Showing posts with label miami. Show all posts
Showing posts with label miami. Show all posts

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Downtown Miami Land Trades For $39 Million

A Boca Raton company has paid $39 million for nearly 300,000 square feet of vacant land situated on nine parcels in Downtown Miami, according to a new report from the Condo Vultures® Bulk Deals Database.

The newly created PWV Group 1 Holdings LLC, with Gary N. Gerson as registered agent, paid $130 per square foot on Sept. 21 for 27 lots located a block west of four new highrise condo towers on Downtown Miami's Biscayne Boulevard, according to CondoVultures.com research.

The seller, six corporations controlled by AI Holdings (USA) Corp with Tamir Kazaz as chief financial officer, paid a combined $32.3 million, or $108 per square foot, for the land, which was acquired between August 1999 and March 2006, according to Miami-Dade County records.

The powerful Africa Israel fund controls AI Holdings (USA) Corp, according to a notarized document recorded with the deed.

"The purchase price works out to a gross premium of 21 percent for the seller minus expenses, and there have been many of them," said Peter Zalewski, a principal with the Bal Harbour, Fla.-based real estate consultancy Condo Vultures® LLC. "For the buyer, the purchase price is 8 percent less than today's assessed value of $41.6 million, or $139 per square foot, for property tax purposes."

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Peter Zalewski of Condo Vultures® can be reached at 800-750-0517 or by email at peter@condovultures.com. Don't forget to sign up for our weekly Market Intelligence Report™ for detailed condo reports. Looking for a property at a deep discount? You are encouraged to take a peek at the Vultures Database™ or our Video Gallery. Interested in buying multiple units from developers or banks? Be sure to visit the Condo Vultures® Bulk Deals Database. Our new books, the Official Condo Buyers Guide to Miami™ and Miami's Great Condo Crash: A Chronicle of the Boom and Bust™ are now available. Want to see every foreclosure filed in South Florida since 2007? Check out our Foreclosure Database™.

Copyright © 2009, Condo Vultures® LLC

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Regulators Shut 2 Florida Banks, Lose $140 Million

Regulators have seized three bank, two headquartered in Florida and one in Oregon, resulting in an estimated loss of $185 million to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.

First State Bank, a Sarasota, Fla.-based institution with assets of $463 million and deposits of $387 million, was shuttered on Friday, Aug. 7, producing a loss of $116 million to the FDIC's Deposit Insurance Fund. The FDIC ensures deposits up to $250,000 per account.

On that same day across town regulators were seizing the Community National Bank of Sarasota County, with assets of $97 million and deposits of $93 million. This failure resulted in a loss of $24 million to the FDIC's Deposit Insurance Fund.

The deposits of both Sarasota banks were assumed by Stearns Bank of St. Cloud, Minn. This is not the first time that the FDIC has worked out a deal with Stearns Bank to assume the deposits of a failed institution.

In June, Stearns Bank took over the deposits of the failed Minnesota institution Horizon Bank with assets of $87.6 million and deposits of $69.4 million.

For the year, regulators have seized six Florida-based institutions with combined assets of $14.2 billion and deposits of $9.8 billion. The six Florida bank failures of 2009 have resulted in an estimated loss of $5.4 billion, according to CondoVultures.com research based on FDIC data.

Florida ranks fourth in the country in 2009 for the greatest number of bank failures behind Georgia's 16 closings, Illinois' 13 closings, and California's eight closings, according to the Bal Harbour, Fla.-based consultancy Condo Vultures®.

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Peter Zalewski of Condo Vultures® can be reached at 800-750-0517 or by email at peter@condovultures.com. Don't forget to sign up for our weekly Market Intelligence Report™ for detailed condo reports. Looking for a property at a deep discount? You are encouraged to take a peek at the Vultures Database™ or our Video Gallery. Interested in buying multiple units from developers or banks? Be sure to visit the Condo Vultures® Bulk Deals Database. Our new books, the Official Condo Buyers Guide to Miami™ and Miami's Great Condo Crash: A Chronicle of the Boom and Bust™ are now available. Want to see every foreclosure filed in South Florida since 2007? Check out our Foreclosure Database™.

Copyright © 2009, Condo Vultures® LLC

Monday, August 3, 2009

Fewer Than 10,000 Houses For Resale In Greater Miami

Greater Miami, the epicenter of the Florida housing crash, now has fewer than 10,000 single-family houses for resale following a 1.5 percent drop in inventory in the last week, according to a new report from Condo Vultures® LLC.

In Miami-Dade County there are 9,998 single-family houses for resale, down from 10,154 houses on July 27 and 10,301 houses on July 20. Back in November, there were 16,554 houses for resale in Miami-Dade County during the week of Thanksgiving, according to the Condo Vultures® report produced using Florida Association of Realtors data.

