Channel 10 News: South Florida mother beats colon cancer, urges others to listen to their bodies
You never think it’s you. I didn’t feel sick. I just felt… off. Not sleeping, headaches, nothing obvious. The kind of thing you can easily explain away and keep going. But I didn’t. Local 10 News shared my story, and I’m putting it here for one reason. Don’t delay tests and don’t ignore yourself. You […] The post Channel 10 News: South Florida mother beats colon cancer, urges others to listen to their bodies appeared first on Miamism.
You never think it’s you. I didn’t feel sick. I just felt… off. Not sleeping, headaches, nothing obvious. The kind of thing you can easily explain away and keep going. But I didn’t. Local 10 News shared my story, and I’m putting it here for one reason. Don’t delay tests and don’t ignore yourself. You know when something isn’t right, even if you can’t explain it. Pay attention. Speak up. Find a doctor who listens. It made all the difference for me. South Florida mother beats colon cancer, urges others to listen to their bodies FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Colorectal cancer isn’t just a concern for older adults anymore. Doctors say cases are rising in younger people, with about 1 in 5 diagnoses now occurring in patients under 55. For 55-year-old Ines Hegedus-Garcia, the diagnosis came after she noticed subtle changes in her health. The South Florida realtor and mother of three said she began feeling “a little off.” “I started not sleeping, I started getting headaches, I just wasn’t feeling right,” she said. Instead of brushing it off, Hegedus-Garcia went to see Dr. Nabeel Khan, an internal medicine physician with Mount Sinai Medical Center. “When I showed up, it was the most unusual thing in the world. He was looking at me in the eye and listening,” she said. “And I find that to be so unusual in today’s medical field.” Khan said that kind of communication is critical, especially when symptoms aren’t obvious. “Patients really do know their own bodies,” Khan said. “If they are complaining about vague symptoms, it’s important to really listen and try to evaluate and investigate to see what’s going on.” Even though her initial blood work came back normal, Khan ordered additional cancer screenings, including a colonoscopy. That test revealed colon cancer. Because it was caught early, doctors were able to remove the cancer surgically. Hegedus-Garcia did not need chemotherapy or radiation. Now cancer-free, she’s back to her active lifestyle — including kickboxing. “I feel fantastic. I really do,” she said. “I boxed yesterday. I work out every day. I think I’ve never felt better.” Doctors say her story is a reminder to pay attention to your body and speak up if something doesn’t feel right. Early detection can make all the difference. Original Link to News Segment: https://www.local10.com/health/2026/03/26/south-florida-mother-beats-colon-cancer-urges-others-to-listen-to-their-bodies/ The post Channel 10 News: South Florida mother beats colon cancer, urges others to listen to their bodies appeared first on Miamism.
NAR REALTOR News: AI Listed This Miami Home, But an Agent Closed the Deal
Here’s a post by the National Association of REALTORS® for their NAR REALTOR® News magazine. They reached out to interview me on the story, and it was important to include the actual buyer’s agent, Elinor, one of my amazing agents at Avanti Way East Miami who specializes in the Cooper City area, to make sure […] The post NAR REALTOR News: AI Listed This Miami Home, But an Agent Closed the Deal appeared first on Miamism.
Here’s a post by the National Association of REALTORS® for their NAR REALTOR® News magazine. They reached out to interview me on the story, and it was important to include the actual buyer’s agent, Elinor, one of my amazing agents at Avanti Way East Miami who specializes in the Cooper City area, to make sure the perspective came directly from the source. This piece walks through what really happened inside the transaction, from how the property was perceived in person, to the nuances that don’t show up in AI tools, to the role Elinor played in guiding the process from contract to closing. It’s a great reminder that while technology can support the process, real estate still comes down to experience, judgment, and being present when it matters most. AI Listed This Miami Home, But an Agent Closed the Deal March 27, 2026 – by Nicole Slaughter Graham A South Florida seller used ChatGPT to list his home, but gaps in pricing, presentation and process left a buyer’s agent guiding the deal. Elinor Solomonoviz, left, and Ines Hegedus-Garcia of Avanti Way Realty in South Florida A story out of Miami is making the rounds about a homeowner who used ChatGPT to sell his house instead of hiring a real estate agent. The story notes that the seller says the process “exceeded expectations” and went smoothly. But the agent on the opposite side of the transaction, and her broker, noticed that some key details were missing from the narrative. The buyer’s agent, Elinor Solomonoviz, and her broker, Ines Hegedus-Garcia, noted that AI missed key market nuances that likely cost the seller money. Solomonoviz, who wasn’t representing the seller, then became the person guiding the transaction forward for both sides. Solomonoviz is an agent and Hegedus-Garcia is managing partner and branch leader with Avanti Way Realty, with multiple offices in the Miami area. What AI Didn’t See Solomonoviz recalls viewing the listing for the home and telling her buyer that