Property Values: What to expect around $500,000

Much in demand are currently modern homes in the price bracket $500,000 to $599,000. Here is a look at some of the available modernist homes and townhomes in that range:

Alfred Browning Parker built this classic mid-century residence (above) in Coconut Grove in 1953. It has two bedrooms, one bathroom and an office on 1072 sf under air – not large by today's standards, but an open floor plan and wrap-around balconies integrate tropical outdoors and indoors nicely. $599,000.

Within walking distance to the beach are these new townhomes in Pompano Beach. Three bedrooms, three bathrooms and a guest bath are spread out over approx. 3,031 sf under air, with several models available, including some on the water with private dockage. Starting at $578,788; waterfront units are in the $800,000s.

A five-bedroom/four bathroom home directly on a golf course in Tamarac, with ca. 3,940 sf under air, built in 1969. The property offers volume cedar ceilings, a wood/gas fire place, an oversized garage and pool with spa. $549,000.

Short sale in Miami Shores: a waterfront home with 122 feet on a deep canal, with no bridges to the Bay. Renovated kitchen and baths; big master suite, kitchen open to the family room. 4 bedrooms, 2 baths, ca. 2,880 sf, two-car garage, corner lot, built in 1949. Reduced twice to $525,000.

Another townhome, this time in Highland Beach, located just north of Boca Raton. Waterfront with dockage included (!), and pet friendly to boot. Completely updated, with 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and a guest bath, ca. 1,456 sf under air, built in 1977. $540,000.

1950s mid-century home with Bay views in Miami, offering four bedrooms and three baths on ca. 2,220 sf under air. Bay across the street affords water views, vaulted ceilings and a open split floor plan emphasize space. $485,000 (admittedly, that's not in the $500,000 range, but only because it was just reduced. That's not my fault, really.)

International Style and Brutalism made love and gave birth in Lighthouse Point, to a 4/3 with ca. 2,800 sf (the listing Realtor calls it "hip and contemporary Frank Lloyd Wright style”. A visit to the history page could clear that up quickly). Built in 1971, with impact doors and windows throughout, and a pool. Reduced this week from $549,000 to $499,000.
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If you're not completely thrilled with what you see here, email me for alternative suggestions please.

In the meantime, thanks for reading this post!

Odd Obsessions, Miami Vintage Stores anyone?

In this post: The obsession with Pending Sales, July Market Statistics, upcoming post "Vintage Furniture Stores in Miami-Dade", housing for Purple Martins.

Pending Sales: Wrong Approach?

If you read the Wall Street Journal, you may have seen an interesting piece last week about the housing market; interesting because it quoted a data set I have a major problem with: Pending Sales. 

If you are not familiar with the real estate industry, you may not know that some analysts regard Pending Sales as an early indicator of housing market trends.

I wholeheartedly disagree.

Merely because buyer and seller execute a contract does not at all mean they will go to closing; only last month I represented a buyer who got a severe (but understandable) case of cold feet. In my observation, currently approx. 25 to 35 percent of all pending contracts do not close because financing or other conditions point the transaction south. 

Please consider that whenever you see Pending Sales being interpreted as a market indicator.

Upcoming post "Vintage Furniture Stores in Miami-Dade" 

Back in March, I wrote about furniture stores in Broward county that specialise in vintage modern furniture. That post turned out to be quite popular, so I just started researching the same for Miami-Dade.

I have quite a list of stores already together, but would love to get your input. If you know of a store that deals with used modern furniture in Miami-Dade, would you please fire off a quick email? Thanks for helping me!

Interesting Reads:

A great read (for Saturday morning over coffee at the Eurobread?) appeared in yesterday's NYT: Birdhouses Designed for Repeat Visitors. Enjoy!

Günter Behnisch, German modernist architect, 1922–2010

The architect who gave post-War Germany a new face, Günther Behnisch, passed away in July at the age of 88. 

