Not a typo, you read correctly!

Realtor.com’s Top 10 Turnaround Town Report, based on third quarter 2011 data, includes six Florida markets: Miami, Orlando, Fort Myers-Cape Coral, Fort Lauderdale, Sarasota-Bradenton, and Lakeland-Winter Haven.

And out of those 6 Florida markets, Miami is number one!

Miami, FL: The number one town on the report, Miami has gone from being one of the first victims of the subprime crash to having a healthy inventory that is only half the size from a year ago. Today, Miami is only reporting one foreclosure for every 407 homes, compared to the national rate of one per every 213. And, condo sales have increased 79 percent in the first five months of this year, largely due to an influx of foreign investors.

We do expect you to be suspicious about these stats, after years of  hearing the worst about Florida, why would you not question our market?  All we can ask is that you request proof from us.   We have been providing evidence here on a regular basis, to show that desirable areas in Miami are not just seeing a price increase already, many areas don’t even  have distressed inventory available, and in many cases we are seeing proof of a seller’s market.

Every neighborhood is different and has its quirks, so depending on the type of property you are selling or buying, its condition and location within the neighborhood, things can vary quite a bit.  Don’t be afraid to ask us, that’s what we’re here for.

Realtor.com’s Top Ten Turnaround Town Report is compiled using a formula based on price appreciation, changes in inventory, median age of inventory, searches by Realtor.com visitors, and unemployment data.

New REALTOR.com Post with quote by yours truly  Miami, FL Tops REALTOR.com’s Top Ten Turnaround Town List | REALTOR.com® Blogs

MORE STATS from Realtor.com

December 2011 real estate search results are in and Miami, FL was the #18 most searched market in the country in December 2011, based on data released today by Realtor.com

Median list prices for homes in Miami, FL hit $265,000 in December 2011, a 32.50% increase from one year ago this month, and 2.32% increase from November 2011.  The national median list price in December 2011 was $188,000, a 5.03% increase compared to December 2010.

Each month, Realtor.com surveys up to 250 Metro Service Areas (MSA) throughout the nation and monitors real estate trends including consumer search behavior, median list prices on for sale homes, active inventory counts and median age of inventory. The information is released to local markets to help consumers and real estate professionals as they work together to successfully navigate their local market.

Related Articles:

Miami Dominates REALTOR.com Top Ten Turnaround Report originally appeared on Miamism on January 17, 2012.

Another request granted to our loyal readers and one of the areas in The Miami Real Estate Market that has kept us busy this year.  Miami’s Design District boundaries are not at all big and often confused by appraisers.  Within the boundaries, you will find the previously known Biltmore and Shadowland Districts, currently known as Buena Vista East Historic District, as well as designer showrooms and restaurants that include Christian Louboutin, Kartell, Casa Fendi and Luminaire, to mention a few.  For clarity’s sake, here’s a map of the boundaries we use:

There are currently 4 Design District homes for sale in the Multiple Listing Service (MLS):

• The highest priced listing is the historic home at 111 NE 43 Street, priced at $625,000.
• The lowest priced listing is the foreclosure at 80 NE 50th Street, priced at $184,900.
• Pending sales (properties under contract):  7
• Closed sales in November 2011:  0

Miami’s Design District is still considered a neighborhood in “transition”, and this has nothing to do with race or minorities, since that would be a complete violation of Fair Housing Laws coming from us.  It has to do with pricing as well as amount of renovated homes in the area.  You can find a magnificent and completely restored 2-story historic home next to a dilapidated non-descript tear down.  This obviously affects the property values in general.

On a positive note, it’s a great neighborhood to buy into NOW, knowing that property prices will not be this low forever.   We have found that it’s a great place for first time home buyers that cannot afford areas like Miami Shores, Belle Meade or Morningside in Miami’s Upper East Side.

In 2011, there have been 15 Design District homes sold with a median sales price of $176,500 and an average price per square foot of $123.  I can tell you that a lot of these homes are selling for cash, at much higher prices than appraisal value, since pricing is so reasonable compared to other desirable residential areas in Miami.  We know this from personal experience, being on both the listing side as well as buying side of transactions.  Prices in the Design District will not be this low forever and the lack of inventory is proof of that.

Related Articles:

November 2011 – Miami Design District Housing Report originally appeared on Miamism on December 20, 2011.

