Restrain Yourself! Home For Sale – Free Bondage Extras!

by Stephen M. Fells on May 17, 2012

The Source:

And the money shot…

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Realtor Code of Ethics Video Series: Chapter 1

by Stephen M. Fells on May 17, 2012

Earlier this year the Florida Association of Realtors added a series of videos to their YouTube channel that discuss Realtors code of ethics. Here is the first video in the series – visit their YouTube channel to see the rest.

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Bidding wars are now being seen in both Manhattan and Miami Real Estate markets

NEW YORK, May 14, 2012 (PRNewswire) Manhattan and Miami property prices have seen significant price increases in the first quarter of 2012 in comparison to the prior year, with record prices in both markets.

At current sales rates, Manhattan has 9 months of inventory and Miami has only 4 months of inventory remaining. In Miami, to meet the demand of buyers in the face of declining inventory levels, developers are announcing new projects every few weeks.

Manhattan price increases on a per square foot basis

  • Manhattan condo prices increased 9%

  • Luxury prices increased 8%

Miami price increases on a per square foot basis

  • South Beach prices increased 20%
  • Miami Beach prices increased 27%
  • Downtown prices increased 19%
  • Luxury prices increased 13%

Record prices have hit Miami, marked by a sale at St. Regis Bal Harbour for $20 million and another at Setai for $21.5 million. While not across the board, there have been a number of sales at record prices in both markets.

In one instance, a penthouse in Manhattan, at 15 Central Park West was sold for a record 88 million dollars. At One 57, the new uber-luxury 90-story pre-construction development towering over Central Park, off-plan apartments have reportedly been selling at 4 to 5 times the average price per square foot of a condo in Manhattan.

Gone, are the days of 10% down payment for a pre-construction property. Developers in Miami are now requiring 50-60 percent in progress payments over two years, with the remaining at closing, a practice borrowed from the Brazilians, an increasing participant in this market.

Manhattan new development has been on a much slower track, with a dearth of new development coming online in the next few years. Accordingly, the low inventory environment in Manhattan is likely to be the norm for some time.

Ricardo Mello

Ricardo Mello

Ricardo Mello from Manhattan Miami Real Estate explains, “Declining inventory levels has caused multiple bids on certain properties. While multiple bids are not widespread, since many prime neighborhoods now have a shortage of inventory, bidding wars, a boom-era phenomenon, are on the rise.”

As for mortgage financing trends, down payment requirements have been lowered for foreign buyers by some big banks to 30% in Manhattan and 40% in Miami (although some smaller banks have been offering mortgages with lower down payments in Miami), down from 40% and 50%, respectively. For primary homeowners, however, lending standards remain stringent. ”

Price increases percentages were taken from Jonathan Miller’s market reports- The Miami and Manhattan Market Reports for Q1 2012.

About Manhattan Miami

Manhattan Miami Real Estate, an international full-service luxury real estate group within the Charles Rutenberg brokerage firm, assists buyers and sellers of prime Manhattan and Miami properties. At manhattanmiami.com, customers can search for Manhattan Luxury Real Estate & Miami Luxury Condos in one place and browse all New York City and Miami properties.

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Google Announces Knowledge Graph

by Stephen M. Fells on May 16, 2012

Google have just announced ‘Knowledge Graph’ which they describe as:

“a huge collection of the people, places and things in the world and how they’re connected to one another”

As “the next frontier in search” Google state they “can get you the best possible answers and help jump start your discovery.” Mashable believe it makes the search engine “1,000 times smarter” adding:

“Google is switching from simple keyword recognition to the identification of entities, nodes and relationships. In this world, “New York” is not simply the combination of two keywords that can be recognized. It’s understood by Google as a state in the U.S. surrounded by other states, the Atlantic Ocean and with a whole bunch of other, relevant attributes.”

The following video from Google provides more information:

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Real Estate For Dopeheads

May 16, 2012

It seems this home is no longer on the market, perhaps Cheech and Chong bought it? (Here is a copy of the original MLS posting)

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Century 21 How-To Social Media Video Series: Using Videos to Market Real Estate

May 16, 2012

“Buyers want more than a virtual tour” – Yes they do! We often talk about adding video to your single property Websites (See: ‘A Real Estate Example of Smart Integrated Marketing‘ and ‘PowerSite Profile: A Great Example of How To Add Video to A Single Property Website‘) and the following brief video form Century 21 [...]

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More Than 95 Percent Of Refinancing Borrowers Choose Fixed-Rate Mortgages

May 16, 2012

Thirty-one Percent Shorten Loan Term with Refinanced Loan MCLEAN, Va., May 14, 2012 (PRNewswire) In the first quarter of 2012, fixed-rate loans accounted for more than 95 percent of refinance loans, based on the Freddie Mac (OTC: FMCC) Quarterly Product Transition Report released today. Refinancing borrowers clearly preferred fixed-rate loans, regardless of whether their original [...]

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Funny Real Estate, Where To Begin? :)

May 15, 2012

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