Homes Manual

A $100,000+ Discount On Miami Condos


By this point and time, many people have heard about buying preconstruction condos and some of the amazing profits that have been generated by these investments. What many people don't understand is that there is another way to play the preconstruction investing game, especially for those investors with solid financial resources. Let's take a look at the Miami condo market as a great example.

Right now, there is a Miami condo that originally sold out almost 2 years ago when the prices were much lower but original investors are now interested in reselling their units. This project was one of the first high-rise projects in the downtown Miami area. Recently, similar units at ICON Brickell (on the opposite side of the Miami river) sold out the first tower in 2 days at an average of $550 a square foot. The second tower is now selling at an average of $600 sq ft. For some of these resells in the area, we are seeing close to a $100/sqft reductions in price to around $500 per square foot; and that is asking price. Now is when the negotiations begin.

One strategy is to AGRESSIVELY pursue projects where other investors are about to close. In this case, you have a number of original investors that are hearing that loud clock ticking in their head. that is the clock counting down to close where they will 1) have to close on their Miami condo, 2) have to pay debt service, and 3) potentially try to rent out their Miami condo. You have to realize that these sellers are people that have already made (on paper) great returns, then they may have a lot of motivation to just get most of their profits and run without incurring additional expenses.

As an example, suppose you were able to negotiate a $130/sqft discount on such a Miami condo instead of only $100/sqft. Let's say that results in an additional $30,000 savings on a 1,000 sqft unit. From a motivated seller's perspective, what do they care if they have to drop their profit from $150,000 on a Miami condo to only $120,000. For the right kind of seller, the important thing is that if they know you, as the buyer, can make it painless for them with no additional cash outlays.

For a resell type investor, they may look at this and say well, I will rent the Miami condo out for a couple of years. No, their payments will not cover their mortgage and maybe they end up losing $800 per month. That is only $19,200 over the course of two years. Compared to that $30,000 extra discount they got, that is a small price to pay for the right individual knowing that they purchased their condo at $130 *1000 sqft = $130,000 less than what people across the river are paying for new Miami condos. If you do this type of investment, you need to establish the actual numbers for yourself since these numbers are only provided as an example.

We have used a Miami condo as an example here but these opportunities are going to exist in many places. As projects begin to close, especially in overbuilt areas having lots of investors that are ill prepared to close, that provides an excellent opportunity to find EXTREMELY motivated sellers. One trick to this, in my opinion, is to find those early projects in an area that are about to close since there is tons of equity that the seller can give up to the new investor if that new investor will just pay them some profit and not make them incur any additional expenses.

Dr. Chris Anderson is a co-founder of http://www.GetPreconstructionDeals.com and is referenced in many venues including the New York Times and USA Today. Download his free, 30+ page preconstruction investing ebook today at http://www.GetPreconstructionDeals.com/ebook.html


MORE RESOURCES:
A 1750s farmhouse has a beautifully carved sandstone facade and offers sweeping views of the vineyards and the river.


In downtown Manhattan, new condo developments offer owners both single-house-style privacy and luxe-building-style amenities.


Where others saw a ruin, the buyer of a house in Millburn — a former contractor — perceived buried charm.


A gated community on Coney Island surrounded by sandy beaches, Sea Gate has a suburban feel.


The Yankee shortstop is selling an apartment on the 88th floor of Trump World Tower.


Until the financial crisis, foreigners had been a significant force in the real estate market, an area broker said.


A 1907 brownstone in Washington; a 1914 English Tudor in Kansas City, Mo.; and a 1925 bungalow in Sarasot., Fla.


The difference between viewing housing as a luxury good or as a staple is the subject of a debate about the recovery.


The property market in Stockholm has been insulated from the worst of the housing crisis by low interest rates and by a shortage of apartments in the city.


Laka Nona medical city will include a medical school, hospitals, research centers and space for biotech start-up companies.


Soho House is undergoing a $100 million expansion, including a new exclusive club in Miami Beach.


Real estate listings noting a need for TLC acknowledge problems with a property. Just what those are is not always clear.


Some economists and analysts urge a dose of shock therapy that would shift benefits to future homeowners from current ones: Let the housing market crash.


Two longtime loftmates appeared to be going their separate ways, but the hunt for new apartments landed them in the same building in Williamsburg.


In the weak economy, more buyers are being asked to shoulder the so-called flip tax.


West End Avenue and vicinity was once a stronghold of town houses. Three of the now-rare breed bear distinctive traces of the attentions of recent owners.


At River Pointe, a community in Manchester, N.J., solar technology that earns energy credits is a standard feature in each house.


Questions for a principal of the law firm Proskauer Rose and a co-chairman of the firm’s real estate division.


The wealthy and celebrities often buy property under limited liability companies, often with whimsical names.


Once a grand mansion steps from Central Park, it had fallen into disrepair. Now it is for sale for $8.95 million.


One in eight homeowners had household debt exceeding half the monthly income in 2008, a recent report says.


A parking space that comes with the lease; a condo building with no emergency reserve fund; a landlord’s liability in a burglary; dealing with fees on security deposits.


An art collector builds a nontraditional house in an Alpine village where life hasn’t changed that much in decades.


On Lake Waramaug, a converted boathouse has a stone foundation, a wraparound deck and direct access to the water.


A half-dozen buildings on Second Avenue will house ventilation equipment, disperse smoke and allow for evacuation from subway tunnels in emergencies.


A one-bedroom condo in Philadelphia, a three-bedroom bungalow in Tennessee and a two-bedroom house in Wisconsin.


Developers in Midtown are refurbishing older buildings, using tax credits and public financing, as much as they are building from scratch.


home       | site map |       Disclaimer |       Privacy Policy
© 2006