When buying homes in Miami, a great investment, it’s standard practice to check out equivalent sales in the area to get an idea of value. But what do you do next?

You can do a walk-through and see that the back door sticks, but why? Maybe it because a hinge is loose but it could be much worse. It’s possible with some homes in Miami that something is wrong with the foundation.

It’s unlikely you’ll be able to pinpoint the problem unless you’re a building inspector.

Claude McGavick, a board member with the Florida Association of Building Inspectors, says, “A good home inspector will look at 800 to 1,000 things in a home.” He says inspectors follow standard guidelines that tell them what to look at and how to look at it.

Here are some tips for finding an inspector:

• Word of mouth is one of the best ways to choose an inspector for homes in Miami. Home inspectors in Florida are not licensed but that will change as of July 1st.

• Search professional organizations databases. They train their members and giving them inspection guidelines. Here are three places to start:

• Florida Association of Building Inspectors              800-544-3224
• American Society of Home Inspectors                    800-743-2744
• National Association of Home Inspectors               800-448-3942

According to the Florida Association of Building Inspectors, standard inspections involve a visual examination of the Miami real estate property from top to bottom. The inspector will check the heating system, the central air-conditioning system, the interior plumbing and electrical systems, the roof and visible insulation, walls, ceilings, floors, windows and doors, the foundation, basement and visible structure. The inspector should tell you about any system that may be near the end of its serviceable life or not up to par, and why. It’s very important to pay special attention to the roof and to termite damage of Miami real estate properties.

In general, expect to pay about $300 to $500 for an inspection, says McGavick, who also is an inspector with Home Check Home Inspection Services of Bradenton. The size of the Miami real estate property, the age, special structures and so on can affect the price.

It’s not up to the inspector to tell you whether or not to buy a house in Miami. No house is perfect; you must decide which imperfections and eventual repairs are acceptable.

The number of Miami homes in November, in some stage of the foreclosure process, dropped by 5.62% in Miami-Dade County compared to October. However, according to figures released Thursday by foreclosure data firm RealtyTrac, Miami foreclosures were still up by double-digit percentages versus the same month last year.
In November, 7,306 Miami homes had either received a foreclosure notice, were scheduled for auction or taken back by a bank in an auction sale. This was an increase of almost 13% from year ago.
The number of new Miami foreclosures filings was up from last year by a large 30% predicting a bigger lump of Miami homes that are likely to enter the market later on.
Miami-Dade ranked seventh in the state for foreclosures, with one of every 133 Miami homes in some stage of the process. By comparison, one home in every 417 was caught up in foreclosure nationally.
In November, the foreclosure rate in Broward fared slightly worse compared to October, rising 4.44%, with one of every 113 homes in the pipeline.
The rate was up 4.38% from a year ago and new foreclosure filings were up 27% from last year.
Following Nevada, Florida (with one home per 165 in foreclosure) displaced California for the state with the second-highest percentage of Miami homes in foreclosure. In Nevada, there was one home in foreclosure for every 119 that were not.

March is the peak of tourism in Miami. Tourism officials hoped that this year’s seemingly busy travel peak season would end the continuous decline of Miami’s largest industry. Unfortunately, vacationers that traveled at all are demanding lower rates for Miami Beach hotels. Room rates for hotels in Miami Beach are down by double digits.

A report from Smith Travel Research shows that March as been a miserable month for Miami Beach hotels at a rate decrease of 18 to 22 percent from last year. A new report predicts that this year will be the end of this decline in tourism and that hotels in Miami Beach room rates will grow 7 percent in 2010.

According to the Jones Lang LaSalle report, Miami Beach hotels rates in 2012 will surpass last year’s levels. Some should consider purchasing hotels in Miami Beach as they are probably at their most affordable right now. Make sure to make your purchase before the revenue levels rise again as the price to invest in a hotel will rise, too.

South Beach’s new Mondrian condo-hotel made its debut during 2008 Art Basel after its $200 million renovation.

The 17-story building offers 335 hotel residences including studios, one and two-bedroom condos and tower suites.

British singer, Craig David, is the proud owner of one of the Mondrian’s tower suites. Dutch designer, Marcel Wanders was the visionary behind the magical, white and black palace property. He built upon the designs of Philippe Starck, a design pioneer who Wanders believes to be the “best designer on the planet.”

The South Beach Mondrian sits directly beside the beautiful Miami Biscayne Bay and exudes designs inspired by pure fantasy and furnished with pieces from Wanders’ design studio. There is an outdoor living area that extends to the bay; cabanas of 16-foot curtains; canopied day beds and an adult sandbox.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-aQFGg7NtF8]

The interior features massive white spindle columns and crystal chandelier shower heads.

The most recognized piece, centered in the 4,000 square foot lobby, is the black metal spiral staircase that depicts an intricate lace pattern consistently found throughout the entire hotel.

The hotel-residence is meant to provide an experience, not just an accommodation. It was designed so that people feel as if they just landed in a wonderland of fantasy, magic and beauty.

Wanders’ intention with the South Beach Mondrian is to complement the Delano Hotel South Beach with a shared daring attitude, instead of competing against it. During its opening week in Art Basel, the Mondrian hosted several parties, dinners and happy hours.

Celebrities  in Miami including Mary-Kate Olsen, Russell Simmons, Marilyn Manson, Ivana Trump and Alex Rodriguez quickly graced the  South Beach Mondrian with their presence in its very first opening week. Despite all its wonderous allure, Wanders assures us that the Mondrian is actually still months away from perfection.

Brickell Miami is becoming a really nice place to live, shop, eat, and go out!

Although many Brickell condos were built, this Miami Florida neighborhood was mostly a business district with no nightlife. As a matter of fact, even when the Brickell real estate market is still not optimum and many buildings are partially empty, it seems like Brickell real estate and the neighborhood’s quality are climbing gradually.

More than 4,000 condos are currently empty in Brickell, and many Brickell real estate experts are predicting a prolonged decrease of prices in the area. Therefore, these price-reduced apartments offering luxury services will be sold as bargains in the times to come; as a consequence, it seems like it is a good moment to buy or rent in Brickell.

Sagafredo Miami Brickell, Novecento Brickell, and Rosa Mexicano are just some of the restaurants in Brickell that are giving a new spirit to the area. Furthermore, this neighborhood is getting packed with young professionals that are choosing Brickell as a premier place to live. Young professionals look to be specially attracted by strolling cafes, restaurants, and lounges in the area… more…

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