The rental market in Miami has always been recognized for having one of the highest rental prices in the U.S. Being ranked #10 out of the 100 metro areas in the country this month, the median rent price in Miami has reduced 2.2% from $1,750 for a one-bedroom/ one-bathroom in May compared to last year when the median cost was $1,790).
It seems strange and unreal that real estate hasn’t shown a dramatic slow down in sales due to the Coronavirus crisis, but that is exactly the case for Miami-Dade County. Real estate hasn’t suffered as much as most of us thought it will. Pending contracts keep converting into closed sales and sales keep increasing month to month. With 465 closed sales of single-family homes in the first half of March and 557 closed condos, there was a 4.5% and 14.1% increase respectively compared to the first 2 weeks of February.
Anyone would agree that trying to find a Miamian in Miami is getting harder every day. You may think it is only you, but actually, more foreigners and local refugees are flying down to Miami and are forcing locals to find new cities to establish.
About 58,000 Floridians are moving out of their hometowns to other states, while 94 outsiders are coming to Florida daily. This loss of Locals is mainly due to a non-stop increase in real estate prices and to tax law reforms.
Foreign buyers in the U.S. have dropped by half in 2019 compared to the previous two years. Only in 2019 compared to 2018 there was a decrease of -36% in residential real estate, foreigners only spent $78 billion in 2019 compared to $121 billion in 2018.
Fewer foreigners buying residential homes in the US has pushed a decrease in listing prices. With lots of inventory and no buyers to fill them up, the market has switched from a seller to a buyer’s market. It is shocking the magnitudes of the drop as we have reached the lowest level of foreign residential investment since 2013.
It’s not the first time we mention how climate weather is affecting Miami’s landscape. In our article “Miami’s great initiatives to combat climate change” we explained how Miami’s local government is developing new ways to reduce the long-term risk of flooding and stabilize the region’s economy. This time I wanted to explore a little deeper one innovative development that is reducing the flooding risk and is creating a cool trend at the same time!
We’ve been writing about how the Tax Cut and Jobs acted signed by Trump in 2017, has made Miami an investment paradise for Tax Refugees (wealthy buyers investing in South Florida looking for a tax break). New York has been one of the best examples of high tax immigration to the sunshine state. As a consequence, Florida is now the 3rd most populous state in the country.
However, this is not the only reason why people are moving to Miami and why the population has almost doubled since 1990. It seems logical for hard-working New Yorkers to think about their retirement and do the math of how long would their money last with the incredibly expensive lifestyle of the Empire State city compared to Miami.
It is known that all great cities have been built along rivers. New York, Paris, London, Chicago, are just a few examples. It would be impossible to say it is just a coincidence! There a lot of riverfront advantages that have helped the commercial developments of cities. The half-mile long Miami River is not the exception. Miami was meant to be one of those big metropolises.
The 5.5-mile long Miami River is one of the most unique and authentic features that characterize Miami nowadays. It is so hard to think that it hasn’t always been this way, but it is actually the case. In 1950 the Miami River had a really bad reputation as everyone considered it like a cesspool. It was the last city in the U.S that pumped sewage into the river. It was only used for hosting cargo ships and marine repairs. Nowadays the story is completely different.
Foreign buyers have been the #1 buyers of South Florida real estate for more than a decade. However, for the past few years, there was a tremendous decrease in Latin American buyer’s activity due to inflation and unstable local governments. However, according to the Profile of International Home Buyers Report of 2018, there was a rose of 23% of foreign purchase activity in 2018 compared to 2017. Out of those foreign buyers, Brazilians are in the top of the list.
For the past 10 years, Miami has been facing a speedy cultural development that hasn’t been fully followed by the rest of the World. That is why people improperly think that Miami is not a “serious business city” where you can actually go other than on vacation.
Miami is not only a “cool” vacationing location anymore. A strong cultural identity has been created and “developed” in the last decade. As a citizen of Miami, I have to say that I’ve noticed the whole path that Miamians have been following for the past decade. When I imagine what is Miami now, I have a large list of characteristics that top my head. Art, sports, entertainment, business, food, transportation, and those are just a few to mention. Nonetheless, that is not everyone’s opinion.
Little have we discussed about to the current Miami condo’s oversupply. There are new constructions in every corner, that have pushed developers to find new ways of differentiating and stepping above their competitors. This new strategy is modifying Miami’s skyline.
Local developers are now outsourcing the exterior design to famous international architects. Buyers have so many options nowadays, that every detail counts when trying to be more appealing to luxury-seekers. From the parking garages and storages till the outer design of the tower, everything counts!
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