Broker's Open: We Came, We Saw—We Were Stunned

I love a good open house. The way I think about it, a good open house is like Ben Stiller in Zoolander. All the house needs to do is give the crowd its best “blue steel” and let that speak for itself. In order to pull that off, real estate agents need to work some real magic to get the house ready to be shown. And that’s exactly what Karl Hueck and Luis Dominguez did this past Wednesday at Broker’s Open in South Miami.

Walking up the driveway, the sleek angular design of the house towers over you. I let myself in through the garage door, and made my way to the kitchen. Already here, you can tell how wide and sprawling the layout of the house is. The large, white counter doubled as a dining room table. Having five kids, I always appreciate Brady Bunch features like spacious dining tables. The house has a roomy six bedrooms and six and a half bathrooms, and was designed by Jose Sanchez from Praxis, one of the leading architecture firms in Miami that prides itself on its commitment to modernity and forward-thinking design.

Not a lot of people know this, but it takes a lot of work to make an open house seem effortless. Good staging doesn’t just happen. The staging for Broker’s Open was done by Show Homes Coral Gables, while the art staging was handled by Totica Superlano. I saw several paintings for sale by Love Kornelius and Luis Kaiulani, which only added to the fresh, modern feel of the house. There was also the hard work of the general contractor,  Bob Liu and Carlos Gonzalez, who were both heavily involved with this property. While the house was a knockout—so was the care and level of detail that Karl and Luis invested in making sure that their open house went smoothly.

Great Gatsby Vibes

The way I see it, if you’re going to be selling a $3.69 million dollar home—you’ve got to make sure that anyone viewing it understands what life could be like in that home. Mingling in the patio near the pool, the tall, leafy hedges completely closed us off from the outside world—perfect for anyone who prefers an extra layer of privacy other than the 13,700 sq ft already afforded them.

Talking to Luis, I think we’re of one mind when it comes to appraisers—you’ve got to handle them with care—because appraisers can cost you thousands upon thousands of dollars in home value if your appraisal goes South. That’s because a lot of appraisers have to study the market, and their understanding (or lack of) can make or break a home value.

Looking past the sliding glass door that led to the outside, I could see the open bar, where the gin and tonics and Prosecco were flowing freely. I then headed upstairs, where the bedroom layouts were planned out like a luxury maze. Each bedroom came equipped with their own walk-in closet and bathroom, and the rooms were separated in a winding fashion. Every time you turned around, you’d find yourself in another room.

An Incredible Team

But it’s not just well done open houses that need to be congratulated—the team that worked on developing the property is a force to be reckoned with. Some of you may have read our previous article about how COVID has made building materials scarce—but that didn’t stop Shaner Properties from getting the job done.

Shaner Properties was established by Justin Shaner in 2011. Shaner has a long history when it comes to dealing with real estate, adapting and innovating with whatever the market throws at him. Originally from New York, Shaner moved to Miami in 2010.

In the years since then, he’s seen Miami take off in a new direction and has been a proud driving force behind this positive change. Miami’s diversity and its ambitious energy make it a promising place—and time and time again Justin has invested in projects throughout Miami that have yielded incredible returns—making way for further development opportunities.

Built Against All Odds

I spoke with his VP of Development, Fernando Rojas. Fernando is in charge of ensuring high quality construction and overseeing projects from start to finish, and he was telling me about the unique challenges that COVID put in his way while in the process of building the home on 6261 SW 80th St.

Homes normally take about two and half years to construct—–one year to obtain all the right permits, and another year and a half for construction. But with the pandemic and globalized supply chain, building materials took longer to arrive. The manufacturing company he was working with also closed.

“It’s like a domino effect,” Rojas said. “Everything affects everything else.”

Thankfully, COVID only caused a six month delay, and within three years, the current luxury home standing before me was ready for the South Florida market.

As a broker (or anyone else in the housing industry), I know that real estate is one of the most intricate dances out there. As the saying goes, it takes a village—but it’s worth it when it all comes together and you have an incredible space to show for it.