"First-time home buyers and investors are buying up appropriately priced homes," said Peter Zalewski, a principal with the Bal Harbour, Fla.-based real estate consultancy Condo Vultures®. "All things being equal, buyers are opting for single-family homes at a greater rate than condominium units and townhouses."

Of the 75,792 residences for resale in the tricounty South Florida region, single-family houses account for 39 percent, or 29,408, of the total inventory. Condominium units and townhouses account for the remaining 61 percent, or 46,384 resales, according to the report.

On a county-by-county basis, Palm Beach leads the region with the greatest number of single-family houses for resale with 10,202. Miami-Dade is second, and Broward is third with 9,208 single-family houses for resale.

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Peter Zalewski of Condo Vultures® can be reached at 800-750-0517 or by email at peter@condovultures.com. Don't forget to sign up for our weekly Market Intelligence Report™ for detailed condo reports. Looking for a property at a deep discount? You are encouraged to take a peek at the Vultures Database™ or our Video Gallery. Interested in buying multiple units from developers or banks? Be sure to visit the Condo Vultures® Bulk Deals Database. Our new books, the Official Condo Buyers Guide to Miami™ and Miami's Great Condo Crash: A Chronicle of the Boom and Bust™ are now available. Want to see every foreclosure filed in South Florida since 2007? Check out our Foreclosure Database™.

Copyright © 2009, Condo Vultures® LLC

Thursday, July 30, 2009

Bulk Buyers Spend $125 Million In South Florida Since 2008

Bulk buyers have purchased nearly 600 new condo units in South Florida in the last year, shelling out about $125 million in cash for more than 630,000 square feet of livable space, according to a new report from Condo Vultures® LLC.

Since July 2008, nine bulk purchases - including four deals in the last month - have been recorded in South Florida at an average price of $198 per square foot.

The bulk deal with the highest price paid is $246 per square foot for 146 units in 50 Biscayne condominium in Downtown Miami back in July 2008.

The lowest price paid is $63 per square foot for 51 condo-hotel units in the One Bal Harbour project that just closed within the last month. It is worth noting that the One Bal Harbour deal was contingent upon the buyer also acquiring the common areas and land of the condo-hotel tower from the seller for $12 million in a separate transaction recorded by a different entity.

"Bulk buyers are purchasing new condo units that average 1,060 square feet in South Florida for about $210,000 per door," said Peter Zalewski, a principal in the Bal Harbour, Fla.-based real estate consultancy Condo Vultures®. "The common denominator present in every one of these transactions - besides poor timing by the developers - has been the buyers' focus on overall quality. Every deal has occurred in a project that is well designed and/or located."

The latest deal to close involved a South Beach investor who purchased 15 units for $4.2 million in the Marina Blue condominium tower on Biscayne Boulevard in Greater Downtown Miami across from the American Airlines Arena, according to the Condo Vultures® Bulk Deals Database.

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Peter Zalewski of Condo Vultures® can be reached at 800-750-0517 or by email at peter@condovultures.com. Don't forget to sign up for our weekly Market Intelligence Report™ for detailed condo reports. Looking for a property at a deep discount? You are encouraged to take a peek at the Vultures Database™ or our Video Gallery. Interested in buying multiple units from developers or banks? Be sure to visit the Condo Vultures® Bulk Deals Database. Our new books, the Official Condo Buyers Guide to Miami™ and Miami's Great Condo Crash: A Chronicle of the Boom and Bust™ are now available. Want to see every foreclosure filed in South Florida since 2007? Check out our Foreclosure Database™.

Copyright © 2009, Condo Vultures® LLC

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Obama Tax Credit Drives South Florida Residential Sales

Prompted by the $8,000 Obama tax credit incentive, more than 86 percent of the nearly 16,000 residences under contract in South Florida as of July 27 are priced at $350,000 or less, according to a new report from Condo Vultures® LLC.

Discount buyers, many of which are purchasing for the first time to take advantage of the federal money, have entered into contracts to purchase 13,726 residences priced under $350,000 in Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties, according to the report produced using Florida Association of Realtors data.

"President Obama's tax credit for first-time home buyers is having a strong impact on the South Florida housing market," said Peter Zalewski, a principal with the Bal Harbour, Fla.-based real estate consultancy Condo Vultures®. "Many buyers who had been waiting on the sidelines are actively in the market right now in hopes of purchasing a place before the program expires. In many cases, the demand for correctly priced residential product is so strong that sellers are receiving multiple offers from qualified buyers."

First-time home buyers who close on a home before Nov. 30 can apply for a $8,000 federal tax credit that need not be repaid as long as single-family house, condo unit, or townhouse remains the purchaser's primary residence for 36 months, according to the Internal Revenue Service's Form 5405.

Individuals in the market today are encouraged to attend tonight's free Condo Vultures seminar entitled First-Time Home Buyer Dos and Don'ts from 5.30 pm to 8 pm July 28 at the Doubletree Grand Hotel in Greater Downtown Miami. Registration is required.

