With local builders, new home building is community building. Just ask James Robb, owner of All Home Enterprises, a quarter-century old construction company. Robb just completed a fantastic spec house on 102nd Street in Pinecrest. The Hamptons-inspired single-story home is crafted with the latest technologies and several wow features. The nearly 7000-SF estate with five bedrooms and six and a half baths just went onto market last week at a price of $3.25M. (See me for a tour!)
But that is not the point of this story. The real story is how building a single new home can strengthen the entire Pinecrest community. Unlike a national builder, local companies like All Home Enterprises use local suppliers, including Shell Lumber and many tile stores. And while Robb will humbly say he is just a small company with loyalty to its employees, the community benefits are many.
“We have teamed with local suppliers for years,” explained Robb. “We regularly partner with Pinar Electric, South Florida Plumbing, Poe Roofing, Benson’s Lighting, Custom Air Solutions and J&J Cabinets.”
Beyond the obvious local financial relationships this creates, you can trace local dollars several other ways, all the way down to the food trucks that roll to the construction sites to feed hungry workers.
About four years ago, All Home Enterprises partnered up with a home designer with nearly 30 homes under his belt. Now, beyond the renovation work, they build about one spec home each year. This allows them to maintain quality and focus.
“When you work with the same lineup of people year after year, great things happen,” said Robb. “Job after job, we work together like a well-oiled machine.”
All Home Enterprise keeps dozens of people working throughout the year, pays Pinecrest their building and permitting fees and eventually brings up the tax base on each property they complete. Additionally, new homes enhance the value of those around them. It’s a win-win for everyone.
Robb says Pinecrest is wonderful.
“It is all about access,” says Robb. “Access to great schools, great roads, great shopping. It’s our premiere place to work. Pinecrest also has a great system for building and permitting. In fact, it’s the area I prefer to work in.”
With years of satisfied customers, All Home Enterprises works entirely on word-of-mouth advertising.
“We wouldn’t even put letters on our trucks if it wasn’t a requirement,” says Robb.
In Robb’s estimation, Pinecrest is going in a good direction. “Everyone wants to be here. Lots of construction means a healthy future. People will always start real estate with ‘location, location, location’.”
As a successful company, I asked All Home Enterprises what they would tell a typical homeowner on how to increase their home’s value. James Robb had the perfect answer.
“New homes go quicker,” Robb said. “People want move-in ready homes. We give them the best quality, finishes and modern conveniences. Kitchen and bathroom updates are fine, but the real key is to add square footage. If the neighborhood is yielding $500/SF and you can construct at $250/SF that is the easiest way to double your money.”
Robb went on to say that along with technology and convenience upgrades, today’s consumers want higher ceilings. And All Home Enterprises has literally raised the roof on many Pinecrest homes in the past 15 years.
So the next time you drive past a construction site, remember that the work being done there will not only benefit the owner, but help build the community in multi-faceted ways.
DeNito’s Ride for Kids Bike Giveaway
On April 19 at Pinecrest’s Coral Oaks Tennis Club, Anthony DeNito, an agent with RE/MAX Advance Realty, presented Ivanna Miranda with a custom-built bike that will allow her to mobilize herself. This was no easy feat, and it was done for a kid with very special needs.
Ivanna was born in 2011 and was not expected to live past 10 months old. For months after she was born, she experienced 20 to 60 seizures a day. She wasn’t able to sit up in a seat until she was three and didn’t stand until she was four. She started walking with a walker at five. Ivanna has a very rare genetic mutation that is called KCNQ2 epilepsy. In addition, she has autism, cognitive and intellectual disability, developmental delay, and cerebral palsy.
Thankfully, DeNito’s Ride for Kids found her and made her have a very special day. The $2900 bike was sponsored by BNI South Beach. This is their fifth bike giveaway. More are scheduled.
Real Estate Update
As of April 23, the Pinecrest market stayed soft as sales fell 19.1 percent. In Pinecrest homes listed over $1M, there is more than 22 months of inventory. This means if not a single new house was listed going forward, it would take nearly two years to get all the existing homes sold. It’s tough out there if you’re a Seller. Let me assist you with local expertise, realistic expectations and guidance to get you to wherever ‘next’ is. It’s easy to get started at miamihal.com/myvalue.
Hal Feldman (MiamiHal) is a Realtor with RE/MAX Advance Realty. You can contact him with your story ideas or real estate questions at www.MiamiHal.com, Hal@MiamiHal.com or www.facebook.com/MiamiHal.