some upgrades were likely needed but that the property checked off most of the buyer’s needs. Solomonoviz worked with the seller to set up a showing, but when she and her buyer showed up, Solomonoviz immediately noticed the photos from the listing didn’t match the property. “We were in shock. The property looks much better,” she says. The listing photos didn’t capture much of the property’s differentiating features: a large backyard, an oversized pool, upgrades and design elements that changed how the home felt in person. Those details don’t always translate through automated systems, and they directly impact perceived value. Solomonoviz knew that because she knows the market intimately. “I’ve been looking at this market for the past few years,” she says. “I go to see most of the homes when they’re listed. So I know most of the floor plans, what’s good in the house, what’s not good in the house.” Hegedus-Garcia noted that whenever a potential client wants a home in Cooper City, Solomonoviz is the area expert she refers them to. That kind of on-the-ground knowledge isn’t something AI can replicate. It’s built over time, property by property, transaction by transaction. Pricing Isn’t Just Math The biggest gap, according to Hegedus-Garcia, came down to valuation. Her agents are trained to pull comps and use automated tools like RPR to come up with valuations, but then, she encourages her agents to run through those valuations by hand. “I like to do three to four different models to triple check those numbers because at the end of the day, it’s difficult to arrive at a number, and an automated value model is never going to know the nuances,” Hegedus-Garcia says. “Like Elinor told us that the bigger yard, the views, the trees or the cul-de-sac, those things are not [calculated] in the AVM.” After her analysis, Hegedus-Garcia estimates the seller left significant money on the table, potentially far more than the commission he set out to save. The seller notes in the news story that he received five offers on the home within a 72-hour period, and working with an agent could have helped him leverage the interest in the property to maximize profits. The Transaction Itself Despite choosing not to hire a listing agent, the seller still needed help navigating contracts, disclosures and next steps. When Solomonoviz and her client were ready to make an offer on the home, she sent over the standard Florida real estate contract, to which the seller responded saying he needed to go over it with his lawyer. But the lawyer didn’t always relay answers in a timely fashion, and the seller still had many questions. Since he didn’t have an agent to rely on, he directed them to Solomonoviz, she says. She stepped in, informally, and answered all of his questions. “We ended up being on the phone [one night] until 11 p.m. to go over everything,” she says. After she thoroughly explained everything in the contract, the seller accepted the offer from Solomonoviz’s buyer, but the questions kept coming, she says. “Seller’s disclosures, HOA addendums, inspections—he had no clue,” she recalls. “Every single day I would take his phone calls from sometimes 7:30 in the morning to 8 or 9 p.m.,” she says. During the home inspection, she was present for the entire three hours, and the seller talked with her and asked her questions about what came next and how to move forward. “If it was somebody else on the buyer side, someone who didn’t want to answer his questions, this deal might have not closed,” Solomonoviz says. The seller’s decision to use AI wasn’t arbitrary. He told Solomonoviz that it stemmed from a bad experience with an agent about a decade ago. But by the end of the transaction, his perspective had shifted. “He told me how I had changed his mind on real estate agents and that next time he needs to hire me,” she says. Her experience and poise—specifically her willingness to answer questions, interpret contracts and guide the process in real time—made the difference. The Bigger Picture Hegedus-Garcia doesn’t dismiss AI. She sees it as a tool, one that consumers are already using and that she uses in her office. But tools don’t replace market knowledge or judgment, and that’s where real estate professionals hold value and shine during the transaction. Timing, negotiation and clarity matter, and in this case, Solomonoviz’s expertise highlighted AI’s limitations. What might be most important was the level-headedness and reassurance she exuded, often in moments where the seller didn’t know what to do next, Hegedus-Garcia says. “There’s nothing like answering a phone call and calming someone down when that person thinks something is going wrong,” Hegedus-Garcia says. “I don’t think any AI can do that.” LINK to Original Article: https://www.nar.realtor/magazine/real-estate-news/technology/ai-listed-this-miami-home-but-an-agent-closed-the-deal The post NAR REALTOR News: AI Listed This Miami Home, But an Agent Closed the Deal appeared first on Miamism.
REALTOR.COM: A Man Used ChatGPT To Sell His Home—but Did It Cost Him a Bidding War and up to $225K in Profit?
You’ve probably seen the headlines and my blog post about the Florida man who used ChatGPT to sell his home. This piece by Realtor.com does a great job of getting beyond the hype and looking at what actually happened inside the transaction. Thank you to Allaire Conte for taking the time to dig into both […] The post REALTOR.COM: A Man Used ChatGPT To Sell His Home—but Did It Cost Him a Bidding War and up to $225K in Profit? appeared first on Miamism.
