South Beach Condos Blog

I remember when I got into the real estate business about 15 years ago that agents who primarily sold condos were considered second-class brokers. How times have changed.

Word on the street (or in my ear) is that the penthouse at Setai South Beach, located at 101 20^th Street in Miami Beach, is under contract. Penthouse Villa B encompasses the entire 40^th floor of the high rise and is 6,200 interior sq. ft. with a 4,000 sq. ft. roof terrace and private pool.

While this rumored sale would be newsworthy on its own, the magnitude of this potential sale is staggering. If the unit closes at or above $22.5M (which I heard…), here’s what it would mean:

Real Estate Records Broken in Miami-Dade & Broward Counties

It would be the second highest-priced residential property (condo or single family home/land) ever to be recorded in Miami-Dade and Broward Counties.

If the closed price is at $22.5M, or above, that would mean a price of $3,624 p.s.f., which would beat the previously-reported pre-construction sale at the nearby W South Beach of a one-bedroom direct oceanfront bungalow at $3,348 p.s.f .

The Setai penthouse was purchased in May 2004 for $9.5M and is owned by Andrew and Elyse Barroway of Philadelphia. They seem to have a knack for picking winners when it comes to real estate.

Luxury Miami Beach & Fisher Island Condos Continue to Break Real Estate Records

Despite weaker market conditions for “regular” condominiums, 2007 has been a very good year for luxury condos in Miami Beach and Fisher Island.

Right now, I’m listening to Frank Sinatra sing “It was a very good year.” Indeed it has been so far.

Today I went to a presentation by the Canyon Ranch Miami developer. To give you a little background on me and my history of this project, I have been a fan of this project since BEFORE the project was launched over three years ago. The project consists of three towers on OVER 6 acres of oceanfront property which encompasses 1100 linear feet of prime Miami Beach ocean frontage. The 21 story south tower, which are condo residences only, has 143 units, the 16-story center tower, which is the historic Carillon building, has 151 condo-hotel units (floors 2-10) and 80 condo residences (floors 11-16). The north tower, which is the tallest building at 35 storys, has 207 units including 7 direct oceanfront townhomes

Canyon Ranch: More Than Just Real Estate

Since the inception of this project, my focus has been on the real estate side of the project for the obvious reasons. After today’s presentation, I am even more excited about this project and what it brings to Miami Beach because it is SO much more than just another condo or condo-hotel. Canyon Ranch Living Miami Beach, which is dubbed “where the wealthy get healthy”, is more about the amenities and healthy lifestyle than the real estate.

The “Power of Possibility” is their slogan and today I learned exactly what it means. Many people come to “The Ranch” to change their lifestyle, to de-stress, get in shape and learn healthy living habits. I saw this incredibly interesting video where a 54 year-old man went to Canyon Ranch in Tucson, AZ and Lenox, MA for four months. They tested him at the beginning of his stay and determined that two of his arteries were 70% clogged, he had numerous ailments and he said he was taking about 17 Advil a day! The doctors estimated that this 54 year-old man had the body of an 84 year-old. After his four month stay at Canyon Ranch, his arteries showed NO SIGNS of blockage, lost 30 lbs. and doctors estimated that the 54 year-old NOW had the body of a 52 year-old man. Fascinating!

Update: Closings to Begin in Late July

The south tower (condo residences) is estimated to begin closings in late July. The center (Carillon) tower closings are estimated to start in September. The hotel and spa will have a soft opening by year’s end.

Back to Business

The reason why I continue to like this project so much is because throughout Miami and Miami Beach the branded projects like Setai, ICON and W South Beach continue to do well even in today’s market. Comparing other branded projects to Canyon Ranch is not fair because Canyon is so much more than just a brand it is a destination! The south and center (Carillon) towers have been SOLD OUT for about two years! There are re-sales available in south & center towers and the developer has great buys on the remaining units in the north tower. Prices in the north tower are about $1000-$1100 p.s.f. for western exposure, and $1100-$1200 p.s.f. for oceanfront units, which is a very fair buy for direct oceanfront luxury property.

Lots to report on Miami Beach real estate, so I will get right to it! Surprisingly, there has been an abundance of real estate activity in ultra-high-end Miami Beach condos and Fisher Island this year.

I was a bit surprised to see how many of the $5M+ condo sales this year were on Fisher Island. Five units went for more than $5M; that is one a month! And if you think that’s pricey, then consider the $250K equity membership you must purchase just to use any of the Fisher Island’s amenities!

The Setai came in with the highest $ psf for non-pre-construction at just over $2300.

And get this—W South Beach sold a 2,700 sq. ft., south-facing PH for a cool $7.3M. Impressive, considering W South Beach just commenced construction and isn’t slated for completion until mid-2009!

Fontainebleau II sold an incredible PH for $6.4M. The view from this 4,500 sq. ft. residence with rooftop Jacuzzi is amazing.

SPECTACULAR MIAMI BEACH REAL ESTATE:

NEW TO MARKET

MIAMI BEACH PENTHOUSES

Il Villaggio - Spectacular PH in one of Miami Beach’s finest and most desirable buildings, Il Villaggio. $17,500,000. This Penthouse is a stellar piece of real estate. The unit has A LOT of millwork, so you better like wood-EVERYTHING!


1500 Ocean Drive- Largest condominium residence ever to hit the Miami Beach real estate market! 11,940 sq. ft. + 9,824 sq. ft. balcony/rooftop; 10 parking spaces (that’s right, 10!). Taxes: $107,246; monthly maintenance: $10,817. $18,500,000. 1500 Ocean Drive was built in 2000 and designed by architect Michael Graves.


Continuum- Tri- level, 40th floor Penthouse in SoFi’s exclusive Continuum I. Breathtaking direct ocean, South Beach and Fisher Island views! 7,400 sq. ft. with 6,000 sq. ft. of terrace with pool. Oh yeah, a paltry $25,000,000 for this pied-a-terre.  [Update: off market]


Continuum- While this is not a TRUE Penthouse, this one rates! This unit was in the BIG hit movie Miami Vice (joke). This condo is the epitome of over the top drama. It is basically a sexy bachelor pad. I love this unit– ALL FANTASY, NO REALITY! $18,000,000…chump change!  [Update: off market]

Setai-This isn’t the TRUE Penthouse in Setai, but it has received a lot of play by throwing that PH “thing” around. PH Villa B is a single-story unit in the uber-fab Setai, which basically is a deluxe hotel room which they “say” commands $25K per night. Madonna and Mariah have slept there; out of Britney’s and Lindsay’s league! I wonder if David Hasselhoff has dined on the master bathroom floor? Hmmmm….