S & J Journal

The 64th Annual Junior Orange Bowl Parade yesterday was lots of fun for kids and adults, and the weather was beautiful. Ginger Jochem drove the car while Bentley the Bear and my granddaughter, Julia, waved at the crowds. Congratulations to my daughter Kathleen and all of the JOB team for a great parade!

Beginning at 4 p.m. today, the streets of Downtown Coral Gables will be filled with marching bands, colorful floats, community groups and creative parade units, all part of the 64th Junior Orange Bowl Parade . See the parade route below. This year's parade theme is "Sailing to New Adventures" which commemorates the 500th anniversary of Ponce de Leon's discovery of Florida.  Enjoy daytime family fun before the new year. "It's supposed to be a gorgeous afternoon," said Junior Orange Bowl Parade Chair Kathleen Slesnick Kauffman, "and it's the end of holiday break for kids and families and it's a good way to wrap up your break." For more information on the JOB Parade, click here . PARADE ROUTE  

Calling all Kids! Win a ride with Bentley the Bear and Grandstand Tickets to the Parade!   Just send us an email* with your parents’ permission to info@slesnick.net and tell us three things you like about living in Coral Gables. You can win a ride on Slesnick & Jochem’s entry to the parade with Bentley the Bear plus two grandstand tickets. The parade begins at 3 p.m. on Sunday, December 30th. For details about the parade itself, visit www.jrorangebowl.org .  *Email must include your name, email address, age and shirt size. Drawing is on Dec. 23rd. See the back page of the Miami Herald Neighbors on Sundays for updates on this contest.

Florida Realtors reported that the nation is seeing the highest pending home sales figures in over five years. The data reflects activity in the market in the form of contracts (not closings). “The Pending Home Sales Index (PHSI) in the Northeast slipped 0.1% to 79.2 in October, but it’s 13.3% above a year ago. In the Midwest , the index jumped 15.6% to 104.4 in October, and is 20.0% above October 2011. In the West, it declined 1.1% in October to 105.7, but is still 0.9% above October 2011. Pending home sales in the South rose 5.5% to an index of 117.3 in October, and that is 17.4% higher than a year ago."  Read more here .

F eaturing Broadway star Janet Dacal and Carbonell Award nominee Christopher A. Kent, The Last Five Years is a contemporary song-cycle musical that explores a five-year relationship between Jamie Wellerstein, a rising novelist, and Cathy Hiatt, a struggling actress. Funny and uplifting, the show captures some of the most heartbreaking and universally felt moments of modern romance, and promises to be an artistic treat for South Florida audiences. December 5 - 30, 2012 Wednesday - Saturday at 8 p.m., Sunday at 2 p.m. A special weekday matinee is scheduled on Wednesday, December 12, 2012 at 2 p.m. Tickets for preview nights are $35, weeknights and matinees are $40, and on Friday and Saturday evenings $48. The theatre offers a 10 percent senior discount rate the day of performance and $15 student rush tickets 15 minutes prior to curtain with identification. Discounts are based on availability and exclude Saturday and Sunday. Group discounted rates are offered for 15 or more throu...

 Lauren Smith, Charles (Chaz) Scurr, Bobbie Ibarra , Don Slesnick and Hector Vargas Joe Hovancak, Comcast Business Class ( South Florida Good to Great Awards Co-Chair) , Phillis Oeters, Baptist Health South Florida (Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce Chair), Danette Gossett, Gossett Marketing ( South Florida Good to Great Awards Co-Chair)   and Barry Johnson (Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce President & CEO) On Monday, November 12th, the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce kicked off their South Florida “Good to Great” Awards application process with a luncheon onboard the Norwegian Sky cruise ship honoring the past 31 winners. BankUnited is the proud sponsor of the awards which celebrates those businesses that have demonstrated success in our community. Applications are now available from the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce and open to all for-profit business.   Nominations must be received by 5:00 p.m. on February 29, 2012.   ...