You’ve probably seen the headlines and my blog post about the Florida man who used ChatGPT to sell his home. This piece by Realtor.com does a great job of getting beyond the hype and looking at what actually happened inside the transaction. Thank you to Allaire Conte for taking the time to dig into both sides of the story. The question isn’t whether AI can help you sell a home. It can. The real question is whether it helps you maximize the outcome. This article looks at what happens once offers come in, how leverage is created or missed, and what it takes to navigate a deal from contract to closing. That’s where the difference shows up. AI can support the process. It doesn’t replace strategy, negotiation, or judgment. And that’s the part that matters. REALTORS need to prove their value now more than ever. Consumers will use artificial intelligence, and our role is to embrace it and make sure it leads to better decisions, not just faster ones. A Man Used ChatGPT To Sell His Home—but Did It Cost Him a Bidding War and up to $225K in Profit? By Allaire Conte – March 23, 2026 Robert Levine recently closed on the sale of his four-bedroom three-bathroom home in Cooper City, FL, for $954,800. But instead of thanking a real estate agent, he thanked ChatGPT. Levine says the chatbot helped him list the property, draw five offers after only 15 showings, and close for $100,000 over what other agents had told him his home was worth. The story, first reported by Fortune, quickly became a flashpoint in the broader powder keg debate over whether AI tools like ChatGPT can replace the work of everyone from humble writers to highly specialized professions like lawyers—and now real estate professionals. But according to Ines Hegedus-Garcia, managing partner at Avanti Way East Miami, where the buyer’s agent works, the viral takeaway may be too simple. In her view, the sale shows that while ChatGPT may have helped Levine get to market, it didn’t help him fully capitalize on a multioffer scenario. And in a slow-moving market, that could have left the biggest advantage unrealized. The pricing story is murkier than headlines suggest Hegedus-Garcia is careful not to claim she knows the full seller-side picture. “I don’t know if it’s true that he actually met with other agents,” she says of Levine’s claim that local agents wanted to list the home for far less. “Obviously, I don’t know the seller side of the story.” Still, after reviewing every nonwaterfront family-home sale in the area over the last year, she tells Realtor.com® that she came away skeptical of the idea that the sale proved ChatGPT had nailed the pricing. Her review, which she shared with Realtor.com, covered 31 sales. Levine’s home sold for $358.41 per square foot, above the area’s average of $339.20. But Hegedus-Garcia argues that the broader average may understate what this particular home could have fetched, because it was not an average property. Levine’s home had a larger lot, updates, and stronger overall condition than many homes in that wider sample. Just as important, she says, the listing may not have fully conveyed that. “She said that the pictures didn’t do it justice,” Hegedus-Garcia says of her agent’s first impression of the property. “At first they thought it was more of a fixer-upper.” However, the buyer’s agent found that “the property was much better than the photos.” That doesn’t prove the home was definitively underpriced. But it does suggest the house may have been stronger than its online presentation—and stronger than the viral narrative—initially made it seem. Five offers came in—and that’s where the seller may have missed the most Even if the pricing debate is set aside entirely, Hegedus-Garcia argues that the bigger issue was what ChatGPT couldn’t do once buyers started competing. “Let’s assume I am completely wrong on the price,” she says. “You did not capitalize on that multiple offer scenario.” In Hegedus-Garcia’s view, that was the moment to move aggressively. “At that point, you contact everyone that submitted an offer, and you say, ‘I’m looking for your best and highest by this certain date,’” she says. The goal is not just to see who will pay more, but to force buyers to sharpen the full deal: price, timing, contingencies, and other terms. That critique carries extra weight in Cooper City’s current market. Realtor.com senior economist Joel Berner says the area is in a buyer’s market, with inventory up 5.1% and median listing prices down 14.6% year over year in February, even as time on market has fallen. “Buyers have taken notice,” he says. In that context, Berner argues, getting immediate competition was a rare source of leverage. “The seller had a nightmare scenario where he listed far too low and claimed to have generated competing bids right away,” Berner says. “Not taking advantage of that situation to claw back some lost price could have cost him six figures.” Negotiation didn’t stop at contract signing It’s a stinging possibility, but there’s another cost to selling without an agent: navigating the deal once it is under contract. According to Hegedus-Garcia, Levine repeatedly had questions about addenda, disclosure requirements, inspection timelines, and other contract terms as the transaction moved forward—questions ChatGPT could answer in broad terms, but not always in ways that matched Florida practice. “He would run it by ChatGPT, come back to her and say, ‘How about this?’” she says. “And [the buyer’s agent] is like, no, that doesn’t apply in Florida.” Some of the confusion, she says, involved forms required under state law, along with the kind of live judgment calls that do not translate neatly across markets. While Levine worked with a real estate attorney, he also leaned heavily on the expertise of the buyer’s agent. Hegedus-Garcia says it’s “not common” for a seller to rely that heavily on a buyer’s agent. While an agent may help a FSBO seller move through the process, she says, “If you really separate fiduciary duties, you want to make sure that you have someone representing your whole side of it.” ChatGPT can help with tasks. It cannot yet replace judgment. Hegedus-Garcia is careful not to frame this as an anti-AI story. “I am very pro artificial intelligence and tools,” she says, describing herself as deeply tech-driven. But, she adds, “There’s times where artificial intelligence makes mistakes and that’s a problem.” Her analogy is simple: “I use ChatGPT as my nutritionist, but I go to the doctor and get real blood tests. I’m not going to trust ChatGPT with my health, with something that’s really important.” The same logic applies to real estate, she argues: Consumers should use AI to ask smarter questions and move more efficiently, but they should be careful not to mistake that help for judgment. Dan Weisman, director of innovation strategy at the National Association of Realtors®, puts it similarly: “AI tools like ChatGPT can be useful for research, but they are not a substitute for professional representation,” he says. “A home purchase is likely the largest financial transaction of a person’s life, and it involves legal contracts, local market expertise, negotiation, and fiduciary obligation,” he adds. By Levine’s own account, ChatGPT appears to have helped with the steps: It helped him organize information, move through the process, and get the house sold. But the unresolved question is whether it helped him sell as well as he could have. On that point, Hegedus-Garcia estimates that the cost of going without representation likely landed somewhere between $75,000 and $225,000—a number she got by subtracting Levine’s claimed commission savings (about 3%, or roughly $28,000) from what she sees as the home’s potential pricing gap based on comparable sales. That isn’t to say every seller needs a traditional agent or that FSBO can’t work. There is, Hegedus-Garcia suggests, a place for all of it. But this sale shows the risk of confusing independence with expertise. A seller may be able to skip representation and still get to closing, but that doesn’t mean a chatbot can leverage your most valuable asset in a stagnant market. Realtor.com has contacted Levine for comment. Original story link: https://www.realtor.com/news/trends/chatgpt-viral-home-sale-florida-profit/ The post REALTOR.COM: A Man Used ChatGPT To Sell His Home—but Did It Cost Him a Bidding War and up to $225K in Profit? appeared first on Miamism.
