Welcome

Welcome to the new website of Florida Fabulous Homes/Condos for Sale or Rent.

This site offers you more than pictures and text copy. This site will tell a story about each home and its surrounding areas and community. As you visit these properties, please return to this website and leave your comments which become the eyes and ears for potential buyers or renters.

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To advertise your property on Fabulous Florida Homes with up to TEN PICTURES and include a 2 minute video, CONTACT: Christine.Michaels@yahoo.com

You must include the following:
Looking through the lens of a first time visitor: tell a story about the home/condo, the neighborhood, unique features.

Condo--Brickell Place C408

This is a hidden gem and the space is like an endless maze.

Brickell Place is on the famous Brickell Avenue--a residential section of downtown Miami where low rise and high rise condos line the street.

It's QUIET

From Brickell Place, you can not hear the cars on the main street because this is the only condominium complex with it's own private road setting it further back from the main street.

IDEAL LOCATION

There are three different entrances/exits. So if traffic is backed up in one direction (rarely), you can beat the traffic by driving a couple of blocks in opposite direction and taking parallel roads. Brickell Place is literally 2 minutes around the corner from I-95, 15 minutes (no traffic) to the Miami Airport and just a few blocks from the financial sector of downtown Miami.

Brickell Place Phase II was built in 1980 and is well maintained. BPII withstood the test of hurricanes Katrina and Wilma while other "newer" buildings faced no water, no emergency elevator on generator, leaks everywhere. Many residents of new buildings had to stay in hotels. "They just don't make buildings like they used to".

THE PROPERTY

BPII is in between the Santa Maria and the famous Atlantis building (the building with square hole in center and red spiral staircase) that was featured in opening scenes of Miami Vice). It sits on the bay with a marina full of boat slips. A rarity in Miami with a moratorium on new marinas. Marina slips are sold separately.

The property boasts the most common area square footage of any Brickell property and the most amenities. Brickell Place is a blend of condo community with a resort feel. It's really like living in paradise. It features two pools, (heated in winter), jacuzzi, tennis courts (night lights included), basketball court, indoor gym, indoor and outdoor children's playground, squash and racquetball courts, indoor gym, barbecue area on the bay equipped with picnic tables, covers, electrical outlet, night lighting, and kitchen sink with running water. Another plus is the enclosed dog station when it rains. No need to get soaking wet when it rains. On the south side of building a low hanging canopy equipped with doggy bags is perfect to take your dog on those rainy days.

The building allows owners to have one pet under the size of 10 pounds.

THE UNIT

The unit C408 is on the fourth floor, the first residential floor above the lobby. It is the largest floorplan sizing at 2,100 square feet, in a prominent corner location. It boasts three bedrooms, a laundry room with full-size washer/dryer, hurricane shutters, and sizable kitchen with breakfast nook. Both the dining/living room and breakfast nook overlook the pool area, tennis courts and they bay.

Highlight: the enclosed balcony is an additonal room! (See picture to left) Surrounded by sliding glass doors and windows, it can be an alfresco patio (when opening windows and doors) or a playroom for kids to scatter their toys, or a pet room! Double white paned french doors open from balcony to Living Room.

THE OWNERS
The owners are a mother and daughter. The mother, an accountant, currently lives there by herself and the unit is impeccably clean--smoke-free, pet-free and peaceful. The second bedroom is a guest bedroom and the third is an office/family room.

The owners are NOT desperate to sell and will wait if necessary--one, two, three years. The mother misses the four seasons and wants to return some day to the northeast. The daughter , a single female professional, does not need so much space. It's their investment.

The owners have invested close to $100,000 in remodeling the entire unit.