A huge crowd is expected to turn out for an all-star panel of experts who will discuss what every first-time home buyer needs to know before purchasing a deeply discounted residence in South Florida.

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Peter Zalewski of Condo Vultures® can be reached at 800-750-0517 or by email at peter@condovultures.com. Don't forget to sign up for our weekly Market Intelligence Report™ for detailed condo reports. Looking for a property at a deep discount? You are encouraged to take a peek at the Vultures Database™ or our Video Gallery. Interested in buying multiple units from developers or banks? Be sure to visit the Condo Vultures® Bulk Deals Database. Our new books, the Official Condo Buyers Guide to Miami™ and Miami's Great Condo Crash: A Chronicle of the Boom and Bust™ are now available. Want to see every foreclosure filed in South Florida since 2007? Check out our Foreclosure Database™.

Copyright © 2009, Condo Vultures® LLC

Monday, July 27, 2009

Free First-Time Home Buyers Seminar On Tuesday

Individuals planning to attend Tuesday's First-Time Home Buyers Dos and Don'ts seminar are encouraged to register as soon as possible for the free event given the strong response.

With the $8,000 first-time home buyers federal tax credit scheduled to expire in November, many purchasers are scrambling to figure out how to qualify for the Obama administration incentive before the offer disappears.

Many of the answers will be provided at Tuesday's Condo Vultures® seminar on what every first-time home buyer needs to know before purchasing a deeply discounted residence in South Florida.

"The combination of the Obama tax credit and decreasing inventory in the $350,000 and under category is making this a competitive time for buyers in South Florida, especially on product located in coastal areas," said Peter Zalewski, a principal with the Bal Harbour, Fla.-based real estate consultancy Condo Vultures®.

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Peter Zalewski of Condo Vultures® can be reached at 800-750-0517 or by email at peter@condovultures.com. Don't forget to sign up for our weekly Market Intelligence Report™ for detailed condo reports. Looking for a property at a deep discount? You are encouraged to take a peek at the Vultures Database™ or our Video Gallery. Interested in buying multiple units from developers or banks? Be sure to visit the Condo Vultures® Bulk Deals Database. Our new books, the Official Condo Buyers Guide to Miami™ and Miami's Great Condo Crash: A Chronicle of the Boom and Bust™ are now available. Want to see every foreclosure filed in South Florida since 2007? Check out our Foreclosure Database™.

Copyright © 2009, Condo Vultures® LLC

Sunday, July 26, 2009

Bulk Deal Closes At 94% Discount In South Florida

A South Florida private equity group purchased 51 new, oceanfront condo-hotel units in the luxury One Bal Harbour complex at $63 per square foot, a discount of 94 percent off of the $1,100 per square foot average recorded sales price, according to a new report from Condo Vultures® LLC.

Elcom Condominium LLC with Jorge E. Arevalo and Thomas D. Sullivan in South Miami paid $2.6 million for 41,047 square feet of saleable space in the 124-unit Regent Hotel tower located on the west side of the 26-story, trophy complex in exclusive Bal Harbour.

Bankrupt residential development company WCI Communities, Inc., based in Bonita Springs, Fla., was the seller of the condo-hotel with 106,051 saleable square feet. WCI's chief restructuring officer Jonathan Pertchik signed the deed.

"Nearly 60 percent of the One Bal Harbour condo-hotel project closed at an average price of $1 million per unit before Elcom Condominium stole the remaining 40 percent of this high-end project for $51,000 per unit," said Peter Zalewski, a principal with the Bal Harbour, Fla.-based real estate consultancy Condo Vultures®. "Condo-hotels are not for everyone but at $63 per square foot one has to think there are buyers for this quality of product at that price."

This is the eighth bulk deal - and second in Bal Harbour - of new or significantly improved residential product to close since July 2008, according to the Condo Vultures® Bulk Deals Database. Four deals have closed in Greater Downtown Miami and an additional two transactions have closed in West Palm Beach.

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Peter Zalewski of Condo Vultures® can be reached at 800-750-0517 or by email at peter@condovultures.com. Don't forget to sign up for our weekly Market Intelligence Report™ for detailed condo reports. Looking for a property at a deep discount? You are encouraged to take a peek at the Vultures Database™ or our Video Gallery. Interested in buying multiple units from developers or banks? Be sure to visit the Condo Vultures® Bulk Deals Database. Our new books, the Official Condo Buyers Guide to Miami™ and Miami's Great Condo Crash: A Chronicle of the Boom and Bust™ are now available. Want to see every foreclosure filed in South Florida since 2007? Check out our Foreclosure Database™.

Copyright © 2009, Condo Vultures® LLC

Friday, July 17, 2009

South Florida Bank Seizures Fall 16% In Q2 of 2009

Banks repossessed 16 percent fewer South Florida properties in the second quarter of this year than were seized during the same period a year ago despite an increased number of foreclosure filings in the tricounty region, according to a new report from Condo Vultures® LLC.