General Douglas Fraser, U.S. Southern Command, giving the keynote address at the Jungle Island Veteran's Day event.                  U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Army General Martin Dempsey, incoming SOUTHCOM Commander Gen. John Kelly and outgoing  SOUTHCOM Commander  Gen. Douglas Fraser at Change of Command Ceremony on November 19, 2012 . General Douglas Fraser of the Southern Command is retiring after nearly 40 years of service to the United States Air Force. At a Veteran's Day celebration held at Jungle Island in Miami, the General was recognized along with other veterans for their outstanding dedication to protecting our country.     Last week, Gen. Fraser was also honored by United States Secretary of Defense Leon E. Panetta, who commended his accomplishments in leading SOUTHCOM. Secretary Panetta described the Genera...

The Miami Association of Realtors held a conference last week at the Biltmore called the Miami International Real Estate Congress where 250 agents from the United States and ten foreign countries joined together to network and discuss the Miami/Miami Beach residential markets. These remain highly sought-after cities for international buyers and investors. The Association reported that the largest amount of foreign real estate purchases here are from Venezuelans, followed by Argentinians and Brazilians. Generally this is because prices are still better in Miami than in those countries' markets. Latin Americans account for about 70% of the international real estate transactions in Miami and Miami Beach (Western Europeans 18%). Read more here:   http://www.miamiherald.com/ 2012/11/05/3083404/foreign- interest-in-miami-property. html#storylink=cpy

Read the article from Miami Today where Ron Shuffield is quoted as well as Mike Pappas. However, we are seeing an uptick again in the Gables and I think it will continue through February... Click link to see article: http://www.miamitodaynews.com/news/121108/story1.shtml

 2013 Spectrum Award Honorees from left to right:  Marina Bryant, Julie Grimes, Kathryn Q. Mikesell, Janelle Patty, Patricia Robbins, Penny Shaffer, Olga M. Ramudo, Jeannett Slesnick, Sabrina Cohen, Mary Young.   Press Release:  American Red Cross Member Jeannett Slesnick to be Honored with the 2013 Spectrum Award in March (Coral Gables, Fla.) … At a fundraising reception last month at Merrick Park's Jimmy Choo boutique, the Local chapter of the American Red Cross presented 11 outstanding women leaders who will be receiving the 2013 Sara Hopkins Woodruff Spectrum Awards for Women during a luncheon on March 5th at the InterContinental Miami Hotel. Among the extraordinary women being honored by the American Red Cross is Jeannett Slesnick, founding partner in the real estate firm Slesnick & Jochem, LLP, an experienced realtor and broker with more than 30 years in the business and a tireless community volunteer. She will be given one of the highest honors, t...

Approaching housing boom... We have been saying that housing prices in the Gables have been creeping upward, a good sign of a recovering market. Now Florida Realtors reports that economists predict a new national housing boom by 2015, with prices rising by 5% to 7.5% per year and home construction by 20% per year.   Florida Realtors Article

The Club Monaco fundraising gala at the Coral Gables Country Club honored distinguished citizens for their service to our home town. With Bacardi USA as the presenting sponsor, guests enjoyed dinner, auctions and casino-style entertainment. Photos by Alberto Romeu. Foundation Chair-Elect Carlos Garcia with education awardee Joyce Elam. Janice, Jack and former Gables Mayor Dorothy Thomson. Gala Co-chair Marielena Villamil and Tony Rogers. Jason Neal, Past Chair Jerry Santeiro and Gala Co-Chair John Allen.    

The Sustainers gathered to celebrate achieving the $1 million fundraising goal for the Junior League of Miami Foundation. Among the attendees were Jowanda Peterson, Cathy Zuckerman Dee, and Ginger Jochem, pictured at right.

The event, held at at Fleming’s Steakhouse on Ponce de Leon, featured a wonderful speaker who gave tips on “Art of Attraction” networking skills.  Photo of audience by SnapHappy Photos.  

