First, let's start some with good news.  Florida's economy is slowly making its way back up after tumbling dramatically nearly a year ago, at least if recent reports from major lending institutions are to be believed.  The bad news is that this slow recovery will continue to affect the unemployment rate for some time.  Now that those two things are out of the way, how are Miami Beach homes doing?

While we can't speak for Miami Beach homes specifically, the housing market in Florida is still seeing prices come down even as recent reports mention a rise in home sales. However on a positive note, many market analysts have said there are strong signs that the housing bottom has been or will soon be reached so prices may actually start to increase sooner than anticipated.

On that note, consumer confidence actually increased by more than seventy points this month, that's actually the highest it's ever been since October of 2007.  If consumer confidence continues to improve then the odds are good that so will sales of Miami Beach homes.

Florida is on an uphill climb but things are looking up, at least for the most part.

Last week some news regarding strong indicators of a housing market recovery made waves, and now there’s another bit of good news to report.  After four straight months of declines and new lows that managed to set records, the month of March actually proved to be a good one for property like Miami Beach homes and homes around the country.

Newly built homes saw sales increase by a considerable 27 percent compared to the month of February.  That number also marks a 24 percent increase when compared to March of 2009.  The upswing mirrors that of sales for used Miami Beach homes which also saw a healthy boost during the month of June.  If there’s a group of people pleased to hear such news, it’s definitely builders.

These recent increases are attributed to the introduction of the spring buying season which is typically active plus, as always, the buying tax credit which is ending in just a few more days.  Will Miami Beach homes continue this surge once the spring season is over?  Summer is right around the corner and that’s typically when many people flock to the sunny beaches of South Florida.

Regardless of how long you’ve lived in Miami Beach homes, chances are you’re quite familiar with both the Miami Beach Convention Center as well as The Fillmore Miami Beach at the classic Jackie Gleason Theater.   The former frequently hosts large scale events while the latter often plays hosts to a variety of musical acts.  If things go according to plan however, The Fillmore may not be around much longer.

Currently, a new plan is being devised by well known firm Arquitectonica that will see the Miami Beach Convention Center receive a huge expansion, requiring demolishing The Fillmore in order to convert the site into a 1,000 room convention hotel.  However, there is some concern among those living in neighboring Miami Beach homes and the general public about the loss of the popular music venue and the site where Jackie Gleason once filmed his popular television show.

If you’re interested in learning more about the project, a community workshop is being held on May 13 at the convention center.  A hotel could potentially boost the value of existing Miami Beach homes near the building as well as improve tourism but for some, that still may not be worth the loss of The Fillmore.  What are your thoughts?

Are you among the thousands of people who took the time last week to try and work out a new solution towards paying the mortgage for their property like Miami Beach homes?  If you missed out on attending the Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America's five day Save the Dream tour, you may have missed an incredible opportunity to significantly reduce your mortgage payments.

The Save the Dream tour had already experienced lots of success when it was initially held over in Palm Beach County and the second tour held at the Miami Beach Convention Center also proved to be a huge success.  Nearly 15,000 people were able to sit down with a counselor and receive a loan modification for their Miami Beach homes.  That number doesn’t take into account the applications that are still pending, considering that over 40,000 people attended the event that was open around the clock.

Were you among the many people who attended the Save a Dream tour?  If so, were you able to work out a new solution that works with your current financial and/or employment situation?  We’d love to hear your stories.

Are you considering investing in a new appliance as an upgrade or to improve the energy efficiency of your Miami Beach homes?  Perhaps you’re aware of the state’s energy Star appliance rebate.  If not, you may be losing valuable time.  On Friday the program was launched and already the funds set aside for the rebate have dwindled.

Should you purchase an Energy Star certified appliance for your Miami Beach homes, you’ll be entitled to twenty percent of the purchase price, plus $75 per appliance for recycling whatever old appliance you’ll be replacing.  The appliances eligible for the rebate include refrigerators, dishwashers, clothes washers, single-room air conditioners and tankless gas water heaters, dryers do not qualify.  If you’re moving into a new home on Miami Beach, the rebate could save you a significant amount of money.

The state rebate program runs until the 25th but it’s strongly recommended that you at least consider adding yourself to the waiting list.  Funds have already dried up unfortunately but there’s still a possibility you may have an additional $1,200 in your pocket you can apply toward your Miami Beach homes if you join the waiting list.

Are you in the middle of or are you considering selling Miami Beach homes?  You probably already know how important it is to do some preliminary research in order to determine a fair yet competitive price.  The part you may not have as much familiarity with is effective negotiation, a step that could potentially add tens of thousands of dollars more to your pocket.

When choosing the right Miami Beach realtor, there’s little room for pleasantries.  In other words, find someone who is determined, aggressive (in negotiation), and insistent.  Negotiation can be extremely competitive so having an effective realtor is much more important than that person who’s pleasing to work with but can’t get a “down and dirty” when it comes to negotiation.  As for the commission you’ll be paying that too can be negotiated, something you may want to consider.

Determining the price for Miami Beach homes is absolutely crucial, but you should strongly consider setting a price that’s higher than what you’re willing to settle on.  The reasoning behind that is fairly obvious: it gives you more freedom to negotiate and chop down the price, thus appeasing the buyer(s) who are trying to get a deal at a reduced price.

What strategies have worked for you as a home seller?