Lenders repossessed 5,992 properties in Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties between April and June of 2009 compared to seizing 7,098 properties in the second quarter of 2008. In 2007, lenders seized 2,167 South Florida properties in the second quarter, according to the report produced using court records.

"Government intervention - whether it be foreclosure moratoriums or mortgage modification programs - is the primary reason for the decrease in the number of repossessed properties," said Peter Zalewski, a principal with the Bal Harbour, Fla.-based real estate consultancy Condo Vultures® LLC. "That being said, the number of foreclosure filings are back on the rise in the tricounty South Florida region. It is difficult to predict if the foreclosure actions will ultimately end up as Real Estate Owned by banks known as REOs or simply nonperforming mortgages."

More than 52,000 foreclosures have been initiated in South Florida in the first half of the year, putting the tricounty region on pace for more than 100,000 actions in 2009.

By comparison, lenders filed about 38,000 foreclosures actions in the first six months of 2008 and more than 75,000 actions for the year. In 2007, banks filed nearly 8,000 actions in the first half of the year and more than 32,000 for the year, according to data from the Condo Vultures® Foreclosure Database™.

Another factor contributing to the decreasing number of bank repossessions in South Florida despite the increasing number of foreclosure filings is the lengthy legal process necessary before a lender can repossess a residence.

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Peter Zalewski of Condo Vultures® can be reached at 800-750-0517 or by email at peter@condovultures.com. Don't forget to sign up for our weekly Market Intelligence Report™ for detailed condo reports. Looking for a property at a deep discount? You are encouraged to take a peek at the Vultures Database™ or our Video Gallery. Interested in buying multiple units from developers or banks? Be sure to visit the Condo Vultures® Bulk Deals Database. Our new books, the Official Condo Buyers Guide to Miami™ and Miami's Great Condo Crash: A Chronicle of the Boom and Bust™ are now available. Want to see every foreclosure filed in South Florida since 2007? Check out our Foreclosure Database™.

Copyright © 2009, Condo Vultures® LLC

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

$40 Million For Chinese Drywall Repairs Set Aside By Miami Developer

Early estimates in response to dozens of lawsuits has determined that defective Chinese drywall is present in at least two percent of the 20,000 single-family houses developed in Florida between 2006 and 2007 by Miami-based homebuilder Lennar Corp.

The number of defective residences may grow even higher as Lennar's research has just begun to determine how many other homes the Miami company built in earlier years in Florida that contain Chinese drywall, which causes metal corrosion, foul smells, and physical irritation to some individuals.

Lennar initiated the research for Chinese drywall in response to 43 lawsuits from homeowners that have been filed against the homebuilder in state and federal courts.

"The company is currently unable to reasonably estimate its future exposure relating to defective Chinese drywall," according to Lennar's second quarter filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. "However, the company is continuing its investigation of homes it delivered during the relevant time period in order to determine whether there are additional homes, not yet inspected, with defective Chinese drywall and resulting damage."

Based on the initial findings, Lennar has set aside nearly $40 million to repair about 400 single-family houses in Florida with the defective drywall but is prepared to increase that amount based on future findings, according to the SEC filing.

Florida is estimated to have about one-third of the 100,000 single-family homes constructed nationwide with defective Chinese drywall, according to CondoVultures.com.

This estimate does not include defective Chinese drywall that may have been used to build out some of the high-rise condo towers that were developed throughout the state during the boom years of 2003 to 2007.

At least one high-end condo tower in Greater Miami is known to have defective Chinese drywall present and several other new skyscrapers are suspected of also having the defect present, said Peter Zalewski, a principal with the Bal Harbour, Fla.-based real estate consultancy Condo Vultures® LLC.

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Peter Zalewski of Condo Vultures® can be reached at 800-750-0517 or by email at peter@condovultures.com. Don't forget to sign up for our weekly Market Intelligence Report™ for detailed condo reports. Looking for a property at a deep discount? You are encouraged to take a peek at the Vultures Database™ or our Video Gallery. Interested in buying multiple units from developers or banks? Be sure to visit the Condo Vultures® Bulk Deals Database. Our new books, the Official Condo Buyers Guide to Miami™ and Miami's Great Condo Crash: A Chronicle of the Boom and Bust™ are now available. Want to see every foreclosure filed in South Florida since 2007? Check out our Foreclosure Database™.

Copyright © 2009, Condo Vultures® LLC

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

$26 Million Oceanfront, High-Rise Site To Be Auctioned

A 1.4-acre oceanfront property zoned for a high-rise condo tower in Sunny Isles Beach is scheduled to be auctioned off in the next 60 days to the highest all-cash bidder at the Miami-Dade County Courthouse, according to Condo Vultures.com.

A final judgment amount of nearly $26.3 million, or $419 per square foot, was established for the property on July 6 by Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Ronald Dresnick.

