Miami's Top Green Real Estate Agent - Green and LEED Homes specialist

Aston 2 bedroom and 2 bath PENTHOUSE condo centrally located with 180 degree water views from living room and master bedroom windows of Sailboat Bay in Coconut Grove. Unit offers Italian tile flooring, updated kitchen with SS major appliances, modern track lighting, granite countertop, Contemporary cabinets to name a few. Double Stack washer and dryer. Living room has high ceilings suited for your art display. Bathrooms are in great shape. Panoramic views of Biscayne Bay, Coral Gables, and Downtown Dadeland in the distance make wine nights on the balcony priceless. Full amenity building. Amenities includes an awesome full workout gym, community room for events, green space for your YOGA classes and pool,24 hour security. As Miami grows, parking spaces become more valuable and this unit has 2 ASSIGNED. FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT SMART GROWTH REALTY,LLC AT 305-424-9304   

I have always wondered what is best way to build a new green kitchen without reusing old be up materials that are hard to restore. In a recent RealtorTV video many of my questions were answered. First of all cabinets. Since are not many FSC certified cabinet makers in South Florida I was wondering what would be the best option. Bamboo !! It looks great,sustainable, and long lasting and grows about 4 ft a day.. For the counter tops I prefer recycled glass from Vetrazzo but the new 100 % recycled paper products out on the market are really nice also. Since I live in Miami and terrazzo floors are so common here it RG mirrors the look and feel I like. Energy Star appliances and low flo faucets are a must. One unique feature of the video was the built in composting bin. I loved it. Definitely will recommend that to my clients if they do a remodel. LED lighting is also a big consideration, it emits no heat and lasts for over 50,000 hours and is a wonderful energy saver when entertaini...

  Walkable neighborhoods offer surprising benefits to our health, the environment, and our communities. Better health: A study in Washington State found that the average resident of a pedestrian-friendly neighborhood weighs 7 pounds less than someone who lives in a sprawling neighborhood. Residents of walkable neighborhoods drive less and suffer fewer car accidents, a leading cause of death between the ages of 15–45. Reduction in greenhouse gas: Cars are a leading cause of global warming . Your feet are zero-pollution transportation machines. More transportation options: Compact neighborhoods tend to have higher population density, which leads to more public transportation options and bicycle infrastructure. Not only is taking the bus cheaper than driving, but riding a bus is ten times safer than driving a car! Increased social capital: Walking increases social capital by promoting face-to-face interaction with your neighbors. Studies have shown that for every 10 minut...

Smart Growth Realty and Developer Dane Jackman have teamed to introduce the latest in Green Smart home Technology " The Ecovida Smart Home Project" The Ecovida Smart home designed by builder and visionary Dane Jackman,LEED AP and founder of Jackman Construction has outdone himself in achieving an "Net Zero" energy efficient home. It is with great excitement that the EcoVida Development Group introduces the EcoVida Smart Home. A pioneering project bringing like minded people, companies and institutions together for a common goal to educate, to raise awareness and to change people’s mindsets about sustainable and green living. The showcase house will feature one of the most extensive uses of green building products and integrated “smart” technologies ever assembled in one demonstration house; to create a true Net-Zero, 100% energy efficient and self-sustaining building. The 1,726 sf, 3-Bedroom, 2-Bath home will be crafted with green materials and products that ...

Even though the housing market is still stabilizing in Miami, there is definitely a bright spot on the horizon. Speculators who created this housing bubble are few to be seen and investors are coming up to the plate. Investors look to buy a rock bottom prices and either rehab and resell or hold these properties long term to build a nice investment portfolio of real estate. Take for example Downtown Miami. A group of foreign investors from Venezuela recently purchased 40 plus units at the Wind by Neo complex at bulk pricing for about $160-$170 a square foot. Furthermore, a group from Italy just bought 18 units the the Epic high-rise condo built by Italian Land developer and owner of CMC construction Hugo Colombo. Epic is the jewel building in downtown located at where the Miami River meets Biscayne Bay. We see more and more foreigners buying our real estate in Miami than ever before. The strong Euro is still a huge advantage for the foreign buyer, even though it was not as strong as...