Barbara Reese and Marie Vaca (pictured at right), are chairpersons of the annual Holiday Home Tour of the Coral Gables Garden Club which raises money to restore majestic Gables entrances and for scholarships. This year's tour takes place on December 9, 2012 from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. For tickets or information contact info@coralgablesgardenclub.org .  Visit their website for details.

 Photo by Mitchell Zachs. The JOB’s Past Presidents with Mayors Gimenez and Cason. Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez presented a proclamation at the kick-off event held at the Biltmore Hotel, naming that day, September 18, 2012, Junior Orange Bowl 64th Anniversary Day. The “Sailing to New Adventures!” JOB Parade is on Sunday, December 30, 2012. Call 305-662-1210 for details.

More than 3,500 runners and walkers attended the Hyundai Hope On Wheels 2nd Annual 5K which began in front of Coral Gables City Hall. The event doubled last year’s fundraising. Lucy Morillo-Agnetti, Miami Children’s Hospital Foundation President & CEO, said “the outpouring of support from both our community and employees makes it possible for us to... provide the highest level of care to the children.”

Mia Patch Licensed Realtor 305-333-7167 mia@slesnick.net  Mia Patch is a marketing and sales executive with more than 20 years of experience in the Florida and Colorado real estate markets. Slesnick & Jochem now brings our expertise to Coconut Grove, Brickell, Key Biscayne and Downtown Miami, in addition to Coral Gables where we have consistently been #1 in the number of homes listed and sold. Welcome, Mia!

51 listings are actively for sale in the market in Coral Gables and Coconut Grove in this price range.  28 went under contract or sold in the last 12 months; of these, 21 are on navigable water. In the Gables and the Grove, the average price per sq.ft. over the last 12 months is almost $430, and $450 per sq.ft. for those listings on the water. 

The real estate search engine Trulia says it is now on average 45% less expensive to buy than to rent a home.  Trulia conducted a study called the Summer 2012 Rent vs. Buy Report in 100 American cities. While the buy-versus-rent savings varied greatly among the cities, buying was the best choice in all 100 markets.  To conduct the study, Trulia looked at the homes for sale and rent on its own site between June 1 and Aug. 31, 2012. One Florida metro area made the top five list for home buying affordability. According to Trulia, the monthly cost of homeownership in   Lakeland-Winter Haven is $495 , while the cost of renting is $1,276 – a 61% ($781) savings for those who choose to buy rather than rent. Read the full Florida Realtors article .

As it celebrated its 50th anniversary, the law firm moved from Downtown Miami to 396 Alhambra (built by developer Agave Holdings LLC). Many of the firm’s attorneys are Gables residents who are very involved in the community. Pictured: Attorneys Gregory Cesarano and Charles Johnson. Guests Melissa Tolmach, Jennie Lou and Attorney Ben Reid.    

The Coral Gables Art Cinema held a founders' night private preview of Arbitrage, a film about high-stakes finance and corruption starring Richard Gere & Susan Sarandon. Pictured: (top right) Cinema President Steve Krams with wife Midge. (bottom right) Ginger Jochem and Dolly McIntyre (two of the Cinema’s Founders). (left) Maritza & Bob Jacobson (Board member). www.gablescinema.com

The Today Show's real estate expert Barbara Corcoran explains how low home appraisals are causing frustration and disappointment for buyers and sellers and she offers advice about how to avoid them.   VIDEO

Please read about Kid Care below. David Lawrence is a friend of mine and Ginger and I constantly promote children's reading programs as well as have our annual book drive.     Jeannett: Here’s the good news: Already, more than half of the 10 communities participating in Reading Pals have launched with hundreds of trained volunteers heading for classrooms to read with children. Meanwhile, many other volunteers are signing up to help with a statewide health care outreach initiative. (For one example, 22 volunteers were trained this week in Miami to go into communities and enroll children in KidCare). Moreover, via our partnership with TurboVote, hundreds of Floridians are registering to vote . Working together, we have the power within us to build something that hasn’t been built before – that is, a movement for all children. Your support fuels this work and inspires me. (To make a contribution of any size – fully tax-deductible – just click here .) ...