His radical modern designs, including the Munich Olympic Stadium, marked a departure from the bombastic architecture of the Nazi era and shaped the face of the new German democracy.

The world gazed at Behnisch's work on August 26, 1972 with the opening of the Munich Olympic Games. The stadium he designed at the age of 50 was an icon – a perfect symbol for the new, democratic Germany (He designed the Olympic park together with the architect Frei Otto and the landscape planner Günther Grzimek).

Olympic Park and Stadium, Munich

The open, undulating tent roof that seems so light, so weightless, reaches well beyond the actual stadium. The magically woven, transparent carpet, 75,000 square metres in size, rests gently on the Olympic Park and sent a powerful message: A democratic, open country is welcoming the nations of the world. It was an attempt to distinguish West Germany from the bombastic architecture of the Nazi era when Berlin had hosted the 1936 Olympics.

Behnisch, who was born in 1922 and who became a submarine commander in WWII, took an interest in architecture when he picked up a book on the subject in a hotel in the Italian port of La Spezia. "It was about how you construct buildings. The war was over and I had to do something for a living," he recalled. He became a prisoner of war; the British released him in 1947. After that he studied architecture in Stuttgart. He opened an office in 1952 and quickly gained kudos for designing school buildings and sports halls.

In 1973, Behnisch was awarded the coveted task of designing the new parliament in the then-West German capital, Bonn, but the project dragged on for an eternity. He only got the green light in 1987 for a modified version, and in 1992, his parliament building was finally opened. But Germany was reunited by then, and the Parliament moved to Berlin at the end of the 1990s.

 

Plenary Hall, Bonn (1991 - 1992)

Focusing more on public buildings than residences – his website lists only nine residential projects – many other of his designs were highly regarded, but much less in the limelight than the Olympic Stadium or the Plenary Hall:

Tower of the Nürnberg Airport (1997-1999)

NordLB bank in Hannover (1999-2002)

Therme Bad Aibling (hot mineral springs), in Bad Aibling outside of Munich (which my wife and I visited in winter 2008, swimming from the inside to the outside on a crisp and clear winter night – incredible!)

Buchheim-Museum, Bernied (1997 - 2001) located on Starnberg Lake outside of Munich, dedicated to the Buchheim art (as well as knick-knack) collection. The structure, just down the road from my wife’s and my Bavarian base camp, resembles a ship, jutting at a 90° angle towards and over the lake.

The Berlin Academy of the Arts was his last spectacular project, but also rightly criticized for design faults such as excessive noise and not enough space.

Berlin planning department officials had been horrified by his plan for a high-tech glass façade. "Why not?" said Behnisch the modernist. "I never even thought of putting a stone façade there. We didn't want to awaken any associations with the pretentiousness of the Hitler and Wilhelminian architecture." 

He deeply disliked the new style of the Berlin republic and of its architecture. He regarded historical copies as the architecture of security that served a petit-bourgeois yearning for comfort at a time when bold new visions were needed. "If someone needs comfort, they should get a cat," he once said laconically.

Günter Behnisch died on 12 July 2010 in his home in Stuttgart, Germany.

Excerpted from and based on an article in the Der Spiegel, published 7/13/2010 

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Please make your opinion heard – and at the same time donate to a charity for free! 

How? Participate in the poll "what modern magazines do you read?" – see last Friday's post.

 

For every vote the poll (left column) receives, I will donate $1 (up to $100) to The Children's Aid Society, rated among the Top Ten charities by CharityNavigator.org.
 

Many thanks!

Survey: what do you read?

I know it's Friday the 22nd, and the next MSF post isn't due until next week. But to keep you on your toes and see if you're awake, I designed a short survey for you.

• Since you are interested in modern architecture, would you share with me which modern architecture print publications you read (and with reading I mean at least one out of every four issues)? 

For every vote the poll (left column) receives, I will donate $1 (up to $100) to The Children's Aid Society, rated among the Top Ten charities by CharityNavigator.org.