On Thursday my wife Giselle and I were invited by our good friend Jorge Blet from Mechoshade to come visit the 2010 AIA national convention at the Miami Beach Convention center. We arrived via my Solar Utility Vehicle as it is known by these days and saw that the parking lot was full. I expected a good turnout as well inside. Boy was I wrong. The show itself was filled with wonderful vendors from all over the country showcasing their product lines. We met vendors from Chicago putting up Green roofs in Miami for several commercial buildings, Sustainable flooring companies using bamboo and coconut palms to name a few, however the halls were fairly empty for being opening day. As we walked down the mostly empty recession struck aisles Giselle and I were invited to eat upstairs at the Asian restaurant compliments of Mechoshade. Well let me tell you that it was the worst Asian food I have ever had along with it's dysfunctional staff made lunch an adventure. First of all the ...

April 2010- Carlos del Amo of Coldwell Banker, today announced the creation of a new information Web site for Miami-area homeowners in distress . CarlosdelAmoGreen.com contains vital facts about the options available to these homeowners, to help them make the educated decisions about their future. “I developed this site with my community in mind,” Del Amo said. “When faced with the possibility of foreclosure, I’ve seen too many homeowners make poor choices, even walking away from their homes without calling their lender or a real estate agent. These people didn’t know the options available, or even how to find any information on their situation. "I want more for the people of Miami Dade County, and more comes with making informed decisions.” My site acts as a hub for information on the facts and issues for struggling homeowners, putting all the necessary information in one, easy-to-use location. The information and materials located on the site are regularly updated to refle...

On Saturday night my wife Giselle and I attended the annual Dream in Green Fundraising event at Coverings in North Miami. Dream in Green's mission is to develop and implement programs that promote energy conservation and efficiency, environmental sustainability, and the use of renewable energy. This organization builds partnerships with local schools, governments, and businesses for the purpose of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, waste, and our reliance on fossil fuels. One of the night’s special guests was Miami Dade Schools Superintendent Alberto M Carvalho. He received an award for his effort and excellence in promoting The Green Schools challenge, a unique program for educating K-12 students about environmental and energy challenges and getting them involved in real world solutions that reduce energy consumptions. The successful event attracted over 100 guests. There was also a silent auction with some unique and interesting items. Some of the items ranged from recycled handb...

Miami has been waiting for sometime for a company to take the reins in the Green residential building movement and that company is Smart Growth Realty. My vision as a 40 plus year resident of the city is to reduce the carbon footprint of Miami one home at a time by giving our clients a commission rebate to go towards green initiatives. With the proceeds from the rebate we want our customers to put the savings to good use. For example, using the funds to install programmable thermostats,plant indigenous trees native to the area, increase the indoor air quality by repainting the interior walls with NO VOC paint and many other ways to save energy ,water and provide for a healthier home. At Smart Growth we want our agents to enjoy the path we are heading towards energy independence. We will give them what we call smart tools that will make them produce a much higher level with the least enviromental impact. Technology was created for a reason and we believe that in today's instant g...

On my way back from a weekend trip to Marco Island with Giselle and the kids we decided to go by a rest stop off Tamiami Trail. We got off and and took a picture of this alligator just chilling out and floating on the water's edge. It was a beautiful a summer day. I decided to have Giselle take a picture of me with these cool and large Recycling Bins It is good to know South Florida is SLOWLY going Green. We are still way behind the rest of the country.

Last month Cris from Pro Energy Consultants performed an Energy Audit on this Miami Home. He did a survey of the home for any potential loss due to improper duct installation, AC vents, doors not properly secured, windows with used weatherstripping,poor insulation in ceiling and walls and much more. I was very impressed when he did his door blower test and sucted all the AC from the home and started to use a smoke pencil to check for leaks. Furthermore, he then took out a thermo-graph gun to perform a scan of the ceiling and walls to check for leaks and improper insulation. This was awesome and highly recommend that every homeowner do an energy audit specially on older homes here in Miami.

Yesterday, the U.S. Senate voted (98-0) to pass a bill which extended and expanded the federal homebuyer tax credit. Today, the U.S. House of Representatives did the same (403-12). It's now on its way to the President for his signature which is expected to happen as early as tomorrow! CLICK HERE to view (and print) a one-page PDF document that outlines the final changes that were approved. All changes made to the current credit and the new additions will become effective when President Obama signs the bill. To summarize: Amount:Up to $8,000 Who: First-time homebuyers -- same definition as current law Amount:Up to $6,500 Who:Repeat purchasers. Must have used previous home as a principal residence for 5 of the 8 previous years. Income Limits:$125,000 for single filers/$225,000 for joint filers. Same for both first-time and repeat/move-up buyers. Time Frame:December 1, 2009 to April 30, 2010 (also includes a 60 Day extension if binding contract is in place by April 30, 201...