Before you decide to chew my ear off and tell me what the real boundaries for downtown Miami are, let’s just say I picked anything South of I-395 and East of I-95, only for our real estate market reports. This will include Brickell’s Financial District, Brickell Key, The Miami River on both sides, the real downtown Miami as well as The Miami Heat Condos. It’s a big area to cover and includes zip codes 33128, 33129, 33130, 33131, part of 33132 and part of 33136. If you don’t like the boundaries, give us a good reason for your objection on the comments section of this article and we may modify these.

There are currently 1074 downtown Miami condos for sale in The Multiple Listing Service (MLS):

• The highest priced condo is in Brickell Key at Asia.  A 4 bedroom / 5 and a half bathroom, 5,359 sf penthouse listed for $8,830,000.
• The lowest priced condo is at Madison Downtown – a 2 bedroom / 2 bath short sale with 903 sf of living space, listed for $94,000.  Madison Downtown is located at 800 N Miami Avenue in zip code 33136
• Pending Sales (properties under contract):  385
• Closed Sales in November 2011:  96

The 96 Downtown Miami Condos sold in November range from a $1.95 Million Condo at 900 Biscayne Bay, to $58,000 1 bedroom short sale at Madison Downtown.  Out of the 96 condos sold, 33 were distressed sales (short sales and foreclosures), that’s 34% of the sales.  The Median sale price for November Downtown Miami Condos was $259,000.

Of course you’ve heard me say not to generalize real estate areas.  There’s no way you can compare sales at 50 Biscayne to Ten Museum Park, for example.  So here’s the breakdown by condo building.

BRICKELL AREA CONDOS

• The Sail Condo – 3 sales:  $220,000, $185,000 and $155,000
• The Plaza on Brickell – 3 sales:  $272,052,  $283,000 and $375,000
• The Palace Condo – 2 sales:  $504,000 and $372,000
• The Metropolitan – 1 sale at $$230,000
• The Mark on Brickell – 2 sales at $275,000 and $300,000
• The Club at Brickell Bay – 2 sales at $168,000 and $180,000
• Skyline on Brickell – 2 sales at $348,000 and $500,000
• Plaza on Brickell – 2 sales at $300,000 and $400,000
• Mayfield Espirito – 1 sale at $295,000
• Jade Residences – 4 sales:  $950,000 $1.25 Million $1.265 Million and $1 Million
• Imperial at Brickell – 1 sale at $329,000
• Icon Brickell – 6 sales:  $330,000 $276,000 $498,000 $562,600 $740,000 and $637,000
• Four Ambassadors – 1 sale at $70,000
• Bristol Towers – 1 sale at $415,000
• Brickell Place Condo – 2 sales at $250,000 and $185,000
• Brickell Park Condo – 4 sales at $110,000 $149,000 $160,000 and $210,000
• Brickell Harbour – 1 sale at $105,000
• Brickell East Condo – 1 sale at $244,000
• Brickell Condo Forest – 1 sale at $225,000
• Brickell Bay Tower Condo – 1 sale at $235,000
• Brickell Bay Club – 1 sale at $205,000
• Bayshores Co Op – 1 sale at $95,000
• Axis on Brickell – 1 sale at $315,000
• 500 Brickell – 2 sales at $345,000 and $520,000
• 25 Bay Tower Condo – 1 sale at $130,000
• 1060 Brickell Condo – 3 sales:  $215,900 $240,000 and $402,800

BRICKELL KEY CONDOS

• One Tequesta in Brickell Key – 1 sale at $750,000
• Two Tequesta in Brickell Key – 2 sales each at $595,000
• Three Tequesta in Brickell Key – 1 sale at $1.9 Million
• St Louis Condo – 2 sales at $325,000 and $750,000
• Isola – 1 sale at $215,000
• Brickell Key II Condo – 1 sale at $299,000
• Brickell Key I Condo – 1 sale at $265,000
• Asia Condo – 1 sale at $1.4 Million

DOWNTOWN AREA CONDOS

• The Loft Downtown – 3 sales:  $125,000, $107,500 and $140,000
• The Ivy – 1 sale at $209,000
• One Miami – 3 sales:  $225,000, $320,000 and $199,000
• Met 1 – 1 sale at $205,000
• Madison Downtown Condo – 5 sales:  $65,000, $78,000, $58,000, $60,000 and $113,000
• 50 Biscayne – 3 sales:  $210,000 $220,000 and $866,000