If the borrower fails to satisfy the loan by the auction date, the 62,800-square-foot property with 300 feet of Atlantic Ocean access would be sold to the highest bidder who surpasses the final judgment amount.

"To purchase a property at the Miami-Dade County courthouse steps, a buyer must be able to pay the entire amount of the winning bid on the day of the auction," said Peter Zalewski, a principal with the Bal Harbour, Fla.-based real estate consultancy Condo Vultures®. "There aren't a lot of buyers with the wherewithal to close all cash that day but then again you never really know for sure in an international city like Miami."

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Peter Zalewski of Condo Vultures® can be reached at 800-750-0517 or by email at peter@condovultures.com. Don't forget to sign up for our weekly Market Intelligence Report™ for detailed condo reports. Looking for a property at a deep discount? You are encouraged to take a peek at the Vultures Database™ or our Video Gallery. Interested in buying multiple units from developers or banks? Be sure to visit the Condo Vultures® Bulk Deals Database. Our new books, the Official Condo Buyers Guide to Miami™ and Miami's Great Condo Crash: A Chronicle of the Boom and Bust™ are now available. Want to see every foreclosure filed in South Florida since 2007? Check out our Foreclosure Database™.

Copyright © 2009, Condo Vultures® LLC

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

4th Bulk Condo Deal Closes In Downtown Miami

A Miami Beach company headed by Jorge Mattos has purchased 21 units in the Marina Blue condominium tower in Downtown Miami for $5.69 million in an all-cash deal involving the project's former mezzanine lender, according to a new report from Condo Vultures® LLC.

A newly formed Florida corporation called 21 Marina Blue LLC with Mattos as the manager purchased 13 two bedroom units, seven one-bedroom units, and a three-bedroom penthouse for a blended price of $196 per square foot on a deal that was recorded on June 23, according to Condo Vultures® research.

Mattos is a business partner of Carlos Mattos who purchased 31 units for $6.1 million in mid-June at the 1060 Brickell condominium tower in Miami's Brickell Avenue financial district, according to a recent Condo Vultures® report.

Carlos Mattos' 1060 Brickell Apartments LLC paid $203 per square foot for four studio units, 22 one-bedroom units, and five two-bedroom units with a combined 29,913 square feet of livable space, according to Condo Vultures®.

"This is the second bulk deal to close in the Greater Downtown Miami area in the last month," said Peter Zalewski, a principal with the Bal Harbour, Fla.-based real estate consultancy Condo Vultures. "Once again, the buyer is a private equity group with roots and investments in South Florida. "

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Peter Zalewski of Condo Vultures® can be reached at 800-750-0517 or by email at peter@condovultures.com. Don't forget to sign up for our weekly Market Intelligence Report™ for detailed condo reports. Looking for a property at a deep discount? You are encouraged to take a peek at the Vultures Database™ or our Video Gallery. Our new books, the Official Condo Buyers Guide to Miami™ , Miami's Great Condo Crash: A Chronicle of the Boom and Bust™ , and First-Time Home Buyers Guide To South Florida™ are now available. Want to see every foreclosure filed in South Florida since 2007? Check out our Foreclosure Database™.

Copyright © 2009, Condo Vultures® LLC

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Downtown Miami Condo Closings Slow By Half In 2nd Quarter

The pace of new condo closings in Greater Downtown Miami slowed by half in the second quarter of 2009 to 2.7 sales per day, down from an average of 5.2 per deals day in the first quarter of the year, according to a new report from Condo Vultures® LLC.

Buyers purchased 246 units in the 60-block stretch of Greater Downtown Miami between April and June. In the two previous quarters, buyers closed on 466 new Downtown Miami units between January and March, and 441 units between October and December, respectively, according to the Condo Vultures® report based on the Official Condo Buyers Guide To Miami™.

"A majority of the second quarter closings occurred in three projects: Marina Blue, 1060 Brickell, and the south tower of Brickell on the River," said Peter Zalewski, a principal with the Bal Harbour, Fla.-based real estate consultancy Condo Vultures®. "Price reductions were the common denominator triggering the increased closing activity in all three condo projects. With financing difficult to obtain in Downtown Miami, all-cash buyers are proving that they are ready to purchase if the price is right."

With the increased activity, Marina Blue - where a bulk deal occurred in December 2008 - is now 99.4 percent closed with only a handful of units of the 516-unit project still in the name of the developer.

The south tower of Brickell on the River is now 70.3 percent closed with less than 100 units in the 327-unit tower available.

At the 1060 Brickell condominium, the developer has closed nearly 350 units - 31 units of which closed in a bulk deal in June - out of 576 units for a sellout rate of 59 percent, according to the Condo Vultures® report.

