’s back pack for more information.

Eldorado Towers in Aventura, Fl–Construction on Schedule

Deena Landsman — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 02:23:01 +0000

Eldorado Towers, located on Country Club Drive in Aventura, Florida, is undergoing a major restoration of the twin tower’s 27-story exterior facade and interior hallways. When completed these classic style buildings built in 1974, will have new modern balconies that reflect the look and design of the 21st Century, as well as meet today’s high standards.

As of October 2008, after ten months of ongoing, steady, hard work, all construction phases of this multi-million project are on schedule and following the master plan.

The demolition phases of the balcony restoration by National Concrete Preservation are progressing, as expected, in multiple stages. The project first began on the front of building 4, and one month later expanded to the front of building 3. Demolition is now complete on the fronts of both buildings. The next phase, waterproofing and stucco repairs, is complete on the front of building 4 and half-way complete on the front of building 3. Demolition on the rear of both buildings has begun. Phase 1, on the rear of building 4 is complete and building 3 is currently underway.

Interior hallway restoration by Exclusive Construction Group has progressed from teardown and retrofitting of new electrical to the current installation of new ceiling/flooring molding, wall coverings, light fixtures and signage. Buildings 4 and 3 are half-way completed. All apartments have received new unit doors and hardware. Punch lists and tweaking of items is ongoing. Carpeting, hallway mirrors and benches are on order and expected to arrive in the near future.

The interior design company, Morris Design USA, continually oversees and manages all of the phases of hallway construction, production and the purchase and installation of materials.

The Eldorado is currently in the process of awaiting permit approval from the City of Aventura. Once they receive the go ahead from the City, then manufacturing of the glass railings will take place. When that happens you will see a vast difference in the appearance of the building. It will look newer and cleaner. Stay tuned for the next update of this phase, including start dates and completion deadlines.

Starting the last week in October, preparations will begin for painting the exterior of the building white. A thorough power washing will take place immediately prior to painting the building and will be supervised by the paint manufacturer, Vinlox. The front of building 4 will be painted first, followed by the front of building 3.

If all continues to go as planned, the expected completion date for the entire project will be the middle of next summer, 2009. Building restoration projects of this size generally take over 2 years to complete. At the rate the Eldorado is going, if it continues as scheduled, the project may be completed in only one year and six months!

For photographs of Eldorado Towers balcony restoration and hallway remodeling project, click on Photo Gallery-Eldorado Towers Restoration Project.

Deena Landsman is a professional realtor who specializes in the Aventura area and surrounding communities of Hallandale Beach, Hollywood, North Miami Beach and Sunny Isles Beach. Please visit her website at DeenaLandsman.com for more helpful information.

If you want to search for Aventura real estate, or the local areas, click here.

Halloween Fun!

Alexandra Restivo — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 02:19:19 +0000

Halloween is Friday and there are many local activities you can choose from. The county has provided a list of just a few. From Monster Splash at the Miami Seaquarium to Safe Streets in South Miami, there is something to cater to everyone’s wishes.

Click here to view the complete list!

Happy Halloween!

Selling tips: Oh where, oh where did my little dog go?

Paola Zuver — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 02:17:49 +0000

Yes, I know. Fido is the most adorable dog, the best friend a man could have. In many ways I am sure Fido is the king of the castle. But let me tell you, if you want to sell your house, Fido’s presence could be a deterrent to some buyers.

I was recently working with a buyer who has a true phobia of dogs. Wouldn’t go into a house if he knew there was one there.

On occasion I’ve shown homes where the lingering smell of dogs, kitty litter, rabbits or hamsters was a real turn-off (and I love animals!). At some showings we’ve had to watch our step, keeping our eyes on the floor and not the house, because pet beds and toys cluttered the floors. Realtors want to show your home at it’s very, very best!

So remember this: if you have a dog (cat, hamster, rabbit, etc) make sure you keep their bedding, cages, litter boxes (and all other accessories) squeaky clean, it will help during showings. If your realtor is hosting a Brokers Open or Open House take Fido with you when you leave the house, remove beds, toys and food/water bowls from sight.