MIAMI RIVER CONDOS

• Neo Vertika – 2 sales at $235,000 and $115,000
• Mint – 1 sale at $230,000
• Latitude on The River – 2 sales at $173,200 and $210,000
• Brickell on The River – 5 sales:  $225,000 $180,000 $245,500 $199,000 and $230,000

MIAMI HEAT CONDOS

• Marquis Residences – 2 sales at $1.85 Million and $360,000
• Marina Blue Condo – 4 sales at $360,000, $252,000, $297,000 and $316,500
• 900 Biscayne Bay – 2 sales at $670,000 and $1,925,000

It’s always good to know how the distressed market is doing overall, it’s a sure indicator of how buildings are performing and how different areas are improving.  Out of the 1074 condos currently listed for sale, 90 are short sales and 15 are foreclosures, that’s a total of 105 condos and equivalent to less than 10% distressed inventory in such a large area.  This percentage was above 40% just one year ago and in some cases over 50% of the inventory was distressed.  It doesn’t take a genius economist to tell you that there is a major improvement in our downtown Miami housing market.

**all information obtained from the Southeast Florida Multiple Listing Service**

Related Articles:

November 2011 Downtown Miami Housing Report originally appeared on Miamism on December 14, 2011.

You request it and here you have it!  Truth is that we are fans of Midtown Miami and everything that’s happening there.  The one thing we are not fond of are the huge FOR RENT signs on Midtown 4 … but I’m guessing there’s not much to do about it.

There are currently 11 Midtown Condos for Sale in The Multiple-Listing Servie (MLS):

• The highest priced one is at 2 Midtown and it’s a short sale of PH103, listed for $649,000 (That’s a 3,138 sf residence with 3 bedrooms / 3 bathrooms and 1 half-bath and rooftop pool)
• The least expensive is also at 2 Midtown, a 1 bedroom / 1 bathroom short sale for $199,000 (unit H1902 with 735 sf and Design District and Bay views).
• 10 of the units are at Two Midtown and one at Four Midtown
• Pending Contracts (condos under contract):  10
• Closed Sales in November 2011:  5

The 5 Midtown Miami condos sold in November were the following:

• Two Midtown unit H1004 (2 bed/2 bath) listed for $270,000 and selling for $255,000
• Four Midtown unit H1510 (2 bed/2 bath)short sale listed for $250,000 and selling for $195,000
• Four Midtown unit M0505 (2 bed/2 bath) foreclosure listed for $182,900 and selling for $182,900
• Two Midtown unit M0302 (1 bed/2 bath) short sale listed for $149,000 and selling for $123,500
• Two Midtown unit M0907 (studio) short sale listed for $94,000 and selling for $94,000

The good news that everyone has been waiting for all over Miami and specially in Midtown is that the distressed inventory (that’s short sales and foreclosures) is decreasing.  Of the 11 condos listed for sale, only 2 are short sales and none are foreclosures – that’s only 18% of the inventory.  Of the 10 condos currently under contract, 8 are short sales and 1 is a foreclosure – once those close…we should start seeing a slight increase in prices and decrease in inventory.

The median sale price in Midtown for the month of November was $182,900 with an average price per square foot of $161.4.  Remember that these are just guide lines.  Prices will vary depending on floor height, unit finishes, as well as unit views.

Midtown Miami Condos For Sale

**all information obtained from the Southeast Florida Multiple Listing Service**

Related Articles:

November 2011 Midtown Miami Housing Report originally appeared on Miamism on December 12, 2011.

If you are a Miami Beach home buyer you know you can be picky, you can demand more and you have every right to be a pain, since this is YOUR market.    If you have been looking for a while, you may find the search frustrating and never ending and may even wonder if you will ever buy a property.

With the daily gloom of the media, you may have a tendency to forget what your goal is.  You may even start doubting what it is that you really want.  So here’s what Rick and I recommend.  (Yeah, we’re giving you homework, but you will thank us for it….or not)

Sit down either by yourself or with your significant other and write a list.  Write down what it is that you want (not taking price into consideration yet).  Number of bedrooms and baths, single-family or condo, square footage, location, size of property, layout, close to a particular school, gated neighborhood, remodeled or not, preferred finishes, charm/no charm, modern or traditional, pool/no pool.  Brainstorm away until you have everything down on paper.

