Time To Lay The Smack Down! American Caribbean Dominates First-Quarter Sales!

Time to lay the smack down! American Caribbean dominates first-quarter sales!

Yeah, OK ... being a little full of ourselves, but hey, as I've been told, "It ain't bragging if it's true"!

I am really fortunate to work with, what I believe are the best colleagues in the business here in the Florida Keys. 

Our company, American Caribbean Real Estate, dominated First-Quarter residential real estate sales in the Upper Keys. 

As you'll see in the graph below, and yes, we do need names (mm hmm, that's right), our firm had a commanding lead over all of the other companies. And yes, this includes the huge national companies and franchises.

Click for larger view

I've always preferred to work with locally owned companies. There's just a groundedness I find, and an awareness and an ability to react to the local market, that you just don't get with that huge national real estate firms, like those with blue and white logos, and gold jackets. Wait, did I go there?? Yes, yes I did.

Our firm capitalizes on the great team spirit and intimate and immediate knowledge of each other's property listings.  And though we are a locally owned company our reach is GLOBAL, owing to our phenomenal  affiliation with Christies International Real Estate.  This, List Local/Market Global dynamic is very much the fuel that runs our engine, and its effectiveness can be seen in sales ranging from entry level dry lot homes to magnificent Ocean Estates.

The Florida Keys real estate market is red-hot and your Conquistador is proud to be with a Company that is flaming…mmm ... Wait, let's say ... on fire. 

If you're considering your own Island Oasis or looking to sell your existing Conch Maison, put the experience and expertise of The Conchquistador to work for you! For more information on the outstanding real estate opportunities that exist in the Keys, call me at 305.439.7730 or email me at DropAnchor@TheRealEstateConch.com.

Radio A1A and Your Conchquistador ... A Very Nice Match Indeed!

Broadcast and Social Media, it's power cannot be denied. 

And your Conquistador knows this only too well. 

 

Over the last several years, I've been fortunate to enjoy great success with social media including This Blog, your Facebook, your Twitter, your Instagram, and on and on and on. 

I've also been privileged to have a fantastic relationship with our local, Sun 103 FM, sponsoring several of their local evening radio shows, like Conchtails, Hog-Tide hosted by The King of Cool, Joey Naples, and The Friday Night Radio show hosted by Captain Bill Kelly, the longest running radio show in the Keys. And quite often enjoying the opportunity to be a guest.  I have been privileged to rattle off my own unique, and bent, take on our local real estate market as we  broadcast locally via Radio and Worldwide through Iheart and Pandora. 

I would now like to add that I have the unique opportunity to showcase my Sellers' properties on another dynamic front!! 

Radio A1A

As your Conchquistador, I generally what likes to stay at least one step ahead of the curve, and Internet radio has been on my horizon for quite some time. Broadcasting the content that you like, no matter where you are.

And I have found the perfect conduit. 

I am now proud to say that I am the EXCLUSIVE advertising Realtor in Florida for Radio A1A!!

What is Radio A1A??

Well, grab a Margarita or other adult libation and let me tell you all about it.

Radio A1A broadcast streams 24/7, worldwide to over 150

countries with over 100,000 listener hours annually. The music programming is "Original Florida Keys, Tropical Rock" and Gulf & Western.Music. "Music For The Road To Paradise". Radio A1A specializes in live remote broadcasts of music and entertainment from resorts, tiki bars and concerts everywhere.  

Many times showcasing artists that are just breaking and cant be heard elsewhere!

Radio A1A Custom App

Radio A1A can be heard through their website, RadioA1A.com, through their Custom App for your phone and through Iheart Radio, Pandora, and TuneIn Radio.

This station caters impeccably to a group of listeners that imbibe the very essence of the Florida Keys lifestyle! Tropical-Rock is their a passion! We're talking Parrot Heads, Pirates, and Poets. 

We are also talking about folks who can certainly appreciate great real estate opportunities in the Florida Keys. (The Conchquistador's Mama didn't raise no fool!!)

 

This is the VERY demographic that my Sellers want to be in front of when marketing their properties. And the great folks at Radio A1A are doing everything they can to help me get the message out.

So, to recap;

• A great relationship with Sun 103.1,  broadcasting my property commercials locally and internationally and featuring me as their Keys Real Estate expert
• A great relationship with Radio A1A, broadcasting my property commercials daily via Internet worldwide also on IHeart and Tune In as well as on their own custom app. 
• Extensive marketing via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, et al.
• Print Media
• Direct Mail
• And, oh yeah, my favorite baby, This Blog, TheRealEstateConch.com!

Though I'm no Howard Stern, King of all Media, here in the Keys, I do like hitting as many bases I can to give my clientele their best possible exposure at finding just the right Buyer..  

"Unique Marketing for Unique Properties in a Unique Setting."

 
Put the experience and expertise of The Conchquistador to work for you! For more information on the outstanding real estate opportunities that exist in the Keys, call me at 305.439.7730 or email me at DropAnchor@TheRealEstateConch.com.