It was a great morning when my wife and I got up early on a Saturday morning to attend The Miami-Dade County Cooperative Extension Service Rain Barrel Workshop. The worshop started with a brief powerpoint of the the water consumption and use we have in Miami, Also they spoke abouth the days of the year we have major droughts and how the aquafer gets really low. Water is one of our most valued resources and we need to preserve as much of it as possible. After the film we all went outside with our 55 gallon Drums and opened a hole for the spiget and started to make our own barrels. It was a fun and informative morning. When I got to the house I primed the barrels and then painted them to match the color of my shutters.

The best thing I could have done to promote GREEN in Miami was to join the USGBC south florida chapter. We had a tour of the nations first LEED-EB sports venue in Downtown Miami,Florida. The American Airlines Arena gave us a tour of the green features that lead to their certification. We saw the exposed ductwork letting air flow freely and improving IAQ ( Indoor Air Quality). We saw the Low Flow urinals,faucests,and toilets. We had a great turnout of about 200 professionals from all different industries. The tour headed outside for the viewing of the energy efficient 3,400 sq ft Miamimediamesh LED screen. It was a site to behold as it flashed the USBGC logo on the mammoth screen. The folks at the arena were the most gracious of hosts by ending the tour with a walk through champions alley, where pictures of the Miami heat players glued on the wall from their championship year vs the Mavericks. Moreover, we had the pleasure of walking on the court were the heat usually dominate. We finis...

Miami Home Sales Continue Dramatic Increase in May NAR Chief Economist Says Florida Market May Have Bottomed Miami, FL – In Miami, there was a 76 percent increase of existing single-family home sales in May 2009 compared to May 2008. Miami was the strongest single-family market in Florida showing a substantial increase compared to only 16 percent statewide. The sales of existing condominiums in Miami-Dade increased by 36 percent compared to the same period last year - and to the 21 percent statewide increase. The Miami real estate market has experienced a surge in sales each of the last 10 months. According to National Association of Realtors® (NAR) Chief Economist Lawrence Yun, the South Florida real estate market may have hit bottom. “We’re certainly near the bottom if not at the bottom already,” said Yun at the recent International Real Estate Congress and Expo in Miami. According to Yun, the current conditions will allow buyers priced out during the real estate boom to ret...

Went to Miami Green Today in Miami Beach for its innaugural and was very impressed with the number of exibitors and the vast product line in South Florida to make living GREEN a way of life.

Maintenance and engineering managers often spearhead the initiatives to achieve sustainable operations in institutional and commercial facilities. The most recognized standard for certifying sustainable design and operations is the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). In April, USGBC released the latest version of the rating system, LEED version 3 (v3). Managers most likely will be directly involved in overseeing LEED certification projects in existing buildings, so a closer look at LEED v3 and, more specifically, LEED for Existing Buildings Operations and Maintenance (LEED-EB: O&M) will shed light on the way the newest version of the rating system will affect managers and their organizations. The technical advances of LEED 2009 are based on three enhancements: harmonizing prerequisites and credits for increased consistency; adjusting credit weightings based on their impact on human and environmental health...

As I start to transition my business to luxury GREEN and luxury residences,I feel that my years of dealing with the public not only as financial advisor for a Fortune 500 company and in real estate will give give me a huge advantage to negotiate the best deals for our Charting a Course clients. About The Institute for Luxury Home Marketing The Institute for Luxury Home Marketing exists to help real estate professionals around the world provide high quality service to buyers and sellers of luxury properties. Institute members have completed special training to build expertise in the marketing of upscale homes and estates and those who meet performance standards may earn the prestigious Certified Luxury Home Marketing Specialist designation.

I am proud to announce that I have received the prestigious GREEN Designation from the National Association of Realtors. I look forward to helping my current and future clients in informing them about how great it is to live Green.

If you have ever been to a real estate auction it is definitely something to behold. Tons of people looking for that next big steal and hoping to walk away with the deal of the century. but what they don't know could hurt them. I took one of our clients to the auction in miami beach to bid on a coconut grove home we were targeting afte seeing numerous properties in the area. When our property came up we weeded the low ballers out and narrowed it down to 2. We had a set price and was able to get it more than 10% below the foreclosure asking price. We got a great deal. I Carlos del Amo and my real estate team will get you the a great deal on your next home purchase.