If there is a cherished publication I overlooked, let me know please – either by comment or email me privately. Many thanks and have a fine weekend!

Modernist Field Trip, Happy 4th!

If you don’t know about the non-profit Triangle Modernist Houses (TMH) and the man who created it, George Smart: it’s about time. TMH’s goal is to document, preserve and promote residential modernist architecture. And it succeeds on all levels. George and his Mod Squad, most of them based in the Triangle area in North Carolina, are modernist maniacs, in the best and most complimentary sense.

One of TMH’s activities are field trips to interesting properties, mostly private residences not open to the public. I took part in one two weeks ago together with 13 of the nicest modernistas you can imagine, and had a blast.

Flying very early in the morning from Raleigh to Baltimore, we spent the day in the DC area and returned late at night. One of the trip highlights was a visit to the private Brown residence, Richard Neutra’s only house he built in DC and his last one in the US; he didn’t see it’s completion.

Brown house, built in 1968. 4,000 sf including an addition by Heather Willson Cass from the early 90's, which won an A1A award. – Many thanks again to the Browns, extraordinarily gracious hosts.

Neutra, born in Austria (and thus pronounced Noitra), immigrated to the US in 1923 and died in Germany in 1970. He built mostly in California, but also in Texas, Michigan and even complete subdivisions in Germany.

Famous for querying clients about their expectations in detail, he sometimes used questionnaires to discover his client's needs. In case of the Browns – and much to their surprise – Neutra even moved in with them for two weeks in their previous residence, to better observe their lifestyle. The result is beautiful.

Find out more about Neutra's projects (as well as upcoming trips) on TMH’s website.

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If you follow the business news, you certainly read by now that May housing statistics on the national level are simply dismal. It seems that without intervention or a considerably improved economy, the housing market is far from being able to leave the bed and walk, not even mentioning being released from the sick ward.

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Here in the Southeast, we will be baking around 90°F or 32°C this 4th of July weekend, so a cozy fire for a nice little barbecue seems appropriate. (For my last one, I got up at 5:30 am, and after smoldering for 14 hours, the pork butt emerged so tender we didn’t need knifes or even forks.)

In that spirit: have a laid-back, relaxed and delicious Independence Day!

Modern Architecture in the Alps (II)

Every detail in Alpine architecture has a functional or sometimes decorative – like "Lüftlmalerei", the al-fresco painting – background. 

But your notions about this architectural style may have gone through an adjustment already with the first part (click here for part I). 

It seems as if, instead of marrying the shepherd boy and devoting her life to making artisan sheep's cheese and knitting sweaters, Heidi had a change of heart, went to architecture school and then interned with Mies, Meyer and Mollino. To the point, here are some more striking examples of Modernist architecture in the Alps:

Hungerburgbahn; Innsbruck, Austria. Public rail transport from downtown to a ski area, including a bridge and four train stations, completed 2007. Architect: Zaha Hadid, London. Cost: 50.7m Euro.

 Kapelle St. Johannes der Täufer; Mogno, Switzerland. Chapel St. John the Baptist, completed 1996. Architect: Mario Botta, Lugano. Cost: CHF 620,000 (construction only, no architect fees charged).

Aquadome Spa; Längenfeld, Austria. Hot mineral springs spa with indoor- and outdoor pools, sauna etc., completed 2004. Architect: Schnögass + Partner, Vienna.

Top Mountain Star; Obergurgl, Austria. Restaurant (who in the world named that thing?) at 2800 m/9,000 ft. elevation, completed 2007. Architect: Peter Schmuck, Munich.

 Frauenmuseum; Hittisau, Austria. Museum dedicated to everything female, with the village fire station in the basement and a concert hall upstairs, completed 2000. Architect: Cukrowicz Nachbaur, Bregenz.

Chesa Futura Apartments; St. Moritz, Switzerland. Apartment building nicknamed “The Peanut”, completed 2004. Architect: Foster+Partners and Kuchel Architects.