Barron’s: How Home Buyers Are Using AI for the Property Hunt
I was interviewed by Barron’s about how buyers are using AI in their home search, which lines up exactly with what we’re seeing on the ground. If you’re using chat gpt or any other AI platform before reaching out, you’re doing it right. You’re coming in informed, with questions, with opinions. That makes this process […] The post Barron’s: How Home Buyers Are Using AI for the Property Hunt appeared first on Miamism.
I was interviewed by Barron’s about how buyers are using AI in their home search, which lines up exactly with what we’re seeing on the ground. If you’re using chat gpt or any other AI platform before reaching out, you’re doing it right. You’re coming in informed, with questions, with opinions. That makes this process sharper, not harder. Now the reality check. AI is quick, confident, and very convincing. It also doesn’t know what’s actually happening in real time. It doesn’t see the nuance in a building, a block, or a seller’s situation. And it will absolutely back up whatever angle you feed it. That’s where things can go sideways. Use it as a starting point. It’s a good one. Then bring it to us. We’ll tell you what holds up, what doesn’t, and what actually matters before you make a decision. How Home Buyers Are Using AI for the Property Hunt March 22, 2026 – By Shaina Mishkin Key Points 82% of U.S. adults surveyed by Realtor.com used AI platforms for real estate insights, indicating a significant shift in property shopping. AI assists home buyers and sellers by narrowing options, estimating mortgage payments and visualizing improvements. AI in real estate can provide incorrect or biased information, potentially misrepresenting data and impacting high-value transactions. Artificial intelligence is opening new avenues of information to home buyers, sellers, and renters. It’s changing the way people shop for real estate—for better or worse. Consumer use of AI will shape more deals as the use of large-language model platforms such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini become common. In a survey of 1,000 U.S. adults, Realtor.com found that 82% of respondents used AI platforms for real estate insights. The majority of those surveyed said it was a positive use of their time. (News Corp, which owns Barron’s, also runs Realtor.com through its Move subsidiary.) The platforms are the latest in a long line of digital tools the general public can now use in a home search or sale. Information such as sale price or tax history, which today can take seconds to track down, was harder to locate before real estate data was digitized and listings moved online. “The beauty of what AI has done is that it’s expanded that world even more,” says Ines Hegedus-Garcia, a managing partner at the southern Florida-based Avanti Way Realty. “The fear is that it doesn’t always get it right.” Bouncing ideas off a bot isn’t unique to real estate. Shoppers are using AI tools to search for cheaper alternatives to favorite beauty products, try on an outfit virtually before purchasing it, and vet food options based on nutritional content, says Kelly Pedersen, global retail leader at consulting firm PwC. That research is critical when it comes to bigger-ticket purchases, he notes. Access to more information can give a buyer or seller valuable insights—but that data can also be wrong in ways that aren’t immediately obvious or can reinforce prior assumptions. That can have real-world consequences, with thousands of dollars potentially on the line. When I tested platforms such as Gemini and ChatGPT on places I’ve lived, they mixed verifiable facts—such as 311 complaints or air quality concerns—with incorrect or vague assertions. In one instance, one warned that noise from a bar a mile away—well out of earshot—could make it hard to sleep. It’s not uncommon to encounter incorrect details: OpenAI pointed Barron’s to an FAQ page titled “Does ChatGPT tell the truth?” Those using the tool should “use ChatGPT as a first draft, not a final source,” the website advises. “Always verify quotes, data, technical information or references to external documents.” In an Instagram video, celebrity real estate agent Ryan Serhant detailed a multimillion-dollar deal that was nearly derailed because an AI platform told both the buyer and seller they were getting ripped off. “The buyer said ‘is $50 million too high?’ And so then the model leaned cautious and then obviously found reasons that it was overpriced,” he told Barron’s. “The seller said: ‘is $50 million too low?’ The model leans opportunistic and then found upside.” Both parties eventually came back to the table after Serhant’s video went viral, he says. For its potential pitfalls, there are plenty of helpful ways consumers use AI models in property searches. “Clients are smart—they know that the final answer they get from ChatGPT is not the end-all, be-all,” says Texas Re/Max agent Todd Luong. House hunters are using the tools to narrow down neighborhoods, price ranges, and other details before they set foot in a home, says Carrie Lysenko, chief technology officer at brokerage eXp. “Buyers and sellers are coming to the table being a lot more educated than they used to,” she says. Proactively slimming down ones’ options saves everyone time, she adds: “It potentially goes from seeing 100 homes to narrowing down [to] 20 homes.” AI models can be helpful for gaming out hypotheticals, such as estimating monthly mortgage payments. “A lot of AI-assisted conversations quickly gravitate toward constraints,” says Josh Weisberg, senior vice president of AI at housing technology company Zillow Group. “Things like budget and affordability are often at the center, and people commonly combine multiple requirements at once.” A Google spokesperson noted in an email that Gemini can help brainstorm a home’s layout using floor plans, parse listings for potential issues, and estimate the return-on-investment of home renovation projects, among other uses. Luong, the Texas agent, says clients find the tools useful for visualizing home improvement projects, including suggestions for paint colors or flooring. “Now they don’t always have to ask me for suggestions,” he says. He also expects them to use the