You don’t just want to sit home with all the great stuff planned in Miami and Miami Beach to celebrate Independence Day!

What to do? Where to see awesome fireworks displays?  4th of July can be such a difficult time of year to make decisions in Miami!  I went around the Miami blogosphere and found some blogs that name fun things to see, new places to visit.  Rick’s favorite thing to do is still to go out on the boat and watch several of the fireworks displays from Biscayne Bay (we can usually catch Bayside, Miami Beach, Fisher Island and Key Biscayne).

• Miami.com

Fourth of July is approaching so gather up your beach towels, picnic blankets, lawn-chairs, and bug spray. Here’s where you can catch the best fireworks Miami has to offer.

(Tip: you know it rains every summer day in Miami, so before you head out, pick up a rain poncho for everyone in your group, and pack it as part of your July 4th gear. Yes, it may look dorky, but it will keep you nice and dry. It’ll also keep you from getting a wet spot from sitting on damp grass or sand, as you picnic and/or watch the fireworks.)

• Miami FL on The Cheap

• I Heart Miami (this one even includes Miami Shores, to my surprise)

It’s Monday, and I’m already thinking of the weekend!!! Thankfully this week is a short week (work wise) and will fly by. If you are looking for plans/ideas on how to celebrate this year’s Independence Day, below are some activities going on around town…(even some posts on Broward locations if you want to “get away”).  I’ll continue to post through the week as I find out about the events!!Have a happy and easygoing Monday

**the photo was from our third Miamism Fridays from July 2007!! **

Miami Shores Real Estate is diverse with regards to its architectural styles but a lot of people are attracted to the area because of the Mediterranean Revival homes from the 1920’s and 30’s built when the area was developed by The Shoreland Company.  I have special regards for this property not only because of its charm and details, but it’s scale and grandeur.  The rooms of this home are spacious and the details are rich yet simple – it has such clean lines and it’s not overdone.  The home is elegant and classic yet timeless.

1040 NE 96th Street – Miami Shores, Florida

Listed for $898,000

There are a lot of homes for sale in Miami Shores, but not many that can compare to this one.  It is very rare that we see one of these Mediterranean Revival masterpieces for sale, especially with all the amenities it offers.  Located on Historic Shoreland Boulevard, with almost 3,300 square feet of living space and sitting on an over-sized 14,200 square foot lot.

The MLS description reads:

Spanish Mediterranean Architectural Gem.  this rare East of the Boulevard find will satisfy the pickiest buyer.  This home offers charm, scale, grandeur, location and sits on an over sized piece of property with 20′X40′ pool.  key historic elements have been preserved like open beamed cathedral ceilings in living room, arched openings and hand plastered walls, yet modernized with central air conditioning, gourmet kitchen and Pella high impact doors for today’s demanding lifestyle.

This home will satisfy any decorative tastes – from the most modern to the very traditional.  Imagine it as is or with white walls that accentuate the wood beams and floors.  It’s puzzling to me how a historic home as imposing as this can also feel so honest and humble.  Good architecture at its finest.

Property features:

• Built in 1936
• 3,292 square feet of living space
• 14,200 square foot lot (125′ X 142′)
• pool (approximately 20′ X 40′)
• 4 bedrooms / 3 bathrooms
• Formal Living Room with fireplace and open beamed cathedral ceilings
• central air conditioning
• 2-car garage
• gourmet kitchen with gas Thermador stove
• custom Pella doors (impact resistant)

**property information courtesy of South East Florida Multiple Listing Service and Majestic Properties **

First it was Cramer – now it’s Forbes. Keep that Positive Miami Beach Real Estate News coming! Miami makes Top Cities to Buy a Home in a recent article by Sarah Lynch for Forbes.com.

While the majority of the nation’s housing markets are still working toward a bottom, some cities are boasting fundamentals that make them good places to buy a home now.

The stats where arrived by:

• examining the number of ZIP codes with 25% of the area’s sales to determine those in which activity is most evenly distributed.
• examining increase and decrease in price per square footage to determine where market value is the highest.
• looking at transaction rates in each city to determine where the housing markets are most active.

Each city was then scored by category and then scores were combines to determine final ranking.  Miami ranked 16th and other Florida cities included were Tampa and Jacksonville.

To top it off, our own Coral Gables, Florida made number 3 in America’s Top Selling Luxury Neighborhoods written back in an April article also by Forbes.

I have to admit we have major talent in Miami when it comes to photography.  This photo of Bahia Honda in the Florida keys by MigRodz Photography lures you and hypnotizes you – I don’t know if it’s the textures, the composition, the hues or the water (maybe a combination of everything).  Whatever it is, it is undoubtedly…

….another Miamism!!

** Here at Miamism we love to post your Miami Photos. If you have a shot you want to share please join the Miamism Group at Flickr.com – or you can e-mail the photos directly to us at info@miamism.com *

We have several listings from sellers that do not live in Miami.  Some of them live outside the country, some of them outside of Florida.  What these sellers have in common is that they hired us because they felt confident and sure that we would handle the sale of their Miami Beach real estate property to their complete satisfaction.

One of our customers  who lives in a different state and whose property just went under contract, expressed that he was nervous about the whole transaction and did not know what to do.  This particular seller thought he needed to be present during all the steps and was afraid he would not be able to sell the property because of lack of time.  By communicating with him on a regular basis, he is now confident that the sale of his property is in good hands.

Once these properties are under contract there are steps that must be taken to make sure the transactions go smoothly to keep our absentee owners at ease.

1.  Submitting and negotiating an offer:  When we first receive an offer, we make sure that all addenda are included, signed and complete before we submit these to the seller.  This ensures that all documentation is appropriately filled out and signed by all parties to avoid problems and unnecessary delays.  It is surprising to see how many times we receive incomplete offers because other agents are not aware that certain addenda are required by law.

2.  Making property available for appraisals, inspections, surveys and for any other contractual requirements.  We are always available to open these properties to facilitate the process for all parties.

3.  Managing the transaction to make sure all deadlines are met – including deposits, financing contingencies and commitment letters, inspection periods and closing dates.

4.  We are in constant communication with all parties including Loan Officers, Condo or Homeowner Associations, Title Companies and/or attorneys to make sure there are no unexpected problems with the transaction.  We communicate with our customers regularly to keep them in the loop.

We let our absentee customers know that it is not always necessary to be present at the closing, since traveling may be difficult and not convenient for them.  A lot of them prefer “mail away closings” where they don’t have to leave their place of residence and all paperwork is sent directly to them.

In this age of technology, it is all about convenience and peace of mind.  Our customers are always confident that they are being taken care of and they are in good hands.  It feels great to have earned that trust.