Hello Friends....have an interest in international tennis or golf? Do you have children that may want to be in the JOB parade? Want to volunteer or help sponsor one of the fifteen events? Stop by the cocktail party Tuesday at the Biltmore and meet some of the people involved in one of the largest youth festivals in the US. See invitation below...

Late last month , Redfin released a quarterly survey of homebuyer attitudes that included answers from almost 1,000 home shoppers in 19 cities...It appears buyers are frustrated by having to bid  against other buyers on homes, since inventory is low in some markets.  People are having to compete for properties and 70% of buyers said they’d encountered multiple-bid scenarios. The survey ran from August 16-22. Interesting survey findings: ·          46% believe now is a good time to buy, down from 56% in the first quarter ·          32% believe now is a good time to sell, up from 13% during the first quarter ·          61% believe prices will increase, up from 32% during the first quarter Read more: http://www.floridarealtors.org/NewsAndEvents/article.cfm?p=5&id=280578

2845 Granada Sold in 2 Days " The service and personal attention we received from Slesnick and Jochem, LLP was exceptional. Jeannett and Ginger are truly a high-caliber, high-energy team. Their knowledge of the local real estate market and their brilliant advertising approach helped us in selling our home. They recommended changes we should make to enhance the appeal to a buyer. We implemented every suggestion even though there was expense involved. We are very happy we did. Our home sold almost immediately for a price higher than we ever expected. This is not our first experience utilizing the expertise of Jeannett Slesnick and GingerJochem. They helped sell our previous home and find the home we just recently sold. In each case the results were outstanding." --written by Frank Ackermann and Julie Stroh

Out of the four states where 51% of foreign buyers purchase homes - Florida, California, Texas and Arizona - Florida has the largest share at 26%. This data stems from a study conducted from June 2011 to June 2012. Read the complete report online at Florida Realtors’ website: Profile of International Home Buyers in Florida 2012. Excerpts from the report: • 82% of international sales were cash transactions. • The median price paid by international buyers was $194,700 compared to an overall Florida median price of $125,100 and a U.S. median price of $167,758. • Canadian buyers tended to buy in the lower price range; European and Latin American buyers bought at a higher price range. • Condos account for 45% of properties, townhouses 10% and detached single-family homes 36% .

Photos courtesy of Actors’ Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre. 1. Actors’ Playhouse moved into the historic Miracle Theatre in 1995. Photo by Diego Pocovi. 2. (L to R from back row) Actors’ Playhouse Founding Chairman Dr. Lawrence E. Stein, former City of Coral Gables Mayor Don Slesnick, Actors’ Playhouse Executive Producing Director Barbara S. Stein, President & CEO of the Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce Mark A. Trowbridge, René I. Basulto of Basulto & Associates, Inc, Douglas Wood of Douglas Wood Associates, Inc., Actors’ Playhouse Artistic Director David Arisco, former City of Coral Gables Mayor Dorothy Thompson, Chairman of the Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce Drew Kern, Jeannett Slesnick of Slesnick & Jochem, LLP, John P. Fullerton of Fullerton Diaz Architects, and Coral Gables City Manager Pat Salerno. Photo by Alberto Romeu Photography. Actors’ Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre was honored with the City Beautiful Award for Outstanding H...

On the MLX, there are only 250 homes for sale in Coral Gables and just 97 of these are under $1M. Nationally... • The median single-family home price as of June is $190,100, according to the National Association of Realtors. The high was $230,900 in July 2006. • The average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage rate is 3.59%, according to Freddie Mac, slightly above the all-time low of 3.49% last month. • The average cost to close on a mortgage fell 7% over the past year, according to Bankrate.com. Check back with us often.