Updated, Waterfront, and Double Dockage! Just Closed in Key Largo - $800,000 - The Conchquistador Deal Of The Day 3/2/16!

So, today is March 2nd, it's 75 degrees, powder blue skies with light

Resisting the urge to jump right in!  Grecian Rocks Reef

stratus clouds.  The Water?  Well, the Water is a sparkling melange of hues ranging from a light purple in the shallows to a iridescent blue off in the distance, just past the reef, and gently calmed by a 6-knot wind.

Yes, life IS rough here in the Florida Keys.  The Struggle IS real!  But your Conchquistador soldiers on, resisting the temptation to jump in my skiff, "Sand $", and get some creek fishing in at the Bogies, and instead bring you exceptional real estate service!

I just got my booster shot yesterday, giving me another year of resistance to "Keys Disease" (for those of you that are unaware, it is an affliction to the central nervous system, preventing you from doing anything resembling WORK.  Most often accompanied by copious amounts of rum and or tequila and a propensity to listen to nothing but Trop-rock).

So, since now I'm immune, and I'm not on the boat... Let's talk Real Estate!

175 Corrine Place. Key Largo

The lucky buyer of this Home, will for sure be in for lots of entertaining.  And Why Not?  With a Huge cut in basin that can accommodate two very large boats,  enormous Tiki Hut, ideal entertaining spaces, and a roof-top terrace with views to make you feel like you're in the crow's nest, this home is poised to be tiki party central, and was listed by my friend and colleague, Karan Moller, of American Caribbean Real Estate in Islamorada.


The Details:
List Price: $876,000 / Sold Price: $800,000
3 Bedrooms / 3.1 Bathrooms
Mile Marker 100

Description: 

DOUBLE YOUR WATERFRONT PLEASURE! Multi-watercraft, cut-in, double-wide basin plus plenty of room for all your land and sea toys! Concrete 2 story residence located in desirable Key Largo Ocean Shores on a clear, free flowing, swimmable, deep-water canal with direct ocean access (no bridges!) for the essence of luxury Keys ocean living! Outside entertainment & dock area w/Chickee Hut are amazing!
This functional home features: Glass double door entry, private foyer, interior staircase w/etched glass window, bright open living area w/vaulted ceiling, easy flowing kitchen w/solid wood cabinets, granite countertops & stainless steel appliances, 2B/2B up, custom 3x2ft travertine slabs in living area and bathrooms, multiple French doors, large screened patio w/2 sets of spiral stairs to dock area & rooftop sundeck, Master bedroom w/en suite bathroom & custom wood closet/entertainment center, bamboo hardwood floors in both upstairs bedrooms. 

View Detailed Brochure with Photos and Mapped Location Here

View Available Key Largo Waterfront Homes Between $750K -1M Here

Ready for some Keys Disease of your own? Put the experience and expertise of The Conchquistador to work for you! For more information on the outstanding real estate opportunities that exist in the Keys, call me at 305.439.7730 or email me at DropAnchor@TheRealEstateConch.com.

Numbers, The Keys Real Estate Market, and Dirty Hands.

What's in a Number?
They say that numbers don't lie.  But in truth, that can depend on what numbers, and who's showing them to you. 
Statistics can be funny things.  Supposedly empirical evidence and ... yet, they can me manipulated by the criteria used to garner them.

That's why it's so important, as an agent, to have your hands in the dirt, so to speak of the real estate market.
Really get in there and till the soil, actually see the genesis of roots sprouting of a particular movement or shift in the market.

Also, that is why it is so very important to work with real estate professionals who work full time in a given market.  Certainly not trying to diminish the efforts of those in my profession that do not have the opportunity to peruse this line of work full time, but rather want to convey the importance of intimate knowledge of a given market.

Especially here in the Florida Keys, one of the most unique Real estate Markets there is, with a multitude of sub markets that change by the Key, water side, and Mile Marker.  To paint a picture of our entire Market with broad brushstrokes can give a very incomplete rendering of information, that can be critical to your determination of what is and isn't a great real estate value.

With all the incredible existing and burgeoning technology out there, its easy to get caught up in its supposed simplicity, and let automated apps, each with their unique algorithms, think for us and determine what a particular property is worth.  These are great tools, but they are no match for an experienced agent with really dirty hands.

Let me put it this way.  If both me and my friend Captain Matt Bellinger had the same GPS coordinates for a great fishing spot, I

can almost guarantee you that he will out-fish me every day of the week and Twice on Sundays!  Why?  Because this is what he does, day in and day out.  He has amassed years of knowledge and know how, and is keen to minute and major adaptations that need to be made. Because he is a PROFESSIONAL with really dirty fishy hands...No Offense Matt!  His hands are dirty in the field of what he does. And he loves it.

Numbers are great, and with the revived health of the Real Estate Market, many homeowners are once again telling themselves, "I can do it myself" or  "I can do it with the agent who will cost me least".  Be careful, those numbers just might steer you into a critical mistake.  It is essential to realize that this may not be what you do everyday or that agent might not have the background needed to assist you.

