One man’s home is another man’s castle.  That is particularly true here in Miami & Miami Beach.

The range of price points that I work  in Miami & Miami Beach as a Realtor(r) is “VERY   B R O A D”.  Some agents only work in the luxury market, others short sales only, some vacation homes and some agents work in a “range” of price points.  I work more in the “range of price points”.    A few months ago I sold a condo for $196,000 and right after that I did a rental at Portofino Towers for $6000 a month.  Each of these buyers, sellers and renters had different needs, expectations and priorities.    My goal is to properly manage these expectations and provide my clients with the best information to make good decisions…. no matter what is the price point.

I work in a very small area of Miami & Miami Beach:  South Beach, Brickell, Downtown Miami, Biscayne Corridor and Midtown Miami.  However this area includes hundreds of buildings with different amenities, services, condo associations, management companies & more.

That’s a lot to know and take in.

With all of that said…. in regards to value and convenience I went back and looked at my buyer’s and renter’s consultations over the past year and these are the top 20 issues that were priorities to them:

1. Parking:  At least 1 assigned/deeded parking spot.  OR I don’t mind paying for a spot.  OR street parking is fine.
2. Valet service:  I want to have valet take my car upon arrival.  OR how much does valet charge my guests? OR how much does valet charge for a second unit owner’s (renter’s) car to park?
3. Concierge services:  Do you want a full fledged concierge service that can make reservations for you, refer you to restaurants, call the limo service?  OR just a person to buzz guests up and down the elevator?  OR none of the above?
4. Management Company:  Do you want an on-site management company?  OR off premises? OR self-managed?
5. Renting Restrictions:  Do you want a building that has flexible lease terms? OR no renting allowed?
6. Pet Restrictions:  Small pets, big pets, pet friendly access?
7. Security:  Actual security guards 24/7 on site patrolling the building? OR just a gated/secured building?
8. Maintenance Fees:  What’s included? (there is not enough space here to write everything you need to know about this……another post later.)
9. Reserves:  Does the building have reserves built in?  How much are they?  How are they managed? (there is not enough space here to write everything you need to know about this……another post later.)
10. Assessments:  Are there any planned assessments?  For what?  How much?  (there is not enough space here to write everything you need to know about this……another post later.)
11. Washer/Dryer:  Must be in the unit.  OR must be on the same hallway.  OR I can take my clothes off premises to wash.
12. Elevators:  How many? How quick are they?  Are there private elevators?  OR I don’t like elevators.
13. Swimming Pool:  A must?  Heated?  OR I can go to Flamingo park to swim.
14. High Rise or Low Rise?  Boutique or Grand?
15. Beach Access:  Right on the beach with chairs/umbrellas provided by the building.  OR a quick walk is fine.  OR I don’t mind driving across the bridge.
16. Noise:  Is the building a relatively quite building? OR are the walls thick/thin? OR I love the unit so I don’t mind the construction outside from 9am – 5pm.
17. Hurricane Windows/Shutters:  Hurricane windows are a must.  OR shutters are fine. OR doesn’t really matter.
18. Convenience Store in Building:  Yes, a must.  OR big deal, I can walk down the street.
19. Pedestrian Friendly:  I must be able to walk to all of the hot spots.  OR I will drive or cab it.
20. Gym:  Must have a super nice gym.  OR I have a membership no gym needed.  OR who cares I don’t work out.
21. Storage:  Must have separate storage area.   Or not.

Whew.  The problem with this list is once I started writing it, I couldn’t stop.  Gosh, there is just so much to know and I could have elaborated each point with it’s own paragraph.  Of course there are more issues to consider such as the financial stability of the building, specific condo docs, rules per building and more.  But I think I pretty much hit on the main items that most of my buyers and renters have asked about over the last year.  If you think of any more add them in the comment section.