Whispering Hills

Miami, Florida – a city that makes headlines throughout the world, all for the right reasons. Whether you are from the heart of Europe, the Far East or Africa, the mere mention of Miami is enough to make you stop whatever you are doing and pay attention. But what is it about this city that makes it such a coveted destination? To begin easy, the city of Miami epitomizes a multicultural Utopia we all die to live in.

Miami features a fair representation of nearly all the world’s major ethnic groups and while some are native residents, others are simply visitors who can’t get enough of this wonderland. The hospitality of the locals, coupled with the cool breeze from the iconic Atlantic Ocean is enough incentive to make anyone want to permanently settle on this land. In this article, I will discuss some of the actual reasons that gave me the impetus to want to settle in Miami, hoping you will draw some inspiration from it too.

So, Why Miami?

The People

Being a cosmopolitan city, Miami features so many ethnic groups and despite whatever part of the world you come from, you will always feel at home here. The locals are hospitable and make you feel welcome, whatever your reason for visiting is.

The Weather

We all may have heard of this expression, “’when it is cold, it is freezing cold and when it is hot, it is scorching hot’’. Truth of the matter is, nobody wants to live under these extreme weather conditions and we are always looking for something in between. The weather in Miami is favorable all year round. Winter is not as bad as you may expect in other cities and summer is just as good. This means that being the outdoor person I am, I will not have to worry about the common seasonal inconveniences such as being snow-bound or suffering from unwarranted sunburns as I go on a weekend crawl along the city’s enchanting beaches.

The Infrastructure and Amenities

One of the things that would inspire my decision to settle in Miami is the city’s infrastructure and social amenities. These are indeed conveniences that make life worth living and I just wouldn’t overlook them. The Miami International Airport would come in handy whenever I need to fly in and out of the city. Endowed with many health, educational and recreational facilities, I do not see a better reason for wanting to have my dream home in Miami.

What Of The Economy and The Real Estate?

Miami is one of the cities in the world with a steady and remarkable employment growth rate which stands at 2.7%. This means the city’s economy is fairly stable, jobs are easier to come by and inflation is generally low. These are variables I would really want to take into account, especially during my post-retirement life.

Also worth noting is the fact that there is a constant 6.1% increase in the home values. This is a welcome idea, especially to an enterprising person like me because at any point in time I shall feel I need to convert my residential house [or part of it] into a commercial one, the benefits I stand to get shall be immense.  To take into consideration buying vs renting, see my last post.

So What’ll My Dream Home Be Like?

I am not a very complicated fellow but I do not subscribe to simplicity either, especially when it comes to building my dream home. As such, I would like my dream home in Miami to be a maisonette. The floor plan of my maisonette would include a spacious living room able to entertain a large family as well as hold guests. Ideally, this shall be on the ground floor and shall combine with an equally spacious kitchen and a well-furnished dining area.

On the second floor would be my bedrooms and bathrooms. I would like the maisonette to be designed with four bedrooms –three for my family and one for guests, as well as two bathrooms –one for my family and the other one for use by my guests.  To save on costs, I may even look for modular home designs that are available.

Most importantly, I would like my maisonette to be built in such a manner that the façade overlooks the majestic Atlantic Ocean so each morning I would wake up to the silent roars of the ocean. A spacious patio, a well-mowed lawn and a car garage will be a welcome adds-on. And what’s a home in Miami without pets, so a Bulldog for me wouldn’t be such a bad idea.

And that’s how my dream home in Miami, Florida would be.

Home buyers have the option of choosing between buying and renting. You can decide whether it makes financial sense to continue paying monthly rent to a landlord or to take up a mortgage to finance the buying of a home depending on your financial stability and consistency.

Unfortunately, most of the decisions made by most homeowners are based on emotions. The decisions are often predicated on the desire to start a family or the fear of a significant financial commitment. The following are some of the factors to consider when buying or renting a home, including:

· Personal finances

It is important to consider how much money you have at your disposal and how much you can get from other sources. It is equally important to determine how much debt you owe, your credit score and your taxes.

