News & Resources
Blog & Event Archives
Browse through news you can use about South Florida and our amazing Real Estate market.
Open House Saturday & Sunday
If you haven't had a chance to preview our listing in the Baptist / Continental Park area, join us this weekend. The Restivo Hechtman Team will be holding 8465 SW 108 Street open on Saturday February 16 from 12-2 PM and Sunday February 17 from 3-5 PM. This 3 bedroom 2 bath home features a large backyard with mature oak trees and an extra deep pool. There's 2069 adj square feet, hurricane shutters, and a large 2 car garage with plenty of extra storage space. Great location near Baptist Hospital, easy access to the Palmetto Expressway and many schools nearby....
Tennis is J-U-S-T Like Real Estate!
I was playing in a South Florida women's doubles tennis match early this morning ... My mind was on a counter-offer we'd submitted - late last night - on a property we have listed for sale. I knew we weren't expecting a counter back from the prospective buyers until this evening (at the...
Getting An Appraisal
You have an executed contract on the home of your dreams. You've determined that there are no defects on title and you have done inspections amd resolved anything that came out of that process. Now it's time to order an appraisal. The appraisal is an estimate of the value of the property, made by...
Housing Bubble… Housing Collapse
"What caused the housing market collapse?" The Restivo Team was asked that by a group of FIU students researching the real estate market in South Florida. A bit of this ... a bit of that ... Did it have something to do with Hurricane Katrina or Wilma or some other natural disaster? Was...
8565 Old Cutler Road … Top Pick in Coral Gables
New listings hit the market - sometimes daily - but there is one that really stands out: 8565 Old Cutler Road. The property was gifted to the University of Miami in 1974 . It has been home to every UM President since that date, and currently is home to Donna E. Shalala. It's listed for sale by...
Miami Real Estate: Best Time to BUY and SELL?
The best time to list your house for sale is immediately after January 1st. The reason is because the percentage of buyers out there between January and April is typically higher in relationship to the number of homes available for sale. From January through April you'll have fewer homes...
Facebook can use your pictures in ads
If you FAN something on Facebook, FB can use pictures from your collection to promote that across your network, on friends' facebook pages. If you don't want this, you do have some control over it, although they don't make it easy. You can turn off the features for both Facebook and third-party...
Restivo Team – Miami Realtors
We appreciate the opportunity to market and sell a diverse section of homes all across Miami. Despite the "doom and gloom real estate woes" that continue to be plastered across the news media, we have seen a definite upswing in real estate sales this year. Vicki and Alexandra Restivo are...
Buying A Home in Miami – Clearing Home Title
When you buy a home, you are actually buying the seller's title to the house. A deed is the written legal evidence that the seller has conveyed their ownership rights over to you. Title simply means you have complete ownership of the property and can make decisions applicable to the property. The...
53% of Real Estate Transactions are RENTALS
Mortgage bankers and lenders will be sad to hear that 53% of all transactions now are RENTALS. With interest rates at an all time low, homebuyers can lock in interest rates (to the tune of 4.25%) but many are opting to LEASE. And that is great news for investors who are scooping up property...
Jumbo Loans – Miami Foreclosures
JUMBO LOAN MARKET DEFAULT: 1/4 of all jumbo loans in Miami are now in foreclosure! HOME MORTGAGES UNDERWATER: 46% of all home mortgages in Miami are underwater. If you are looking to purchase or invest in real estate, the ball is in your court because it's a good time for buyers. We invite...
South Florida Water Restrictions
The South Florida Water Management District has announced that they expect yet another dry season. Therefore, water restrictions will still be in effect. Homes with even addresses may water on Thursdays and Sundays while odd numbered addresses may water on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The...
Distressed Properties Causing Housing Prices to Drop
Zillow reports that 47.4% of all homes sold in September were distressed sales. The breakdown from Zillow shows that 27.3% were short sales and another 20.1% were foreclosures. Unfortunately, because appraisers use all available recent sales (distressed and otherwise) to determine property...
Foreclosure Over-Simplified
Foreclosure? ... Time Frame for Foreclosure? A foreclosure is when the lender (lien holder) assumes ownership rights when a property owner defaults on his/her mortgage payments...It's the process through which the lender repossesses real estate that's owned by a mortgage holder who is unable...
Help for First Time Homebuyers
There's a new program for First Time Home Buyers in Dade County-the Metro Miami Action Plan, Homeownership Assistance Program (MMAP HAP). It's designed to provide first time home buyers with up to $7,500 in closing costs and downpayment assistance in the form of a forgivable 0% interest, non...
Getting A Property Survey When Buying A Home
Once you're under contract and have applied for a loan, your lender will require that you get a property survey before they issue the mortgage so that they may get a clear lender's title insurance policy. A surveyor will determine if the house is within property borders, if there are any...