As of last week... Inventory of Single Family Homes in Coral Gables is down to 271. Freddie Mac said about record low 30-year mortgage loan rates:  30-year rate fell last week from 3.53% to 3.49%. It was just over 4.5% one year ago.

Florida Realtors reported yesterday that Trulia performed an assessment of the number of foreign buyers that accessed their website to search for a home in the U.S. and it seems foreigners are dropping off as home prices rebound. However, international investors remain interested in U.S. real estate primarily in Florida. Trulia listed the top 10 cities searched by foreign buyers through its website, and six are in Florida: 1. Miami (15.7% of the Miami searches done through Trulia were by foreigners) 2. Los Angeles 3. Fort Lauderdale 4. Lakeland-Winter Haven 5. Orlando 6. West Palm Beach 7. Cape Coral-Fort Myers 8. Honolulu 9. San Francisco 10. Las Vegas Home searches by foreigners on Trulia are regularly from Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany and Australia. On this real estate blog, Jeannett’s Journal , foreign readers are mainly from Russia, Slovenia, Canada and Germany, and make up 5% of our total blog visitors. At Slesnick & Jochem, we specialize in propert...

-- Inventory in this sought-after neighborhood is down to 252 active listings on the MLS, so do not delay in purchasing your next property. --

First-time homebuyers are struggling to buy in this recovering real estate market, the Sun Sentinel reported last week. Although prices are affordable and mortgage interest rates are at an all-time low, first-timers are facing competition from banks who have tightened lending requirements and investors who are cash buyers. Sellers prefer cash or even buyers that have pre-approved conventional loans because they are weary of FHA loan transactions. Even when these first-time buyers put down offers on a home over the list price, they often lose it to cash buyers. Today’s first-time buyers also face a shortage of available homes. First-time buyers accounted for roughly a third of all home sales nationwide in May, according to the National Association of Realtors. Ideally, the percentage should be 40 percent or more, said Walter Molony, a spokesman for the Realtor trade group. It is conventionally first-time buyers that stimulate confidence in the real estate market. To compete...

The New York Times reported this week that evidence is showing a recovery in the housing market. This is due to reports that prices are going up…and so are sales. Builders are constructing again. Homes are also being sold for asking price and sometimes above asking. Although the article says this is a positive movement, it says it will be slow. Many Americans are still in default of their loans, and owe more than their home is worth, making it impossible to sell. But the positive, upward trend is evident in the data: ·          S.&P./Case-Shiller index reported earlier this week that sales prices for existing homes rose in April for the first time this year. ·          National Association of Realtors said Wednesday that pending home sales climbed to the highest level since the end of a federal tax credit for first-time buyers in September 2010. ·       ...

The City of Coral Gables, Bacardi U.S.A., Inc. and the Biltmore Hotel together with the Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce, the University of Miami, Doctor’s Hospital and Waste Management, Inc. bring the fireworks back to Coral Gables (event last held in 2006). As Bacardi celebrates 150 years, they are “... proud to be involved with this Independence Day event,” said Mr. Whitmoyer, Bacardi Vice President. Event includes a Greater Miami Symphonic Band concert, concessions, and more. For VIP Cabanas and special hotel room rates, call (305) 913-3246 ext. 2387 or email 4thofJuly@biltmorehotel.com . Wednesday, July 4th Free Admission to Grounds and Parking Biltmore Hotel, 1200 Anastasia Ave. Concert at 7 p.m., Fireworks at 9 p.m. Call 305-446-6800

Business and civic leaders from around Miami and South Florida joined last week at the Biltmore Hotel to honor Peter Dolara for his service to the South Florida community as Vice President of American Airlines. M r. Dolara, who joined the airline in 1963, will retire handing over the Vice President post to Art Torno. American Airlines has about 9,000 employees in South Florida and more than 300 flights a day, up from just 18 flights in 1989 when Mr. Dolara took the helm. Pictured:  Art Torno, Miami International Airport Director Jose Abreu (receiving Eagle Award) and Peter Dolara.