platforms as a sounding board to gut-check market information and prices. He has started proactively asking such models questions so he can be prepared for what they might be telling his clients, he says. AI can be helpful in digesting large quantities of text, such as homeowners association documents, says Ben Clark, a Utah-based agent and president of the National Association of Buyers’ Agents. “It doesn’t replace your obligation or your responsibility to read through HOA documents, but you can certainly use it as a tool,” he says. Real estate companies have been building their own AI tools. Zillow offers virtual staging tools on certain listings and integration with ChatGPT. Homes.com parent company CoStar Group recently launched a home search and refinement tool that users can talk to or text. Redfin, owned by the mortgage company Rocket, lets users peruse homes with help from a virtual assistant. All three stocks are down more than the Dow Jones Industrial Average this year due in part to housing market headwinds. Gaming out a home’s fair value is one place where large platforms can leave something to be desired, agents say. Housing market conditions can change long before comparable sale information becomes public, agent Serhant notes. Buyers and sellers should be careful what they ask for—and how they ask it. Consumers’ platform of choice can easily fill the affirming role family, or a lawyer, might have in the past, Serhant says: “The response frames assumptions based on how the question is asked, and then it optimizes to give you a coherent answer, not an objectively correct one.” When I asked AI for its take on certain listings, the way I phrased the question mattered a lot. A more milquetoast “can you tell me about this house?” tended to yield less critical responses than “what’s wrong with this house?” In the latter case, “there may literally be nothing wrong with the house,” says Clark, the Utah agent. “But it’s going to find something because it knows you want it to.” LINK to Original Article: https://www.barrons.com/articles/home-price-data-case-shiller-housing-market-b1230c54?mod=Searchresults The post Barron’s: How Home Buyers Are Using AI for the Property Hunt appeared first on Miamism.
Seller Trusted ChatGPT. Buyer Hired an Avanti Way Agent. Guess Who Won.
Florida man uses ChatGPT to sell his Cooper City home This was all over the news last week and there’s a great twist the news didn’t tell you. The buyer won. Here’s what really happened. Everyone’s talking about the seller who used ChatGPT to sell his house, and to be clear, ChatGPT did exactly what […] The post Seller Trusted ChatGPT. Buyer Hired an Avanti Way Agent. Guess Who Won. appeared first on Miamism.
Florida man uses ChatGPT to sell his Cooper City home This was all over the news last week and there’s a great twist the news didn’t tell you. The buyer won. Here’s what really happened. Everyone’s talking about the seller who used ChatGPT to sell his house, and to be clear, ChatGPT did exactly what it’s supposed to do. It helped him get the property listed, write a description, and move through the steps of a real estate transaction. From an execution standpoint, it worked. But real estate isn’t just execution. What the listing didn’t show On the other side of that transaction was a buyer represented by Elinor Solomonoviz, one of my agents at Avanti Way East Miami. She knows that market well, and the moment she saw the listing, something didn’t add up. The photos made the home feel like a fixer when it wasn’t. The property actually had a larger lot, a pool, upgrades, and was in better condition than the average home in the area. It was a strong house, it just wasn’t positioned like one, and the pricing confirmed it. The pricing gap no one is talking about Looking at the comps, the property appears to have been underlisted by roughly $50 to $100 per square foot. On the higher end, that’s close to a $250,000 gap before negotiations even began. The seller mentioned getting five offers in the first 72 hours. That wasn’t just demand, that was opportunity. Strategy vs. reaction Elinor didn’t chase the noise. She moved with intention. She worked within her buyer’s timeline, moved quickly, and secured the deal before anything could shift. No emotion, no urgency for the sake of urgency, just strategy. That’s where the difference started to show. The part AI doesn’t handle As the transaction moved forward, the seller began leaning on Elinor more and more. Questions about contracts, timelines, disclosures, inspection periods, and next steps kept coming, not once or twice, but consistently, including evenings and late hours. During inspections, the questions continued. At the same time, Elinor was doing what a good agent does. She was protecting her client. She negotiated an additional $5,000 credit for inspection items, structured a rent-back that worked for both sides, and managed the process without exposing her buyer to unnecessary risk. The moment that says everything At the final walk-through, the seller said it himself. Next time, he would use an agent. He expressed he regretted selling and even asked if he could buy the house back. The real cost of saving The seller shared that he saved about 3 percent, roughly $28,600, but when you compare that to the pricing gap and the outcome of the negotiation, the math tells a very different story. The cost of going without representation likely landed somewhere between $75,000 and $225,000. The takeaway no one is writing about So yes, ChatGPT helped him execute. ChatGPT handled the steps. It didn’t handle pricing strategy, negotiation leverage, or risk. That part still requires a human. Real estate is not just about getting from point A to point B. It’s about positioning, timing, and knowing where you’re exposed before it costs you. In this case, only one side had the advantage. And it was the one working with a REALTOR. Real estate decisions come with real consequences. Make sure you have someone in your corner. Our agents across South Florida are here to guide you every step of the way. (blog image done with help of AI and modified by miamism human) The post Seller Trusted ChatGPT. Buyer Hired an Avanti Way Agent. Guess Who Won. appeared first on Miamism.
