Stephen Cohen

So you’ve finally reached the point where you’ll be transitioning from a renter to a South Beach condo homeowner. Normally this should be an easy transition but in many cases moving from a rental to any new home is a process that is easier said than done. Here are some tips to make the process a little easier to bear as you go from one place to another.

Always start off by giving sufficient notice (in writing) of your departure and making a list of everything that needs to be done before the moving date comes around. If you need a moving company, call some up and have one in place. If you know that a thorough cleaning of the rental is going to take time, have someone available who will help you out. While you’re at it, you may wish to sell or give away some things you may not need in your new South Beach condo so as to decrease the amount of things you need to move around.

Once moving day has come and gone and you’ve transferred over all of your personal belongings, the process of cleaning comes around. Many landlords can provide a list of what they expect to see in a certain condition so you may wish to ask for one. Assuming you’ve asked for help, assigning certain sections can speed things up a bit. Taking a walkthrough with the landlord to see if the home has been left sufficiently clean can prevent disagreements and will get you back your deposit quicker.

Looking at the Downtown Miami and Miami Beach condo skyline there are less cranes than there were two years ago, which leaves most to believe that things aren’t going well in the real estate market. The real estate market is in an unfavorable condition all around the country. From Los Angeles to Miami, condos and homes are selling less while more and more people are going into foreclosure. Looking at Miami and Miami Beach, how can a real estate enthusiast continue to do business during such tumultuous times?

The truth is that the real estate market, like any market, has cycles and the rules change when conditions change. When there are more buyers in the market than condos and homes for sale, it’s a sellers market. When there are more seller in the market, it’s a sellers market. The real estate boom we experiences up until 2003-2004 was exaggerated by reckless lending practices, which left us taking a nose dive when the market eventually went down.

The current real estate market is nothing more than an exaggerated buyers market. It’s difficult for buyers to have confidence in the current market, with bad news streaming in day-after-day and prices continuing to fall, but market conditions now are good for buyers (especially first time buyers). Now is a time to save up money, work on building up your credit and looking for ideal homes for sale. Talk to a real estate professional and find out where the best place to make a real estate investment for whenever you plan on buying. It could be a South Beach condo your looking for or Miami Beach home, whatever it is – start looking.

How long is the South Beach condo market going to take to fully recover? Foreclosures are still an issue, some lenders are steadfast in their refusal to tweak unmanageable mortgage loans and continued job losses are not making things any easier. What will happen when adjustable rate mortgage loans reset this year?

Among the several solutions that have been proposed, one of them involves allowing South Beach condo owners the option to have the principal of their loan reduced, if they’ve filed for bankruptcy that is. Judges are already capable of doing this with credit card debt and other forms of liability, meaning mortgage debt would no longer be the exception to the rule. This potential solution has been gaining traction, Citigroup being one of the larger companies to announce its support.

The biggest factors that may affect the success or failure of such a solution are jobs and sales, two things which aren’t doing too good at the moment. With the Obama administration’s ambitious economic stimulus plan, lower South Beach condo prices and government incentives, is this a step in the right direction?

When it comes to buying South Beach condos, there's no better place to begin your South Beach condo research than the internet. However the current marketing environment for South Beach condos has become fierce and often deceptive. Words used to describe features for South Beach condos can often be exaggerated or even completely false. Luckily there are ethical real estate professionals willing to lend a hand to buyers so they can discern the quality of a South Beach condo marketing from the deceptive South Beach condo marketing and its verbiage.

The size of a South Beach condo is most aptly determined by square footage and the number of bedrooms and bathrooms in a South Beach condo. But certain South Beach condo listings may not supply the actual size of a South Beach condo and may replace it with descriptive phrases like "cozy" or may exaggerate the amount of bedrooms in a South Beach condo by adding office rooms or even large closets as bedrooms. A South Beach condo buyer should always insist on getting real information on a South Beach condo's square footage and the amount of bedrooms and bathrooms.

South Beach condo sellers can be tricky when it comes to describing the style and condition of a South Beach condo as well. Terms like "charming", "has character" or "classic" is the South Beach condo seller's cryptic way of saying the property is older. Also, terms like "fixer-upper" or "a lot of potential" usually implies that the South Beach condo is in poor condition.

South Beach condo sellers often use deceptive verbiage to spruce up the location of a home as well. "Close to jobs, schools and entertainment" could mean the property is in a largely commercial area. Also, South Beach condo marketers sometimes claim a home is waterfront when it's really perched next to a dank canal. Be sure to have the owner or realtor give you a definitive address before continuing South Beach condo real estate negotiations.

A lot of first time buyers of a South Beach Condo envision owning a South Beach Condo and having a common are and balcony in the perfect neighborhood. As a result, the more sellers can do to make their South Beach Condo look like these dreams condo buyers have in mind, the better chances of those South Beach Condo actually being sold. Use these tips to increase the charm of your South Beach Condo and attract buyers.

Repainting always helps. Whether you’ve lived in a South Beach condo for years or days, repainting a South Beach condo will make the home look nice and neat. Despite the resounding effect new furniture, paintings, fixtures and decorations will have on a condo, painting by far has leaves the best impression with visitors or potential buyers if your selling the South Beach condo.

Spruce up the balcony. Since the balcony is often the highlight of a condo that buyers come across when visiting South Beach Condo, it pays to use a combination of nice looking outdoor furniture along with foliage and accessories to make sure South Beach Condo emanate an inviting ambiance.

Work the floors. South Beach Condo with wood flooring can really stand out by painting some kind of design or pattern on the floor itself. This can be anything from a geometric design to just splashing on a certain solid color to give the floor a little life and make the South Beach Condo stand out. Also, be sure you use outdoor paint, unless you want that whole rugged and faded look.