If you are making a purchasing decision with a significant other, we recommend that you consolidate your lists and come to a consensus on what is most important.  Then go ahead and organize those items in order of significance – please realize that it is almost impossible to find the perfect home with everything you want and it is essential to be flexible and let some of those “wants” go.

After you are done with the “real estate wants list”, go back to your Realtor and discuss price – this will most likely be the only factor that has remained constant since you began, and you may notice that you will be able to afford more items on that list than when you began (so the search time is not all that bad).

Review Miami Beach homes on the market that you have seen and make sure you are not discarding any good opportunities because you were not as “open minded”.  Go back and look at them again and make sure you are not missing a great deal that could turn out to be your dream home.

I will repeat again and again that buying real estate is an emotional process and looking at properties for an extended period of time can be draining and frustrating.  By studying your needs and indentifying your goals, you may find yourself with a different outlook and willing to make a decision (even if the decision is to stop looking).

We work with real estate buyers on a daily basis that confuse wants with needs. This simple exercise helps them clear up their goals and look at properties with a different mindset. Remember that your Miami Beach Realtor is there to help you with your decision (even if it means knocking sense into you!)

If the exercise doesn’t work – call us and we’ll make you a mojito to make up for your troubles!

*originally published on June 29th, 2008*

Related Articles:

Miami Real Estate Buyers – Listen up! originally appeared on Miamism on December 3, 2011.

If you are a Miami seller who knows me and reads miamism, you know I have drilled you over and over on how important it is for your property to show like a model.  You may think I’m exaggerating and may even think that buyers don’t really care if your house is organized or if it is staged, but you are wrong.

When there is a lot of competition, it is crucial that your property stands out, that your house shows better, that you have more to offer.  If a real estate buyer is looking at 2 very similar Miami Beach homes in the same location with similar price ranges, they will always pick the property that is clean, pretty and organized.  There is a psychological factor that tells that buyer that the person that is selling the pretty and organized home “takes care” of their home, it also feels more welcoming and ultimately the property they want to buy.

Don’t leave it up to chance! There are properties that are just sitting unsold for months, even years!  Is it worth a little trouble of your time to make your house show the best way possible? I really hope so.

When we list a property, Rick and I meet with our seller customers and we go into detail about what needs to happen to the property for it to be in “showing condition”.  Of course we understand that sometimes circumstances don’t allow for extreme measures, but there are key factors that need to happen for a property to sell, ignoring those factors will only keep your house on the market longer and will determine how motivated you are to sell.

Any Miami Beach Realtor will tell you that decluttering is the single most important factor when selling a home today.  If you refuse to do anything else, you must at least declutter your property.

How do you declutter a home?

• put away small decorative items
• leave all surfaces clear – including top of dressers and tables
• put away personal items like photographs
• pick up the mess!
• empty closets out as much as possible
• if you have too much furniture, store it or get rid of it!
• Remember you are not selling your belongings, you are selling the home.

By not taking the time to make your home look presentable, you are sending a message that you are either not motivated to sell, or even worse, that your house is worth less than what the market calls for.

Here are some other articles about preparing your property for sale:

Top 5 Tips for Selling Your Home in a Down Market

To smell or not to sell…..that is the question

First Impressions in Real Estate

When are Holiday Decorations too much?

Please don’t be stubborn! We, as your Realtors will do our job, will market aggressively and will do everything in our power for your property to sell, but we are not magicians and will need your total cooperation to get the job done.  You can look at it as a team effort, all parties need to do their part to get results.

*originally published on Feb. 19, 2008*

Related Articles:

Why isn’t your Miami home selling? originally appeared on Miamism on November 29, 2011.

Real Estate is about relationships and emotions. It may be a little hard to swallow since there are plenty of people who buy and sell real estate as often as they change underwear. But the truth is that those people are not the norm and most real estate transactions are intricate because of the emotions involved.

As real estate professionals we just don’t sell Miami Beach homes by volume and hope to make our ˜quota at the end of the year, we assess your needs as our clients in order to help you identify properties to buy or sell.