Do Off-Market Listings Help or Hurt Home Sellers?
Summary Exclusive or off-market listings may sound appealing, but limiting exposure can reduce buyer competition. In real estate, broad MLS exposure helps sellers reach the largest pool of buyers, increasing the likelihood of stronger offers and better pricing. What Does “Exclusivity” Mean in Real Estate? Webster definition:Exclusivity (noun): the quality or state of being exclusive; […] The post Do Off-Market Listings Help or Hurt Home Sellers? appeared first on Miamism.
Summary Exclusive or off-market listings may sound appealing, but limiting exposure can reduce buyer competition. In real estate, broad MLS exposure helps sellers reach the largest pool of buyers, increasing the likelihood of stronger offers and better pricing. What Does “Exclusivity” Mean in Real Estate? Webster definition: Exclusivity (noun): the quality or state of being exclusive; limited to a single individual, group, or category. Exclusivity is a seductive word. Luxury brands use it. Private clubs use it. Invite only events, members only spaces, VIP access. The message is simple: if something is exclusive, it must be valuable. But in real estate, exclusivity does not work the same way. When a seller markets a property “exclusively” to a limited audience, what they are literally doing is excluding the rest of the market. And the market is not a small room. It is thousands of potential buyers, hundreds of agents representing those buyers, and an entire ecosystem designed to create visibility around available properties. Why Competition Drives Home Prices Healthy real estate markets function on competition. The more people who know about a property, the more potential buyers you create. The more buyers you create, the more competition forms. And competition is what ultimately moves price. In real estate, exclusivity in marketing does not create value. Exposure and competition do. This is why visibility matters. When a property is placed in the MLS, it becomes visible to thousands of agents and their buyers. It appears across major real estate platforms and reaches people actively searching for homes. Sometimes that demand shows up quietly, and sometimes it shows up as multiple offers. Either way, the seller benefits from allowing the market to do what markets are designed to do. What “Off-Market” Really Means Words like exclusive, off-market, private listing, and quiet marketing sound powerful. They suggest prestige, scarcity, or access to something special. But in many cases they create something much simpler: fewer people know the property exists. In practical terms, an off-market listing simply means the property is not exposed to the full pool of buyers who could potentially compete for it. If only a small circle knows about the property, only that circle can respond. Fewer buyers means less competition, and less competition often means less pressure on price. The irony is that what feels exclusive can end up being restrictive. Why MLS Exposure Matters for Sellers One of the reasons the U.S. real estate market functions as efficiently as it does is because of cooperation. The MLS system was built so that properties could be shared across brokerages, exposing listings to the largest possible pool of buyers. Thousands of agents can see the same property at the same time, and those agents are connected to buyers actively looking for homes. In many parts of the world where cooperative listing systems do not exist, properties remain fragmented across individual brokerages. Visibility is limited and sellers often lose the benefit of full market competition. The strength of the MLS is simple: it brings the market together in one place. The Key Question Sellers Should Ask It is worth asking a simple question whenever exclusivity or off-market marketing is suggested: Who benefits from limiting exposure? In most markets, sellers benefit from more buyers competing for their property, not fewer. The broader the exposure, the greater the chance that the right buyer sees it. The one willing to pay the most, or move the fastest. Sellers deserve the entire market working on their behalf. If you are considering an exclusive or off-market strategy, pause for a moment and think through the consequences. Every buyer who does not see your property is a buyer who cannot compete for it. Unless there is a legitimate privacy concern or a specific reason to keep a sale quiet, the goal should be maximum exposure to the largest possible audience of qualified buyers who may have interest in your property. Because in real estate, the most powerful word is not exclusivity. It is exposure. Frequently Asked Questions About Off-Market Listings What is an off-market listing in real estate? An off-market listing is a property that is not publicly marketed through the Multiple Listing Service (MLS). Instead, it may be shared privately within a limited network of agents or buyers. Do off-market listings help sellers get higher prices? In most cases, broader exposure creates stronger competition among buyers. When fewer buyers know a property is available, the opportunity for competitive offers may be reduced. Why do some agents recommend off-market listings? Some sellers prefer privacy or discretion when selling a home. In those situations, limited exposure may make sense. However, sellers should understand that fewer buyers seeing the property can also mean fewer competing offers. Why is the MLS important for home sellers? The MLS allows real estate professionals to share listings with thousands of agents and buyers simultaneously. This broad exposure helps maximize visibility and increases the chances of attracting multiple interested buyers. Should every home be listed on the MLS? Not every property requires full public exposure. Certain situations may justify a private sale. However, for most sellers, maximizing exposure through the MLS creates the best opportunity for strong buyer competition. (post image created by AI and modified by miamism human) The post Do Off-Market Listings Help or Hurt Home Sellers? appeared first on Miamism.
