Miami Beach Condos / Buyer – Seller Tips


Miami Beach Real Estate Title Insurance


Buying a new home is the single largest financial investment for most families but there are risks. What if the seller doesn’t really own the home? What if there are mortgages, judgements or liens against the property? What if the property taxes have not been paid for several years? Miami Beach real estate Title insurance protects you against these types of risks and against the risks of human error. It is your basic home ownership protection.

Miami Beach Title insurance protects you against future losses arising out of events that have happened in the past. Unlike other types of insurance, title insurance is paid when the policy is issued and is good for the life of the policy. The premium required is based on the amount of the sale or the mortgage.


Buying a Miami Beach Fixer-Upper


This, of course, depends on the condition of the Miami Beach home and the estimated cost of the repairs you must make. Miami Beach real estate in a good neighborhood that is priced about 25% lower than others that are in good shape may be a good deal if it simply needs cosmetic or minor structural repairs. If the house is a gut job, that is the entire inside will be torn out and rebuilt the 25% rule may work and may not so estimate your costs as closely as possible.

Shopping by neighborhood makes good sense when considering the purchase of a fixer upper. As a buyer, the more you know about the Miami Beach homes in a particular area the better able you are when it comes time to judge whether or not a home your are considering meets the financial parameters you are looking for.


Taking Title to Your Miami Beach


Each owner has a separate title to an undivided interest in the entire property. Each owner is allowed to sell, mortgage or give away his/her interest. Any number of people can take Tenancy in Common ownership of Miami Beachand husband and wife may choose this option as well. When an owner dies, his/her interest passes by will to his/her heirs. In other words, there is no survivorship right.

Each owner has an equal interest in the Miami Beach. If one owner dies, that person’s share of the property passes automatically to the other without going through probate. Any number of people can take ownership under Joint Tenancy and husband and wife may choose this option as well.

Community Property. Only husband and wife can take title to Miami Beach in this way. Title is in the community


The Benefits of Selling Miami Beach


As you know, you are allowed to sell your Miami Beach principal residence once every two years and exclude up to $250,000 ($500,000 for a married couple) of the gain of the sale on your Federal income tax. Please note: This is not a once in a lifetime tax savings and you don’t have to be any certain age or buy a more expensive property. If you meet the two-year residence test you can sell your principal residence every two years if you are so inclined and the market cooperates. But this tax saving does not affect rental property unless you convert the rental to your personal residence, live in it for two years and then sell it.


When Miami Beach Does Not Sell


Let’s say a home is in excellent condition but simply messy. The cat box needs changing, the dog dish is a mess, the dishes haven’t been put into the dishwasher and the beds are not made. Should these conditions affect the price of the Miami Beach? No, but they do. Take two identical houses next door to each other and priced the same. The sparkling clean house will sell much faster than the messy house and the messy house will more than likely sell for a lower figure. This is true of Miami Beach as well as real estate nationwide.

When a home does not sell, the owners tend to think that the REALTOR didn’t do a good enough job of promoting the property. There is a difference among agents and brokers and some will promote a property more than others. However, the main and most important method of promoting Miami Beach for sale is listing it in the local MLS.

Miami Beach ADVANTAGE


The advantages of buying in any particular city or area depend on the buyer’s individual needs. Factors include proximity to schools, work, shopping, recreation, cultural opportunities and health care. Affordability is another important factor. So your first step in considering Miami Beach or any other city is to determine which of your needs are met and which are not met.