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Peter Zalewski of Condo Vultures® can be reached at 800-750-0517 or by email at peter@condovultures.com. Don't forget to sign up for our weekly Market Intelligence Report™ for detailed condo reports. Looking for a property at a deep discount? You are encouraged to take a peek at the Vultures Database™ or our Video Gallery. Our new books, the Official Condo Buyers Guide to Miami™ , Miami's Great Condo Crash: A Chronicle of the Boom and Bust™ , and First-Time Home Buyers Guide To South Florida™ are now available. Want to see every foreclosure filed in South Florida since 2007? Check out our Foreclosure Database™.

Copyright © 2009, Condo Vultures® LLC

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

South Florida Average Discount Reaches 54%

Nearly 900 residences in the Vultures Database™ have closed in the first five months of 2009 at an average discount of $357,500, or nearly 54 percent, a dramatic change from the average price reductions of 44 percent in 2008 and 29 percent in 2007, according to a new report from Condo Vultures® LLC.

Buyers closed 232 single-family houses, condos, and townhouses in the tri-county South Florida region of Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties in May for a daily average of 7.5 transactions. In April, buyers closed an average of 7.0 properties per day. The running average in the first five months of 2009 is 5.9 closings per day on properties in the Vultures Database™, according to the report.

"Discount investors and first-time home buyers are having a noticeable impact on the coastal residential real estate market in South Florida," said Peter Zalewski, a principal with the Bal Harbour, Fla.-based real estate consultancy Condo Vultures®. "Half of the transactions involving properties in the Vultures Database™ have closed in the last two months. We anticipate the pace will continue at the same level, if not stronger, throughout the summer if conditions remains the same."

In its third year of monitoring South Florida discounts, the Vultures Database™ is comprised of nearly 3,800 condos, townhouses, and single-family houses actively for sale east of Interstate 95 in Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties that have been reduced in price by at least 10 percent and/or $100,000.

Discounts are proving to be the single-most important factor in determining whether a property is sold or not. With conventional financing difficult to obtain, the majority of today's buyers are selectively purchasing with cash or the assistance of government-backed programs, such as the Obama $8,000 tax credit for first-time home buyers.

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Peter Zalewski of Condo Vultures® can be reached at 800-750-0517 or by email at peter@condovultures.com. Don't forget to sign up for our weekly Market Intelligence Report™ for detailed condo reports. Looking for a property at a deep discount? You are encouraged to take a peek at the Vultures Database™ or our Video Gallery. Our new books, the Official Condo Buyers Guide to Miami™ , Miami's Great Condo Crash: A Chronicle of the Boom and Bust™ , and First-Time Home Buyers Guide To South Florida™ are now available. Want to see every foreclosure filed in South Florida since 2007? Check out our Foreclosure Database™.

Copyright © 2009, Condo Vultures® LLC

Monday, June 29, 2009

Fort Lauderdale Inventory Down 30% In 7 Months

Resale residential inventory in the Greater Fort Lauderdale area is shrinking at a faster rate than is the case for the South Florida region, according to a new report from Condo Vultures® LLC.

Resale inventory in Broward County, where Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, and Pompano Beach are located, is down 30 percent to nearly 26,000 single-family houses, condos, and townhouses in the last seven months dating back to Thanksgiving week.

By comparison, South Florida inventory is down 25 percent for the tri-county region. Resale inventory has fallen by 26 percent in Miami-Dade County, where Miami Beach, Coral Gables, and Aventura are located, and by 19 percent in Palm Beach County, where Boca Raton, Delray Beach, and West Palm Beach are located, according to the report created using Florida Association of Realtors data.

"Broward County is South Florida's middle ground in terms of location and price point between expensive Miami and more reasonably priced West Palm Beach," said Peter Zalewski, a principal with the Bal Harbour, Fla.-based real estate consultancy Condo Vultures®. "It is not uncommon for dual-income families to have one person working in the Miami area and the other in Broward and/or Palm Beach. In these situations, Broward is often times the place where the families ultimately decide to buy given the lower price compared to Miami."

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Peter Zalewski of Condo Vultures® can be reached at 800-750-0517 or by email at peter@condovultures.com. Don't forget to sign up for our weekly Market Intelligence Report™ for detailed condo reports. Looking for a property at a deep discount? You are encouraged to take a peek at the Vultures Database™ or our Video Gallery. Our new books, the Official Condo Buyers Guide to Miami™ , Miami's Great Condo Crash: A Chronicle of the Boom and Bust™ , and First-Time Home Buyers Guide To South Florida™ are now available. Want to see every foreclosure filed in South Florida since 2007? Check out our Foreclosure Database™.

Copyright © 2009, Condo Vultures® LLC

Saturday, June 27, 2009

Short Sales Account For 31% Of South Florida Properties For Sale

BY WILLIAM BETANCOURT

There were a total of 83,445 residences listed for sale in South Florida as of June 12th, 2009. Of that, 25,814, or 31 percent are in some stage of the short sale process, according to a new report based on the Condo Vultures® Foreclosure Database™.

