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

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