Hauptschule; Kappl-Paznaun, Austria. Elementary school (7,300 sqm, 76,000 sf) for the villages of See, Ischgl, Kappl and Galtür, completed 2004. Architect: Noldin und Noldin, Innsbruck.

Chalet Mollino; Sauze d’Oulx, Italy. Ski lodge/refuge at 2286 m elev. (ca. 6,900 ft), originally with a restaurant and station chairlift, completed 1947 and restored 2001. Architect: Carlo Mollino, Torino.

To my regret, there isn't enough space in a post to mention more than just a small selection of the interesting buildings in the Alps, or to discuss in greater detail what's shown here. But I hope this brief intro to modern Alpine architecture was as fascinating to you as researching it was for me. 

As always, I invite your comments and critique.

Fotos: Spiluttini, Arte di Sauze, Foster+Partners, obergurgl.com, Tourismusverband Vorarlberg, Frauenmuseum Hittisau, Mario Botta, Ötztal Tourismus, Kaiser.

Modern Architecture in the Alps (I)

I’m in Munich for two weeks, Starnberg to be precise, a small town (pop. 23,000) southwest of Munich near the feet of the Alps, the famous mountain range stretching through eight states.

To most Americans as well as Europeans, Alpine architecture brings up a bucket of cliche images: romantic little mountain huts on steep slopes with wood-shake roofs, an al-fresco painting of a hunter in Lederhosen on the front wall, low-ceiling wood-paneled rooms with tiled ovens burning fragrant firewood, Heidi.

All true, except Heidi. 

Form follows function, and every element in Alpine architecture we’re familiar with actually has a functional origin.

But as construction methods, possibilities, materials and climates evolved, so did Alpine architecture. The amount and quality of modern buildings you can find in the mountains today will astound you. During my research I discovered that modernism in the Alps is so plentiful I could easily write about it for several months. 

Hotels, spas (which are typically elaborate baths built over and around hot mineral springs, not what an American may associate with a “Day Spa”), museums and even supermarkets not only win prizes, but also enjoy the highest reputation among architectural experts. Whether locally renowned or international names such as Peter Zumthor, Norman Foster, Mario Botta or Zaha Hadid - in the Alpine region, modern architects show what they are capable off. 

Therme Vals; Vals, Switzerland. Spa and hotel built over a hot mineral spring, completed 1996. Architect: Peter Zumthor, Basel.

 

Vigilius Mountain Resort; Lana (Italy). Hotel, completed 2005. Architect: Matteo Thun, Milano. Cost: 20m Euros.

Monte-Rosa-Hütte; Zermatt, Switzerland. Hostel for mountain climbers and hikers with restaurant, completed 2009. Architect: Cooperation ETH Zürich - SAC - Hochschule Luzern - Technik & Architektur EMPA.

Kirchnermuseum; Davos, Switzerland. Museum dedicated to German expressionist Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, completed 1992. Architect: Gigon Guyer Zürich.

Hallenbad; Frutigen, Switzerland. Public swimming pool, completed 2008. Architect: Itten + Brechbühl, Bern. Cost: CHF 6.7m.

Festspielhaus; Bregenz, Austria. Concert hall renovation and expansion, completed 2006. Architect: Dietrich/Untertrifaller, Bregenz. Cost: 40m Euros.

 MPreis-Supermarkt; Wenns, Austria. Supermarket (one of a chain, each designed by a different architect), completed 2001. Architect: Köberl & Tschapeller, Innsbruck.

Bergisel-Schanze; Innsbruck, Austria. Ski jump with cafe and viewing terrace at 130 feet (40 meters), completed 2002. Architect: Zaha Hadid, London.

Next time: more Alpine modernism, including Foster’s peanut, another spa-interpretation, and a museum with village fire station and concert hall.

Fotos: Tourismusverband Vorarlberg, Therme Vals, Stadt Bregenz, Kirchnermuseum, MPreis, Mario Botta, Vigilius, Ötztal Tourismus. Map: JohoMaps