Almost two-thirds of Florida housing sales in the first quarter of this year were done in cash, according to the study by the research firm RealtyTrac. That is the highest rate in the nation and well above the national average of 42.7 percent.
Five Florida metro areas also had the nation’s highest rates of cash sales. Those areas were Miami, Cape Coral-Fort Myers, Sarasota, Palm Bay and Lakeland.
High rates of cash sales show that investors are still finding Florida …
by Riccardo Ravasini 
Given the positive trend of New York City real estate over the last few years, many areas have been improving and prices rising, in some cases at a very healthy pace. Manhattan is the core of NYC real estate and of course everyone and his mom want a piece of it; Brooklyn has become another household name all over the world; Queens has gained traction with the development of areas like Long Island City and Astoria; but relatively few people …
by Riccardo Ravasini For the first time, the Chinese have become the biggest foreign buyers of apartments in Manhattan, taking the top spot from the Russians – whose activity has dropped off in light of recent developments in Ukraine and Russia.
Wealthy Chinese are pouring money into real estate in New York and some other major cities around the world, including London and Sydney, as they seek safe havens for their cash and also establish a base for their children to get an …
by Riccardo Ravasini In a letter to shareholders last month, billionaire investor Warren Buffett cited a Greenwich Village retail strip that he bought in 1993 as one of his best long-term investments.
When the Oracle of Omaha made that cash investment, graffiti dotted the 37 storefronts and handwritten discount signs plastered the merchant windows. The property, along 8th Street between University and Broadway and also wrapping around to 9th Street, was home to an incongruous group of tenants from hot dog joint Annie’s …
by Riccardo Ravasini The average sales price for a Manhattan apartment jumped by a 30.9 percent year over year, according to a quarterly report compiled by appraisal firm Miller Samuel. The average price per square foot increased by 23.6 percent year over year, to $1,363 in the first quarter of the year.
Rising prices can be attributed to the ongoing Manhattan inventory crisis, which has seen fewer than 5,000 apartments on the market at any given time over five consecutive quarters. Also contributing …
by Riccardo Ravasini Developers are planning to build what could be Miami Beach’s tallest building on the city’s front doorstep — beside the Alton Road flyover at the end of the MacArthur Causeway.
Designed by international architecture firm Perkins + Will, the residential tower would rise 50 stories at the foot of the flyover. A six-story waterfall and three-acre public park would take the place of a dilapidated hospital and parking garage that now greet the millions of visitors streaming into South Beach …
by Riccardo Ravasini