1. The heavy 20 year-old beige carpet was removed. Owners chose exquisite porcelain tile (that looks like marble but very easy to maintain) throughout the foyer entrance, kitchen, LR/DR, and bathrooms. Offwhite carpet blankets the three bedrooms.
2. Popcorn ceiling was removed from entire condo.
3. Neutral colored, custom draperies were added to the myriad of windows that wrap around the DR/LR.
4. Entire kitchen is new. Here they chose white appliances for the clean look to avoid the constant messy smudge look from stainless steel.
5. The bathrooms have been completely remodeled including countertops and marble shower walls. The master bathroom features marbled walls and floor surrounding the new jacuzzi.
6. A walk in closet was created for Master bedroom.
7. Glass-etched double French doors were installed for entrance of living room. This ensures visitors with any pets or small children do not damage the fine furniture. It instantly added elegance to the home.
8. A brand new, energy-efficient A/C unit replaced the 30 year-old original unit. This was a $5,000 investment for a condo this size.
   

This condo is ideal for a couple planning to have children, a family with small children or for a couple with many guests wishing to visit South Florida.

SERIOUS BUYERS ONLY. Asking price $720,000
Maintenance fee is $990/monthly. This has remained the same for past three years.
Clean title! OFFERING 3% commission to buyer's realtor!
Call owner, Christine at 305-218-9952
Please no other solicitors!

Brickell Avenue, Villa Regina 2/2

Newly and finely updated 2b/2b apartment in the Villa Regina offers breathtaking views of Biscayne Bay and Key Biscayne. Unit #1002, $735,000.

Call Audrey Ross at 305-960-2575 or aross@miamirealestate.com

2020 Ponce De Leon

There's a new building in town. Before you scratch your head and exclaim "another high rise in a city drowning, not in water but a surplus of units and buildings!" hold that thought. This is not your average high-rise concrete slab.


Featuring the hottest new commercial real estate building in downtown Coral Gables. 2020 Ponce is clevery named after its location-location-location and therefore easy to remember and make an impression on potential tenants and their clients.


2020 Ponce is a Mediterranean-style, 14 floor tower, Class A Office building. Designed from the ground up, the developer (Florida East Coast Realty) envisioned and built a concept combining avant garde interior design, with the latest technology, and a Meditteranean facade with arched windows at the Penthouse floor creating the peak in the crown of Coral Gables skyline.


Office space ranges from 1,370 to 12,950 s/f. The two penthouses offer an amazing 360-degree panoramic view of the city. Amenities include valet parking, concierge service, formal lobby, state-of-the-art security systems and wireless capabilities, high-tech security desk, and a parking ratio of 4/l,000 square feet.


A quick glance, and the fact that the office space is column-free may escape you. This offers your company more working space. 2020 is a smart building with state-of-the-art safety and security features, inlcudng hurricane-resistant glass and a back-up generator for life support and emergency systems.



The grand opening last month included dignitaries such as the city mayor and movers and shakers from local businesses. Inside the marble lobby with fine catering, no one would imagine there's a recession on the outside. 2020 Ponce is about new beginnings, new expansions, and those ready to take the helm and propel growth rather than wait for those natural economic forces.



For more information, contact Chris Harak at Studley at 813-766-2295

Family's Saga over Drywall Ends Well

A different affliction has plagued the real estate market and has nothing to do with the sour economy. This one, could have been prevented--Chinese drywall. Real estate news throughout Florida is a recurring litany of hear-wrenching stories of families forced out of their homes. If you are considering either buying or renting a new home or condominium, it is strongly advised you hire a drywall expert and get a guarantee in writing that Chinese drywall was not used in the building of your home.

One's family saga has a happy ending. To read their story, click here for the Miami Herald article.

Always do your homework. Increasingly real estate companies are targeting foreigners. In speaking to a multitude of prospects in my building, a new development only one year old, most potential buyers are foreigners with little knowledge of the neighborhood, the developer's financial buoyancy and inability to complete amenities and services (as advertised in brochures), and the local economy. I'm amazed how many prospects do not take the time to talk to residents living in condo buildings. This is an advantage over a home. The seller is not going to disclose every loose screw, leaky faucet or anything not covered under the law.

Never rush and do your homework. It's your investment.