When you meet with an agent ask them if they know what the absorption rate for your area is, how did they come to your valuation?  Did they go back six months or a year? How does a particular property compare to what has sold (past), what is under contract (present), and what is actively on the market (future). 

What... Numbers...did they use?

Then ... look at their hands...and see if they're Real Estate Dirty.

Work with an Agent whose hands are Real Estate Filthy.  Put the experience and expertise of The Conchquistador to work for you! For more information on the outstanding real estate opportunities that exist in the Keys, call me at 305.439.7730 or email me at DropAnchor@TheRealEstateConch.com.

Christmas In The Keys... Wishing you Laughter, Love, and Joy ... Tropical Style

Christmas in the Keys.
Forget the snow....Gimme the Sand!
Much prefer Santa Sleigh being pulled across our sparkling waters by a Pod of Dolphins.

I love Christmas down here.

Palm trees strung with lights ... lobster trap Christmas trees, and Hogfish for Dinner rather than ham.

Yes it's  Different down here, a little twisted and a little bent, just like your Conchquistador.

But one thing remains the same.  The spirit of Love for your family, neighbor and fellow man.

With so much crap going down throughout the World right now, let's remember THAT Spirit today, and throughout the year, and spread Peace and Joy to each other, regardless of faith, color, gender, or whether they like the Bayside or Ocean, fish with live bait or artificials, or if they prefer Lobster to Stone Crab.

Yes, there are things that separate us, but Love...Love unites.

And LOVE is abundant in the Florida Keys!!!

Your Conchquistador wishes you and your Loved Ones a Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukkah (late), Happy Kwanzaa, Happy Yule, a Merry Festivus or whatever you celebrate during this festive time of Year!!

All the Very Best!!

Now give me a Margarita!  It's 85 degrees out here.

For more information on the outstanding real estate opportunities that exist in the Keys, call me at 305.439.7730 or email me at DropAnchor@TheRealEstateConch.com.

Big Dick, You Certainly Left An Impression. We Will Miss You.

Yes, I know the title sounds salacious, but unfortunately the Keys lost a icon recently that provided us so much entertainment and laughter.   Jack Snipes aka "Big Dick" of  Big Dick and The Extenders

Big Dick and The Extenders where THE Keys band for many years, especially during the 80s and 90s and held court at Woody's in Islamorada, long before it became the strip club that it is now.

 

I enjoyed quite a few, fun nights there listening to their sets and dancing the night away, with their own brand of bawdy, cheeky, fun.

Later christened as the Big Richard and the Family Fun Band, Jack and his crew held sway at Lorelei for quite some time, providing a more toned down but always fun show.

Today, The Keys will remember and honor this local legend of snarky mirth, with a Celebration of Life, with a party and BBQ at Lorelei from 12-4, culminating with a ceremony to spread his ashes in Florida Bay, and then a further celebration at his old haunt, Woody's.  Not to worry, they are having the girls put their clothes back on for This party, though I am certain, Jack would have approved if they left them off!  LOL

Please come by as we say Good Bye and Thank you to a Keys Entertainment Legend!

RIP, Jack and put on a Great Show!

Put the experience and expertise of The Conchquistador to work for you! For more information on the outstanding real estate opportunities that exist in the Keys, call me at 305.439.7730 or email me at DropAnchor@TheRealEstateConch.com.

Your Conchquistador goes Highbrow as American Caribbean Co-Sponsors Art Miami!

Damn!! And I thought there were some Freaky people in Key West ... Art Miami had a lot of them beat!

Ah the wonderful world of Art and the melange of beatnik Artists, Monied Collectors, sycophants and wanna-bes. A cross section of Attention Whores and truly gifted and talented Visionaries blessed to be able to turn their imagination into manifestation.

Such is the world of the modern day Art Expo Extravaganza...And Hey! We're proud to be a sponsor!!

All snarkiness aside, American Caribbean and Christie's International Real Estate are genuinely proud to be a sponsor of Art Miami, a satellite expo of the famed Art Basel, featuring edgy Art from around the world.
 

The American Caribbean/Christie's International Booth at Art Miami

As yet another unique venture and creative way to expose our property listings to exceptional clientele, we are actually occupying a beautiful booth within the event! Complete with big screen monitors highlighting exceptional real estate opportunities to showcase your incredible art collection.

Our Big Screen featuring my listing,"Mariposa" on Grassy Key

With an estimated 80,000 attendees, this is sure to be an epic event, full of festivities beyond description and compare.

Last night's VIP opening was a spectacle indeed. And though many had their own opinions on what was actually "Art", all who stopped by our booth agreed that our properties were Masterpieces!

With one of the cooler works

Need wall space in The Keys for your exquisite Art? Put the experience and expertise of The Conchquistador to work for you! For more information on the outstanding real estate opportunities that exist in the Keys, call me at 305.439.7730 or email me at DropAnchor@TheRealEstateConch.com.