Part of the appeal of Miami Beach real estate is the tourism.  Considering that the barrier island is one of the major destinations for tourism in South Florida, the real estate market arguably depends heavily on its health.  Lately the tourism industry has been a little shaky, but could things have turned around with spring and summer?

The simple answer is yes.  More than 21 million people visited “The Sunshine State” during late spring and early summer, which translates to a welcoming seven percent boost when compared to the numbers from 2010.  In what could be construed as a correlation between the appeal of Miami Beach real estate with foreign buyers as of late, just over sixteen percent of tourists were also overseas visitors.

The boost in tourism is attributed largely to a determined push in marketing in cities across the state of Florida, Miami Beach included.  Hoteliers are also predicting that once the summer season comes to an end, the numbers should also prove encouraging.  If you haven't been to Miami Beach, come see what all the hoopla is about.

As you know, I’m involved in an amazing loft project on south Collins Avenue, with direct access to the beach. We’re talking a place with a beautiful, historic lobby, and amazing two-story lofts, each one unique. One very important person already owns one penthouse and is turning it into an even more stunning showplace. I’ll be ready to tell you more about the project soon, I promise.

 But first, the news about the designer who has been chosen for the project. She’s a local gal, if you allow that she was born in Jamaica and grew up in Barbados and went to the Rhode Island School of Design before settling here. You have surely been in one of her most famous projects, the steakhouse Prime One Twelve and its cousin Prime Italian. Alison Antrobus (I can never hear her name without thinking of the Thornton Wilder play, “The Skin of Our Teeth,” which stars Mr. and Mrs. Antrobus as Adam and Eve figures) is not just a design whiz who does sexy private homes and seductive restaurants, she is also the practical gal who invented the Antrobus handbag, which has drawers instead of zipper pouches. You know how your keys and pens and cell phones always end up in the bottom of your bag? With her drawer system, everything is visible and in its place.

(Click to enlarge)

You can find Antrobus handbags online at http://www.antrobusluxurygroup.com/. And if you want the inside scoop on what else is happening here in Miami, just write me at Sildy@sildycervera.com.

See ya,

Sildy

Now Shooting

Ok, we’re used to seeing David Caruso and the cast of “CSI Miami” in Miami, even though they shoot an awful lot of “Miami” in L.A. “Dexter” pretends to be shot in Miami and it’s totally shot in Los Angeles. But there are some new television shows (and stars) about to join “Burn Notice” in filming here. “Burn Notice” shoots at the Coconut Grove Expo Center, and one of its stars, Gabrielle Anwar, is just about a fixture at the Forge in Miami Beach. (And yes, we know why.)

The news is that “Charlie’s Angels,”  the pilot for a new series with Annie Illonzeh, Minka Kelly and Rachael Taylor, is shooting all over Miami Beach. The series, if it’s picked up, will run on ABC next year. Drew Barrymore is a producer, and here’s hoping she’ll spend time in Miami as well. And let’s wish those action gals a long, long run. (BTW, “Burn Notice” has been picked up for two more years.)

Then there’s “Magic City,” a new series starring the hunky Jeffrey Dean Morgan – he of the Javier Bardem eyes who formerly played the heart patient on “Grey’s Anatomy.” “Magic City” is kind of “Mad Men” and “Boardwalk” combined, a period mob drama set in the 1960s about a hotel called the Miramar, but that might just have been called the Fontainotbleau.

I expect the costume designers have already snapped up all of the sharp fedoras at C Madelaine, the wild vintage clothing store on Biscayne Boulevard, and the set designers are canvassing all of Miami’s vintage furniture stores. They should get in touch with me, because I’ve seen some perfectly preserved 1960s apartments right here in Miami. Just bring those cameras in and begin shooting!

And if the pilot for the “Pan Am” television series is a go, we can expect to see the cast of that show, including Christina Ricci, turning up at Dinner Key and the Miami City Hall, which was, once upon a time, the actual terminal for Pan Am seaplanes.

The more shows that shoot here, the more entrenched is the right image of Miami, a place of sun, beauty, warmth, and drama. And by the way, if any of the stars of those shows are looking for the best possible condo in Miami, they should drop me a line – Sildy@sildycervera.com – because I have the perfect place for them.

A friend of mine, the writer Linda Lee, moved to Pennsylvania a year ago. For six years before that she lived in Miami, owned a place, and faithfully paid her wind and flood insurance. Never claimed a dime. She moved up north, and overnight the place she was living was hit with a flash flood. She had a wild night while the flood waters rose (but never reached the second flood). Yes, this is really the house:

All her furniture, which was downstairs, is gone, but she’s fine. She and her computers and her pets and her artwork all survived.