If your credit score is poor, you may need to seek professional help to improve it before moving ahead with buying your first home. If you have a good credit score, you stand to benefit from a low fixed rate mortgage. This will help you get your dream home at competitive prices.

· Location

The site of a property is a very important factor in real estate because it often impacts the price and value of the property an individual is considering renting or purchasing. The location has to do with the geographic location, such as the city, rural towns, and metro areas.

When you consult the right professional, he/she will be able to advise the impact of renting or buying based on the finances that you have and the geographic location. You could end up saving a substantial amount of money every month when you buy a home in some cities, instead of renting.
· Lifestyle

The decision to buy or rent a home is also dependent on an individual’s short-term plans- the changes to one’s lifestyle and how the lifestyle fits their career goals and life. If you are young, unmarried and are uncertain about living in the place you currently live, you may consider renting and saving over the short-term before you decide to buy a home.

The real estate quandary has been around forever and the answer can fluctuate, depending on the economic circumstances. Is it better to buy a house or to be a renter?

The advantages of buying a house include saving money on taxes, a forced savings account, pride of ownership, and being a part of the classic American dream. There are substantial tax write-offs for ownership that help many to reduce their annual tax debt. Paying a mortgage each month is usually the top of the list for most people. It is often the last thing that they would let slide. Even if the prices aren’t going up as quickly as they were in the past, the money paid to the bank goes toward the principal of the residence which is slowly but surely becoming an asset.

Owning a home means that you can paint it whatever color you decide, rip up the carpet on a whim in order to replace it with tile or hardwood, put in a swimming pool or have a backyard full of wildflowers. It’s a place to raise children and to hunker down into on a cold winter’s night. Sure, the real estate prices have been up and down, but there is truly no place like home.

The disadvantages of ownership include lack of flexibility and ongoing maintenance. If there is a need to relocate to another region quickly due to a job transfer, the homeowner will need to sell their house before they can pick up and relocate. There are also maintenance issues to contend with. You will have to take care of emergency plumbing problems or a leaky roof.  Or you may have smaller issues that a local handyman can fix.  The buck stops with the home-owner and he or she must be prepared.

The advantages of being a renter include flexibility and being able to have the landlord foot the maintenance bills. If frequent moves are a part of a person’s employment scene, it may be wise to rent so that they can easily pull up stakes. Having someone else being responsible for repairs and maintenance can be a relief, as well. It must be noted that landlords may not always comply quickly or the way you’d like them to. You may think the carpet is hideous and needs to be replaced while the landlord thinks it just needs a bit of shampooing.

The disadvantages of renting include fluctuating rent costs and throwing money down the drain. The prices can rise from lease to lease and the person living there has no control. If they can no longer afford the rent, they will have no choice but to find another abode. The rent checks that they may have handed over for years paid for their right to live there, but in the end, they own nothing.

Have you ever wondered what it takes to build a single family home?  What designs are available?  Why are some more “common” than others?  What makes one style more appealing than another?  Is it because of the housing industry?  Is it simply because it is easier to build?  Is it because it’s what the general population wants?  What would it take to build your own single family home?  Would you do it yourself?  Or would you hire a general contractor and an architect to build it exactly to spec just the way you want it?

Just the other day, I found out that you can actually buy a single family home pre-fabricated.  They call it modular home designs.  You choose from a wide array of home designs that are available in the database.  I assume all the information was already designed for other customers by architects.  Now they’re putting it up for resale to recoup some of the money from hiring their own architect.  After you choose the design you want, you can have the manufacturer build the home into transportable sections that can be “driven” over the interstate straight to your desired home site.  You then hire a general contractor to assemble all the sections together or you can do it yourself if you choose. This makes building a home that much faster because you save on all the time needed to build up a home from the ground up at the site.  You can run into many potential issues such as weather or unavailability of materials, which causes delay in the construction process.  Sometimes, you can also run into construction crews being called into other home sites if your general contractor is running multiple jobs.  This pre-mod model of building homes eliminates all these issues because all the major sections of a home are built inside a controlled environment directly at the facility. You don’t have to worry about materials getting wet during rainstorms or items stolen from the job site.

What a time saver and money saver too!  What do you think?  Would you try a pre-fab home?