“The month of May proved to be busy at the courthouse recording office accounting for 1,899 new Lis Pendens filings in Miami-Dade County, 4,442 filings in Broward County, and 2,661 filings in Palm Beach counties, respectively,” said William Betancourt, a licensed Florida real estate agent and short sale specialist with Condo Vultures® Realty LLC. “The real story is the 2,866 filings in Miami-Dade, 4,223 filings in Broward, and 2,029 filings in Palm Beach in the previous month of April and what June has in store ending the second quarter with more distressed inventory. The spike isn’t likely to continue to rise.

"However, we will still see a continuing stream of filings throughout the remaining two quarters.”

Over the past two months, 18,120 new properties are in pre-foreclosure in the three counties. Broward County accounts for 47.8 percent of the new filings, with Dade at 26.3 percent and Palm Beach County with the remaining 25.9 percent, according to the Condo Vultures® Foreclosure Database™, which tracks the filing of Lis Pendens notices through court records since January 1st, 2007.

To date, the database contains more than 158,000 filings.

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Friday, June 26, 2009

Bank Regulators Hold Key To Lending Rebound In Florida

BY JIM FREER
Special Correspondent
CondoVultures.com

It’s not just bankers who will determine when the residential and commercial real estate markets will begin a rebound in Florida and around the country.

Bank regulators always have major influence on banks’ overall strategies, and they have been taking actions that likely will result in many banks remaining cautious on lending for the remainder of this year.

As part of a stepped-up review process they began approximately two years ago, federal and state banking regulators are telling many banks to keep adding to their reserves to cover potential loan losses, experts tell CondoVultures.com.

Those additions to reserves are taken from a bank’s quarterly earnings, or from capital during quarters when there are no profits.

That review of loan quality is part of what some bankers say is regulators being figuratively “in banks” that are having earnings problems. In some cases, they are instructing banks on lending strategies but not necessarily on making individual loans.

Regulators also are telling some banks to raise capital or reduce assets, to improve their capital-to-asset ratios.

For many banks that means making fewer loans and reducing asset size as other loans are paid off.

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Thursday, June 25, 2009

Chinese Drywall Impact 'Huge' On Florida Valuations

BY ERIK BOJNANSKY
Special Correspondent
CondoVultures.com

Eight months ago, hardly anyone knew or cared about Chinese drywall. And eight months later, the full impact of this imported building material that has been blamed for metal corrosion, electrical mishaps and health problems is still unknown, according to CondoVultures.com.

Most agree, however, that Chinese drywall will have a huge negative impact on South Florida's already troubled real estate market and any home built with significant amounts of it may be worthless.

"It's a huge problem," said Randall Jimenez, owner of Under Pressure Home Services, a Fort Lauderdale company that cleans up and manages foreclosed homes for banks. "No one has real answers to this problem and no one wants to say anything yet."

The true number of homes constructed with Chinese drywall remains uncertain but estimates suggest that between 35,000 and 100,000 homes and commercial properties across the United States, Canada and the Bahamas were made from this material.

The adverse affects of Chinese drywall was first discovered in homes located within the Sunshine State in January 2009.

Colson Hicks Eidson attorney Elvin Gonzalez, who has been representing hundreds of clients with drywall problems, suspects there may be 35,000 homes infected in Florida alone with large pockets in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties.

"Broward is very, very hard hit," Gonzalez said.

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Wednesday, June 24, 2009

South Florida Inventory Falls 1.1% To 81,000 Residences

South Florida residential real estate inventory dropped by 1.1 percent in the last week, dragging the total number of resales available down to 81,159 properties, according to a new report from Condo Vultures® LLC.

Residential resale inventory slipped by 888 properties between June 15 and June 22 for an average decreased of 127 properties per day. On June 1, there were 83,491 residential resales on the market in the tri-county region of Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties, according to the report compiled using data from the Florida Association of Realtors.

"The single-family house inventory is shrinking at a faster pace than the condo and townhouse market," said Peter Zalewski, a principal with Bal Harbour, Fla.-based real estate consultancy Condo Vultures®. "Condo and townhouses now represent about 61 percent of the total South Florida inventory. Back in November, condos and townhouses represented 57 percent of the overall residential inventory in South Florida."

On a county-by-county basis, Broward has the fewest number of single-family houses available for resale with 10,179 properties, or 32 percent of the total South Florida inventory of 32,125.

Miami-Dade and Palm Beach are in a tie in percentage terms with each accounting for 34 percent of the remaining single-family house inventory. Palm Beach, with a population of about 1.1 million, has 10,888 houses for sale compared to 11,058 houses on the resale market in Miami-Dade, with a population of 2.5 million, according to the Condo Vultures® report.

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Peter Zalewski of Condo Vultures® can be reached at 800-750-0517 or by email at peter@condovultures.com. Don't forget to sign up for our weekly Market Intelligence Report™ for detailed condo reports. Looking for a property at a deep discount? You are encouraged to take a peek at the Vultures Database™ or our Video Gallery. Our new books, the Official Condo Buyers Guide to Miami™ , Miami's Great Condo Crash: A Chronicle of the Boom and Bust™ , and First-Time Home Buyers Guide To South Florida™ are now available. Want to see every foreclosure filed in South Florida since 2007? Check out our Foreclosure Database™.