You and Fido are the best of friends and by working together you can ensure that you will move quickly in to the next castle!

EWM’s Commercial Real Estate Manager to Serve on Influential Committee for National Association of Realtors (NAR)

kreps pr — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 19:50:52 +0000

(October 29, 2008) - EWM is proud to announce that, for the second year in a row, Debra Spadafora, manager of the company’s Commercial Real Estate Division, has been appointed to serve on the Realtors’ Commercial Committee for the National Association of Realtors (NAR). The honor is another notable milestone for Spadafora who has been an instrumental force in the advancement and expansion of commercial real estate in South Florida and across the United States.

Debora Spadafora, Manager, Commercial Real Estate Division

“It’s exciting to constantly be exploring new territories and taking on new challenges,” said Spadafora, who has played an active role in the NAR since joining in 1992. “I look forward to putting a bigger spotlight on commercial real estate and forging new relationships nationwide.”

As a member of the committee, Spadafora will be working closely with its members to examine issues related to commercial real estate. The committee will go before lobbyists on behalf of agents and brokers to address the needs of the commercial market. Spadafora sees the importance in joining forces at the local, state and national levels, fortifying the structures of commercial boards and committees, and increasing participation within them. Through her work on the Commercial Committee, Spadafora said she hopes to bolster the efforts launched by her counterparts years ago.

“I want to see that commercial real estate continues to grow,” added Spadafora. “Our perseverance has led to great changes at all levels of the market and we want to see that such progress continues. The effect is going to be beneficial all-around.”

Spadafora has spearheaded numerous influential programs and events in commercial real estate and has been widely recognized for her role as a founding member of the Commercial Council for the Florida Association of Realtors (FAR), a unified nine-county regional association of commercial real estate practitioners. She was most recently appointed chairman of FAR’s 2009 Commercial Alliance Committee and, before that, served as the committee’s vice chairman. She continues to participate in work groups, committees and subcommittees for the FAR and also serves as director for the Realtors Commercial Alliance of Greater Miami and the Beaches, for which she chaired the group’s Grievance Committee from 2004 to 2008.

A Full Service Realtor

Cheri Kaplan, PA — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 04:00:34 +0000

On Saturday, October 25th, 2008, I married one of my customers. To clarify I performed the marriage ceremony between Gino Saccoccio and Dawn Barboza.

I met Gino when I was at the Cove in Deerfield Beach celebrating a closing with a customer. He overheard our real estate conversation and told me he was looking for a waterfront property as a second home. He was from Rhode Island. We met the next weekend and he found a great condo located on the Intercoastal with a spectacular view. Realtor
The home need to be updated, so I advised him regarding the fine touches. It looked like a new home when complete! Decorator
He did not know many people so I invited him to many social events and functions. Event Coordinator
He also was single and so I attempted to provide him with nice dates to enjoy his time here is South Florida. Matchmaker
He finally met a girl when he returned to Rhode Island and popped the question. Gino called me to let me know he was getting married and asked me to refer him to a Justice of the Peace. I told him I did not know of one, but thought in the State of Florida that a Notary could perform a marriage ceremony. He said “aren’t you a Notary”? I said, “you know I could marry you.” Master of Ceremonies
I requested all of the required documentation and prepared for the event. I received another call from Gino on the day of the wedding to discuss the fact that he had given the wedding singer the wrong date and did not have a singer, only a musician that “put a gun to his head”. I called a friend of mine, Bill Striker, who is a DJ, singer and musician. He was available. Wedding Planner.
The wedding day came and among Gino and Dawn’s friends and family, I pronounced the happy and glowing couple man and wife. There was lots of Italian food, laughter, dancing, and of course Gino’s own wine, Gino Vino. I now can retire as matchmaker and become a lifetime Friend.

And like every good story, “They lived happily ever after”.