March 5th has quietly become one of Miami’s most unofficial official holidays. Around here, the number 305 isn’t just an area code. It’s shorthand for the culture, the attitude, and the rhythm of the city. 305 Day started gaining traction in the early 2010s as locals began using March 5th to celebrate everything that makes […] The post 305 Day: Miami Celebrating Miami appeared first on Miamism.
March 5th has quietly become one of Miami’s most unofficial official holidays. Around here, the number 305 isn’t just an area code. It’s shorthand for the culture, the attitude, and the rhythm of the city. 305 Day started gaining traction in the early 2010s as locals began using March 5th to celebrate everything that makes Miami, Miami. Restaurants run specials, brands create campaigns, musicians drop tracks, and social media fills up with palm trees, cafecitos, and a lot of pride for the city. Over the years, several platforms and events have built entire activations around the date. It’s become a day where the city leans into its identity and reminds everyone that Miami isn’t just a place on the map. It’s a personality. But here’s the funny part. For some of us, every day has been 305 Day for a long time. At miamism, celebrating Miami isn’t something we turn on once a year. We’ve been doing it for years. Architecture, neighborhoods, real estate, lifestyle, culture, the water, the history, the quirks that only locals understand. That’s the lens we’ve always used to look at this city. Because miamism isn’t just a brand. It’s Miami’s way of life. And if there’s a day that captures that spirit, it’s March 5th. So today the whole city joins in. Very 305. The post 305 Day: Miami Celebrating Miami appeared first on Miamism.
March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. Not exactly influencer content. Not aesthetic. No one is building a brand around colonoscopies. But it is the month dedicated to a test that quietly saves lives, even though most of us would rather reorganize our entire calendar than schedule it. So let’s talk about it. We are all […] The post Miami Is Loud. Cancer Isn’t. appeared first on Miamism.
March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. Not exactly influencer content. Not aesthetic. No one is building a brand around colonoscopies. But it is the month dedicated to a test that quietly saves lives, even though most of us would rather reorganize our entire calendar than schedule it. So let’s talk about it. We are all very good at postponing health tests. Not because we are irresponsible, but because we are busy, productive, functioning humans. If nothing feels urgent, it slides. There is always a deal to negotiate, a meeting to attend, a trip to plan, a family obligation to handle. We tell ourselves we will take care of it after this quarter, after summer, after things slow down. And we continue delaying. And let’s face it, colonoscopies come with an extra layer of resistance. The prep is brutal. No one looks forward to voluntarily spending a day on a toilet. Here is what matters in my case. I did not postpone mine. I had my first colonoscopy and was told to come back in ten years, so I was on schedule and doing exactly what I was supposed to do. But I was not feeling one hundred percent. There was nothing dramatic and nothing digestive, I just did not feel fully like myself, and that was enough for my primary doctor to recommend repeating it two years earlier than planned. It felt unnecessary at the time because I was fully functioning, working, leading, living my life, and cancer was nowhere on my radar. That colonoscopy found cancer. Not a scare. Not a precaution. Cancer. <img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" width="982" height="737" src="https://miamism.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Facetune_01-03-2026-10-59-13.heic.jpg" alt="Ines' colectomy surgery, April 30 2025" class="wp-image-43285" srcset="https://miamism.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Facetune_01-03-2026-10-59-13.heic.jpg 982w, https://miamism.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Facetune_01-03-2026-10-59-13.heic-300x225.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 982px) 100vw, 982px" /> If my doctor had not pushed, I would have waited the full ten years. If I had ignored that subtle sense that something was off, I would have stayed on the original timeline. There is a very real chance I would not be here writing this today. Because it was caught when it was, I had surgery, I recovered, I am here, and the test I almost questioned ended up saving my life. We tend to think serious diagnoses announce themselves loudly. Sometimes they do. Sometimes they do not. Colorectal cancer can be silent for a long time. A colonoscopy is not only about finding cancer. It is about preventing it and taking action before it becomes something you cannot undo. We are disciplined in our businesses. We analyze risk, we plan long term, yet we tend to prioritize everything except our health. I am not sharing this for drama. I am sharing it because a routine test caught something that could have taken me out. I am here because I did it. If this pushes you to book your colonoscopy instead of postponing it, that is enough. Here’s the story if you want to know more about it: The Quiet Strength behind The Smile: What Cancer Taught Me (image created with AI and the help of a Miamism human – funny how it totally distorted miami in the background) The post Miami Is Loud. Cancer Isn’t. appeared first on Miamism.
Miamism just got a refresh. Cleaner. Simpler. Easier to move through. But this felt like the right moment to remind you what Miamism actually is. An ism is a philosophy. A way of thinking. A way of life. Miamism is Miami’s Way of Life, viewed through a real estate lens. It’s architecture that tells a […] The post Miamism Re-Launch appeared first on Miamism.