It is our job to ask the right questions and spend some time with you to help you make key decisions. It is important for you to feel comfortable with us and to trust us. I think you would agree that strong relationships are based on trust. The more you are willing to share with us about your lifestyle and your expectations, the better equipped we will be to help you.

We are currently working with some awesome Miami condo buyer clients from Massachusetts and after communicating back and forth by e-mail and meeting them for the first time, this is what they had to say,

Thank you, Ines, for your time, advice, and patience. It was truly a pleasure to meet you, hang with you, and explore possibilities with you…You did a great job of matching us with a potential property. That’s a real talent. Thank you

Relationships can be tricky, you only need to look at the divorce rate in the US to get a clue. So picking a Miami Realtor can be just as difficult. Most people will need “chemistry” to occur, and not all personalities will be a good match. I can confess that we have worked with clients where there was an awkwardness about the experience that wasn’t comfortable. I can also confess to telling clients that I could not help them and it would be better if they found another Realtor.

Rick and I will not work with people who don’t trust us or don’t appreciate what we do and that’s what makes our business so successful. We have a sense of humor and we like to have a little fun. We also know when to put our serious hats on and work for your best interest. We will be brutally honest and will go out of our way to help you, as our client.

So the next time you are surfing the web looking for Miami properties and curious about a Miami Beach Realtor, research their competence level, their exposure on the web, their Web2.0 knowledge, and their experience, and don’t forget to dig a little further to know if you will get along with them and will have a perfect “match”.

*originally published April 30th, 2008*

Related Articles:

Do you love your Miami Realtor? originally appeared on Miamism on October 23, 2011.

You should already know, if you are a regular reader of Miamism, that I don’t like to generalize huge metropolitan markets like Miami-Dade County.  The reason is that high-end areas like Fisher Island will be bulked together with lower end areas and the numbers will not be a clear representation of what’s really going on in that real estate market.   But with that in mind, I also know that we have some numbers and data people in our audience who love to scrutinize these stats to death, so these are for you.

As per Realtor.com,

Each month, Realtor.com surveys up to 250 Metro Service Areas (MSA) throughout the nation and monitors real estate trends including consumer search behavior, median list prices on for sale homes, active inventory counts and median age of inventory. The information is released to local markets to help consumers and real estate professionals as they work together to successfully navigate their local market.

The beauty of these generalized numbers is that we are seeing a positive trend each month and a clear adjustment of the market, evident by changes of these stats from just one year ago.  To our surprise,  Miami, FL was the #18 most searched market in the country in August 2011.

• Median list prices for homes in Miami, FL hit $249,000 in August 2011, a 24.56% increase from one year ago this month, and 0.00% increase from July 2011.  The national median list price in August 2011 was $189,900, a 0.48% increase compared to August 2010.

• Active for sale inventory of homes in Miami, FL in August 2011 leveled out at 14,008, a -47.89% decrease compared to August 2010.  National inventory counts for August 2011 were 2,267,327, a -19.00% decrease as compared to a year ago.

• The median age of inventory in Miami, FL in August was 103 days, a -19.53% decrease compared to July 2011.  Nationally, the median age of inventory was 103 days, a 6.19% increase compared to July.

Thanks to REALTOR.com for providing these stats for us.

Related Articles:

Miami Real Estate Search Porn by Realtor.com originally appeared on Miamism on September 17, 2011.

Of course you can buy a Miami Beach condo for under $500,000!  But you need to know who to work with and where to look, because not every Miami Condo is the same…..but I’m sure you already know that!  For starters, maintenance fees will have a lot to do with size of building and amenities, so if you don’t want to pay a lot in maintenance fees, let your REALTOR know that before you start wasting time looking at residences that don’t interest you.  Remember that maintenance fees will include insurance, so the additional insurance you’ll need will be only for the interior (very different from a single-family home).

Here are my 5 condo picks under $500,000 for September, they are at The Opera Tower, at The Marquis, Jade Brickell, Nine 45 Jefferson in South Beach and 360 Condo in North Bay Village.  All are new buildings (oldest was built in 2004), and all differ when it comes to amenities.  Let us know if you have any questions on these or any other Miami or Miami Beach condos.

1. DRAMATIC

In the Performing Arts District within walking distance to shopping, galleries, restaurants and Miami Heat Airlines Arena.  Here we have a 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom residence on a high floor with gorgeous finishes and VIEWS!  It has 1,048 square feet of living space and pays $551 in maintenance fees.  This is the best purchase in this month’s edition of 5 under $500k and it will have a lucky owner fast for it’s $399,000 sticker price.  I wouldn’t be surprise if it sells for higher.