In fact, she’s moving back to Miami!

“It’s got so much to offer,” she told me. “Even if I just go to DB Bistro Moderne downtown and have the lettuce vichyssoise just once, that will be better than all the restaurant meals I’ve had in Harrisburg in a year! My friends will actually come to visit me in Miami, whereas the words ‘Why don’t you come to visit me in Harrisburg,?’ just don’t have the same ring.

“I know it’s heading for summer, but I love summer in Miami. That’s when you really feel semi-tropical, with big thunderstorms, and then the rain is gone and you sit outside at night, see friends, eat at Mandolin, or Buena Vista Bistro, and it’s great. The moon over Miami I swear is bigger than the moon over Harrisburg. And, let’s go swim in the Susquehanna? I don’t think so. The water in Miami is deliciously warm this time of year, and even off the beach there’s so much to do. I want to go to the new art house O Cinema (below and at www.o-cinema.org/) opposite the Rubell Museum, see what’s at the Arsht ... and revisit the Design District. I hear there’s a new design building going up there ... contemporary Italian ... and it’s opening soon.

“Need I say, there are no new contemporary Italian design stores opening in Harrisburg any time soon. Or ever.

“So yes, I’m coming back to Miami. I don’t know why I ever left!”

I can’t wait to see Linda. A prodigal daughter returns, which means we’ve got to slay the fatted calf and have a barbecue (or perhaps I should say “asado”).

I’ll be seeing you too, on the beach, around town, on the street, or showing you a great condo that just came on the market!

Sildy

I read a story in Fortune magazine that said that real estate prices were about to go up, even in the worst-hit sunbelt cities. So let’s think of the sunbelt cities that suffered the biggest real estate crashes: Las Vegas, Phoenix, and Miami.

Which one do you think will come back first? 

Las Vegas has nightlife and world-class restaurants, but no beach. Phoenix has no beach and no nightlife and not many world-class restaurants. Miami has the beach and the nightlife, and the restaurants, along with tropical gardens, hit TV shows (think there will ever be a “CSI: Phoenix”), culture, beautiful young people, the Miami

Heat (who seem to be pulling themselves together post season), a booming downtown, tennis tournaments, boat shows, music conferences, Art Basel, and you know that I could go on and on.

 The Forbes article says that because rental prices have gone up, it is now becoming better (more economical) to own than to rent.

You’re saying to yourself, “How is that possible?”

Ok, he’s not comparing the rental on a cheap studio against a glorious high-rise two-bedroom, two-bath condo with whirlpool, 10 foot ceilings, and wrap-around terraces. But when the writer looked at luxury rentals versus luxury sales, sales were clearly now winning.

One reason is that all those people driven out of their condos by falling prices then became renters. And people who lost their homes because of a short sale or a foreclosure are prevented from getting a government back mortgage, at reasonable interest rates, for two years.

But that’s TWO years, not FIVE years as the rules stated in 2008, and not THREE years as it was until 2010. Let’s see, two years from a foreclosure or a short sale in 2009 would be, well, right now.

Condo buyers who lost their condos, but who’ve been able to get back on their feet, are entitled to buy only two years later. Those buyers will begin flooding the market, and that will definitely add to sales.

There hasn’t been a condo project finished in Miami Beach since the Continuum II in 2010.

So if a buyer wants new, I know where he or she can go. If you or someone you know is ready to buy, or at least to hear about what’s available, write me at Sildy@sildycervera.com.

In April, the MBF convened for a unique reception and panel discussion on "Selling to Foreign Buyers" at the trendy Ornare showroom in Miami's Design District; home to custom and contemporary furniture for high-end closets, kitchens, and bathrooms.

More than 60 guests attended the event (co-chaired by Donna Bloom and Jeff Morr) and enjoyed beverages and hors d'oeuvres, while touring the spacious and distinctive showroom. 

This was followed by a high-level panel discussion, moderated by Jeff Morr, on the legal and financial issues faced by international buyers of South Florida real estate, and how real estate professionals can make the process easier for their clients.  The panel included immigration attorney Mark E. Fried; mortgage executive Jeffrey Brown of Preferred Trust; and accountant Joseph Saka, of Berkowitz Dick Pollack & Brant. 

The three discussed the importance of hiring a tax attorney AND a real estate attorney to save taxes; the plethora of immigration visas available to foreign nationals (including those which allow entry into the U.S. to pursue business operations); and the types of home loans available to investors from overseas.