THE REAL
S TAT E of real estate
consumer is king
consumer is king In 2015, we want to know more, we want to learn, we want to inquire before we make a purchase; we look to technology to facilitate these needs. The luxury real estate market has seen a surplus of online users for real estate related websites such as Zillow and Trulia. Opulence International Realty has done its research. We learned 93% of searches for new homes start online. 32% of foreign purchases are conducted through email and online searches without even seeing the South Florida property being purchased in person. Numbers don’t lie. Being in the number business ourselves, we knew the value in evolving with our consumer and cultivating an online experience through innovation and technology. This is not a battle of technology versus customer service. This is a call to luxury business that we must acknowledge: the client, the consumer, is now king.
It’s a jungle out there and Amazon is king Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos said, “The balance of power continues to shift toward consumers and away from companies.” This is becoming more and more apparent in all companies. Last year, Amazon shifted gears and bombarded the tech world with new technology that sets them apart from the competition. Through market analysis and some number crunching, it became clear today’s consumer is the boss; providing specialized and personal service, paired with the accessibility of technology today, was something that had to be achieved. Amazon came up with AmazonFresh to start: a grocery delivery service spanning the country. Then they brought out the big guns with the Kindle Fire HDX’s live customer service. Now those with questions or concerns anywhere in the world can reach a live representative to walk them through any feature on their Kindle Fire HDX. It’s safe to say Amazon will continue to focus on the consumer experience to strengthen their business model and remain king of the tech jungle.
The world at your fingerprints Steve Jobs seemed to have always understood the need for technology and mankind to work as a team. The iGenius was always at the top of his game and, as though in his honor, the iPhone 5S came out with a technology no smartphone had achieved before. The 5S was so smart it could serve as your personal vault. Those of us working with confidential information could keep secrets safe with Siri thanks to fingerprint recognition. Apple, seeing the value and demand for its innovative personal phone unlocking experience, has begun building its own content delivery network. This would cut out the middleman and allow Apple to directly deal with consumers when distributing apps and video, giving them full control over the iCloud service. Rumor has it this is just a small step to a much larger vision that could include becoming a real contender in a worldwide TV service. Are you ready for the full iExperience?
Google it Want to know something, anything at all? Google it. Google has taken over the consumer platform for quite sometime by placing the world in front of our faces for our cyber-loving consumption. From the home page offering unique artwork honoring the world we live in’s diversity to the ability to operate “hangouts” with users all over the world to managing all your email needs and making the lives of small business owners that much easier with Googledocs, Google is everything. This past year the unstoppable force announced some of its most ambitious goals yet. Here’s a list of projects Google plans to introduce or has already begun introducing into our daily lives: • Calico, a spin-off company, working to extend the human lifespan. • Google’s autonomous vehicles, which have already reached the 500,000 driver-free mile benchmark — incident-free. • Google Fiber is bringing gigabit Internet service to Austin, TX, and Provo, UT, inspiring Los Angeles and Louisville, KY, to follow. • Glass, which is making wearables the next computing trend. • Shopping Express, an experiment in same-day delivery with national and local retailers. • Google Now, which reminds users when their favorite band or author has a new release and when the last train is leaving—before it’s too late. (Source: Fastcompany.com)
feel human again with OIR Taking a queue from tech masters like Amazon, Apple and Google, Opulence International Realty realized all these technologies have one thing in common: providing the fastest, most accessible and userfriendly customer service without sacrificing a personalized experience for each client. Keeping the greats in mind and always striving to be greater ourselves, we decided to do what no other luxury real estate firm has done in our market: bring an agent live into any person’s, home, plane, hotel, car, yacht, helicopter - anywhere the consumer has access to the internet. Realizing the client that invests in Miami’s greatest projects and the majority of our client base are very busy people, we had to find a way to be there no matter where they are when it comes to their real estate needs. LiveNinja presented itself as a young and fresh company leading the way in Miami’s emerging tech scene. Best of all, they had the perfect technology for our goal of bringing white glove service to anyone on the globe. Through partnering with LiveNinja, Opulence International Realty has brought a live video chat feature to its website with just the click of a button. The site now brings a luxury real estate specialist face-to-face with anyone looking for more information on the South Florida market. This feature provides our clients with the accessibility to the real estate information they need and want at their convenience. Live video chat is available now for you speak with one of our agents using Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox web browsers (note: not compatible with Internet Explorer), simply visit connectnowoirfl.com and feel human again.
real estate market highlights: Miami-Dade County, Q1 2015 Miami reported the second highest gains in home prices in the country over the last 12 months at 8.3%. Denver led the way with 8.4%. TOP 5 SALES IN MIAMI-DADE: JANUARY 1 - MARCH 31 17 Indian Creek Drive, Indian Creek Village $30,000,000 5030 North Bay Road, Miami Beach $18,500,000 555 Leucadendra Drive, Coral Gables $17,200,000 2999 Brickell Avenue, Miami $14,000,000 9151 Arvida Lane, Coral Gables $12,600,000
17 Indian Creek Drive, picture courtesy of uniquehomes.com
A 6,000 sf PH in Bentley Bay’s South tower on Miami Beach was just listed for $18.9M, nine times the value of when it was purchased out of foreclosure in 2010. Two new condo towers have been completed since the beginning of 2015, Nine at Mary Brickell Village and 1100 Millicento. Nine at Mary Brickell is the sixth new condo tower of this real estate cycle (starting in 2011) to be completed in Greater Downtown. Sources: The Real Deal, S&P Case-Schiller’s Home Prices Indices: January 2015 copywriting contribution by Ashley Armenteros
305.615.1376 opulenceinternationalrealty.com 2060 N Bayshore Drive Miami, FL 33137