2. ARISTOCRATIC

This on is in one of the 4 Miami Heat Condo Towers and has a loft-style floor-plan that open up Biscayne Bay views because of the 2-story ceiling height.  It has 1 bedroom plus a den and 2 bathrooms with 1,695 square feet of living space.  White glass marble floors and California closets in a full-amenity building.  The monthly maintenance is $1000 and it’s listed at $499,000.   I’m loving this residence and would jump on it myself if I needed a one-bedroom plus unit.

3.  COVETABLE

Not a direct water view, but one nevertheless from this 1 bedroom, 2 bathroom residence in the HOTTEST area of Miami right now.  Unit has 1,293 square feet and a monthly maintenance fee of $1047.  The terrace is gorgeous and the amenities are the best of the best.  It happens to be tenant occupied, which is great if you are looking for an investment in Miami and location is important to you.  Priced at $495,000.

4.  DYNAMIC

In the heart of South Beach! Nothing like buying a brand new condo where you can walk everywhere and still have coveted private South Beach parking.  This residence has 1,213 square feet with 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and a third floor den with a gorgeous roof-top terrace.  There are only 5 units in the building and this one will allow pets and renting…. perfect for investment, for end-user and even as a vacation rental.  Priced at $475,00 with $478/month maintenance fee.

5.  COMMANDING

Talk about Panoramic views from North Bay Village, which happens to be a stone throw away from both Miami Beach and mainland Miami.  The location is perfect for commutes, keeping you away from the grind.  Here we have a very spacious 3 bedroom, 2 and 1/s bathroom condo with 1800 square feet of living space.  It’s a lower Penthouse residence with 166 square feet of balcony, 2 master suites with large den.  This is a pet-friendly and full service building and the maintenance fees are $753 per month.  Unit is priced at $425,000.

Another edition of 5 under $500 where you don’t have to sacrifice design for price!

Related Articles:

5 Miami Condos under $500k – September 2011 edition originally appeared on Miamism on September 12, 2011.

We have had a few foreign national buyer customers purchase Miami condos who knew nothing about condo requirements or the condo approval process.  As a foreign national, you are accustomed to different methods of purchasing real estate in your native country.  We have found that the purchasing process here in the US, specifically Miami, is more paper intensive and tedious. Instead of making assumptions that everyone knows the process, here are some basics you can expect when buying a condo in Miami, Miami Beach or the surroundings.

• Your condo-purchase will be contingent on acceptance by the condo association (all associations have different requirements and criteria, so make sure you find out what those are).
• Some associations will have a first right of refusal.  Which means the association or a member of the condo will have an option to purchase the unit under the same terms and conditions of the executed contract.
• Upon having an executed contract (where both parties have agreed and signed a purchase contract), make sure you get the condo application, condo docs, frequently asked questions, and a copy of the latest financial statements to know what you are getting into.
• It is always a good idea to ask about historic and upcoming special assessments.
• Ask for a contact person at the condo where you can ask specific questions about the approval process and may contact if you have questions about the actual approval application. (a manager or board member)
• If there is a condo board approval deadline, make sure you know what that is and submit completed application, necessary application fee and required documents in a timely manner.
• If the approval process takes longer than expected, you may need to extend the provisions of your purchase contract to avoid default and risk the loss of deposits.
• Required documents may include but not limited to the following:
  • Tax returns
  • Personal financial statements
  • Bank reference letters
  • Personal reference letters
  • Employment reference letters
  • Photographs of pets (if applicable) and sometimes vehicles
  • Copy of executed purchase contract
• Most condo associations will perform a credit check as well as a criminal background check.
• Most condo approvals will require an interview (either in person or by phone), make sure you know which method the condo requires and schedule this as soon as possible.
• Condo approval or denial should be provided in writing by the condo

These are just basic guidelines to help you prepare for the condo-approval process but keep in mind that all condos are different and so are their requirements.  Staying on top of the process will help you make the Miami-condo buying experience pain free.

**originally published 3/21/2008**

Related Articles:

Know the Miami Condo Approval Process originally appeared on Miamism on August 28, 2011.