Miamism just got a refresh. Cleaner. Simpler. Easier to move through. But this felt like the right moment to remind you what Miamism actually is. An ism is a philosophy. A way of thinking. A way of life. Miamism is Miami’s Way of Life, viewed through a real estate lens. It’s architecture that tells a story. Neighborhood nuance that most people miss. Market context without the noise. It’s lifestyle, design, history, water, culture, and yes, property values, all tied together. Miami is not one market. It’s dozens of micro markets, each with its own rhythm. One block can feel completely different from the next. If you live here, you know. If you’re moving here, you need to know. Miamism is about seeing beyond square footage and into experience. The new site reflects that philosophy better. Less clutter. Clearer navigation. More intention. Same voice. Same perspective. Just sharper. The post Miamism Re-Launch appeared first on Miamism.
Surfside Real Estate Market Report – February 2026
Surfside Home Prices, Inventory, Days on Market and 12-Month Trends Data through February 2026 | Rolling 12-Month Residential Analysis Surfside Market Summary – February 2026 This reflects the most recent 12 months of Surfside real estate activity through February 2026. What Is Happening in the Surfside Real Estate Market? The defining characteristic of the Surfside […] The post Surfside Real Estate Market Report – February 2026 appeared first on Miamism.
Surfside Home Prices, Inventory, Days on Market and 12-Month Trends Data through February 2026 | Rolling 12-Month Residential Analysis Surfside Market Summary – February 2026 Average closed home price: $2,600,000 Average active listing price: $5,400,000 Closed price per square foot: $1,150 Active price per square foot: $1,331 Average negotiation: 9 percent below asking Closed sales past 12 months: 37 Active listings: 29 Total households: 3,171 Annual turnover rate: 1.2 percent Average days on market (closed): 155 days Average days on market (active): 139 days Total sales volume: $96.9 million This reflects the most recent 12 months of Surfside real estate activity through February 2026. What Is Happening in the Surfside Real Estate Market? The defining characteristic of the Surfside real estate market right now is the pricing spread. Active listings are averaging $5.4M. Closed sales are averaging $2.6M. That is a 107 percent difference between asking prices and recent executed transactions. On a price per square foot basis, sellers are asking $1,331 while buyers are closing closer to $1,150. This is a luxury coastal market recalibrating. Homes positioned in line with recent comparable sales are trading. Properties priced aspirationally are extending their days on market. Is Surfside a Buyer’s or Seller’s Market? Current conditions lean toward buyers. A 9 percent average discount indicates meaningful negotiation power. At the same time, low inventory and limited turnover prevent dramatic price corrections. This is not a distressed market. It is a selective luxury environment where pricing alignment determines leverage. How Active Is the Surfside Housing Market? Over the past 12 months, 37 properties closed across 3,171 households. That equals a 1.2 percent annual turnover rate. There are currently 29 active listings. Surfside operates with extremely low velocity. Owners tend to hold properties long term, and transaction volume reflects that behavior. Liquidity exists, but it is measured. Why Are Homes Taking Longer to Sell in Surfside? Closed properties are averaging 155 days on market. Active listings are currently averaging 139 days. In a $2M to $5M coastal segment, buyers move deliberately. They evaluate waterfront positioning, renovation quality, lot size, elevation, and long-term appreciation potential. Extended marketing time is typical in low-turnover luxury markets. Pricing precision remains the deciding factor. What Is the Primary Risk in the Surfside Market? The largest risk signal is the pricing disconnect. When active listings average more than double recent closed prices, adjustments often follow. Sellers entering the market at aggressive levels may face extended exposure before aligning with transaction reality. Buyers who anchor decisions to comparable sales data hold the advantage. Surfside Real Estate FAQ – February 2026 Is the Surfside real estate market slowing down? Transaction volume remains limited but stable. The market is not freezing, but pricing absorption has tightened compared to previous cycles. Are luxury homes in Surfside harder to sell right now? Luxury homes require sharper positioning. Buyers at this price point are patient and data-driven, which increases exposure time when pricing exceeds recent comparables. Is Surfside considered a stable long-term market? Yes. Low turnover, strong coastal demand, and long ownership duration historically support long-term stability. Are buyers negotiating more aggressively in Surfside? A 9 percent average discount reflects negotiation leverage, particularly when listings exceed market-supported price per square foot benchmarks. Coastal Markets Require Precision Surfside is a low-turnover, high-value coastal market. I’ve worked Miami’s waterfront and barrier island properties for over two decades and now lead a 200-agent team navigating markets like this with discipline and clarity. If you’re buying or selling in Surfside, do it with someone who understands both luxury positioning and the numbers behind it. About This Surfside Real Estate Report This Surfside Real Estate Market Report is compiled and interpreted by Ines Hegedus-Garcia, Managing Partner of Avanti Way East Miami and founder of Miamism. Data is sourced from MLS activity and reflects rolling 12-month residential performance through February 2026. Reports are published consistently to create a structured, data-driven archive of Surfside real estate trends. The post Surfside Real Estate Market Report – February 2026 appeared first on Miamism.