Copyright © 2009, Condo Vultures® LLC

Monday, June 22, 2009

Bulk Condo Deal Closes In Greater Downtown Miami

A Miami entity headed by Carlos Mattos paid $203 per square foot for 31 units at the 1060 Brickell condominium in Miami's financial district, according to Condo Vultures® LLC.

Mattos' newly created 1060 Brickell Apartments LLC paid nearly $6.1 million without financing for four studio units, 22 one-bedroom units, and five two-bedroom units with a combined 29,913 square feet of livable space, according to Condo Vultures® LLC.

"We have reason to believe that 1060 Brickell has about 200 units under contract and/or closing as we speak," said Peter Zalewski, a principal with the Bal Harbour, Fla.-based real estate consultancy Condo Vultures®. "In the last week, 1060 has closed 58 units including the 31 from this bulk deal. It will be interesting to see what our second quarter closing rate report for new condos in Greater Downtown Miami will show."

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Peter Zalewski of Condo Vultures® can be reached at 800-750-0517 or by email at peter@condovultures.com. Don't forget to sign up for our weekly Market Intelligence Report™ for detailed condo reports. Looking for a property at a deep discount? You are encouraged to take a peek at the Vultures Database™ or our Video Gallery. Our new books, the Official Condo Buyers Guide to Miami™ , Miami's Great Condo Crash: A Chronicle of the Boom and Bust™ , and First-Time Home Buyers Guide To South Florida™ are now available. Want to see every foreclosure filed in South Florida since 2007? Check out our Foreclosure Database™.

Copyright © 2009, Condo Vultures® LLC

Thursday, June 18, 2009

NAR Chief Economist: South Florida Real Estate Market At Bottom

The South Florida residential real estate market is at bottom and likely to experience some appreciation within a year, the National Association of Realtors Chief Economist Dr. Lawrence Yun said.

"I think the prices have already pretty much bottomed in the South Florida market," Yun said. "The rest of the country is more difficult to say but I think here, given the buyers, the prices have already bottomed in Florida."

Yun made the declaration (Watch The Video) on June 11 during a keynote address to a lunch crowd of the International Real Estate Congress and Expo. The event was hosted by the Realtors Association of Greater Miami and the Beaches at the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables.

Yun's keynote address preceded a panel discussion on the South Florida real estate market with Peter Zalewski, founder of Condo Vultures® LLC; Rei Mesa of Prudential Florida Realty; Oliver Ruiz of Fortune International Realty; and Ron Shuffield of EWM.

Given the growing number of residential deals occurring in South Florida despite no readily available financing, Yun projects that today's buyers could actually realize some home price appreciation as soon as next year when credit is expected to be available once again.

"Soon you will reach the point of equilibrium where home prices begin to show growth," Yun said. "It is always difficult to precisely predict. I think that many people who are buying today in this month - June of 2009 - if they look back a year from now in June 2010, I think many people will see that they have actually gained in equity."

Yun cautioned that the South Florida market conditions - a diverse community with limited developable land, attractive weather, and an international appeal - give the region an advantage over many other areas in the United States.

"There will be some premium attached to Miami, in relation to say Atlanta, Birmingham, and others," Yun said. "So the price point in Miami will be much stronger when compared to other, say, southern states across the country or even say the rest of America. For that reason, I am very hopeful that currently it is an undervalued market.

"Buyers are recognizing [that]. Sales up about 100 percent from one year before."

Yun's comments come a month after national real estate analyst Jack McCabe of McCabe Research & Consulting in Deerfield Beach, Fla., told CondoVultures.com that he thinks South Florida residential prices are within 15 percent of the bottom.

McCabe, who began warning of a Florida housing bust in 2005, projects the South Florida residential real estate bottom will be reached by the summer of 2010.

"I think the worst is behind us, but I still believe we have another 10 to 15 percent drop because of the unemployment and the foreclosures depressing prices, and the amount of inventory we have yet to absorb," McCabe told CondoVultures.com.

Peter Zalewski of Condo Vultures® can be reached at 800-750-0517 or by email at peter@condovultures.com. Don't forget to sign up for our weekly Market Intelligence Report™ for detailed condo reports. Looking for a property at a deep discount? You are encouraged to take a peek at the Vultures Database™ or our Video Gallery. Our new books, the Official Condo Buyers Guide to Miami™ , Miami's Great Condo Crash: A Chronicle of the Boom and Bust™ , and First-Time Home Buyers Guide To South Florida™ are now available. Want to see every foreclosure filed in South Florida since 2007? Check out our Foreclosure Database™.

Copyright © 2009, Condo Vultures® LLC