MIAMI (August 11, 2009) – AMG Worldwide (AMGW), a full-service, integrated marketing and public relations agency, continues to position itself as the fastest growing global communications firm, with results-driven success from its public relations division, AMG PR Works.  Garnering extensive media coverage with a boutique approach, AMG PR Works is expanding its medical and healthcare portfolio by adding new clients – Virtual Web MD and BioEDEN.

“With breakthrough research and innovative technology, the medical and healthcare industries have truly achieved significant milestones in the world of science,” says Edward de Valle II, President and CEO of AMG Worldwide.  AMGW sees and understands the importance behind this practice and will continue to offer our clients the best tools and tactics needed to effectively brand and communicate their messages,” adds de Valle.

Largely known to represent high-end real estate and luxury brands, AMGW is also skillfully positioned to service clients in the medical industry.  AMGW’s involvement in the medical field continues to grow with the addition of its two newest clients.  Virtual Web MD is a full healthcare service that offers patients expert medical consultations through an online video forum at any location and at any time of the day; and the Florida and Dominican Republic divisions of BioEDEN, a Texas-based private laboratory, is the first company to collect, assess and cryogenically store living tooth cells from deciduous baby teeth, in order to use the stem cells for future medical use, while acting as “biological insurance” for families.

Both clients have retained the public relations services of AMG PR Works, a division which has grown in the last three years from a small marketing “add-on” for AMGW to a three million dollar company.  The company has also been recently ranked the #6 largest PR Agency in the South Florida region. 

About AMG Worldwide
Edward de Valle II established AMG Worldwide eight years ago and since then has strategically positioned the company to be among the world's premiere agencies by expanding its global reach and providing a service that is not only desired but essential. With its core services in media planning and buying, public relations, sales consulting and interactive marketing, AMG Worldwide executes marketing strategies in all seven continents.

For more information, visit www.amgwagency.com or call (305) 856-8004 ext. 314.

The Villas at LaCita Condominiums in Titusville, FL are offering 31 units to be sold at auction on May 30th. 12 of the 31 units will be offered as absolute auctions and will be sold regardless of price.

The condominiums are located in stable condominium conversion project w/ a well established, fully funded condo association. Interested buyers will have their choice of “standard” or “fully upgraded” units w/ interior features (in select units) including ceramic tile, Berber carpets, designer kitchen cabinetry, ceiling fans, balconies, fireplaces, entertainment centers and more.

This development is outstandingly located in close proximity to major attractions including: Cape Canaveral Space Center, Disney World, Universal Studios, Sea World and world class beaches and golf courses.

Interested buyers can take advantage of inspection dates and view the properties to be auctioned prior to event. Inspection dates are Saturdays, May 16th and 23rd from 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM each day and Friday, May 29th from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM EDT.

To view more information about this auction and see additional details and photos of the property please click here.

Condo.com is experiencing a very high volume of rental clients that require the immediate assistance of local brokers and agents in the following markets:

 

Tampa, FL

Orlando, FL

Atlanta, GA

Los Angeles, CA

Virginia

Maryland

 

Contact us immediately learn to more about this opportunity and to become an approved client referral partner in these areas. 

Downward Economy? Not for Residential Resort Costa Blanca by Group Metro


(May 5, 2008-Miami, FL)-  Last weekend, Costa Blanca - the billion-dollar project of renowned Dominican Republic developers Group Metro, held their launch event with two days of spectacular celebrations in Santo Domingo and Juan Dolio. The project was received by the Dominican Republic and international press with great enthusiasm and unquestionable success.
    
Costa Blanca, an impressive undertaking that will span across 300 acres of land and coastline in Juan Dolio, will encompass a mega-yacht marina, marina village with retail and commercial space, ten condominium towers, 52 private villas, a tennis village, clubhouses for both tennis and golf, a secured, private beach, and the first signature Greg Norman PGA golf course in the country. The highly-anticipated development will set new standards of luxury in the area, and will bring forth a modern spin on private, high-end communities. With top architects and designers at the helm, residents will find villas with open-air spacing to showcase their wrap-around pools, condos where each and every owner is afforded unobstructed water-front views, and an assurance that every aspect and step of the project is environmentally sound and positively affects the region.
   
The weekend began with a press conference at the historic Embajador Hotel in Santo Domingo with Greg Norman, legendary golf icon, Steven Ankrom, Vice-President of Sales for Costa Blanca and Doctor Luis Jose Asilis, CEO of Group Metro. Greg Norman, “The Great White Shark,” whose namesake and expertise is behind this ground-breaking course, greeted the press and spoke of his excitement and great faith in Costa Blanca. “Golf has shown tremendous growth in this part of the world and I am very glad to be a part of this absolutely magnificent project,” stated Mr. Norman before congratulating Dr. Asilis.  Mr. Norman also commented on the current state of the economy and how it related to Costa Blanca, “ In many ways, golf and golf course design are economic indicators; we’ve seen it slow in the United States , but not in the rest of the world. New projects must have amenities that capture the imagination of everyone, and that is exactly what is taking place here.” Executives of Costa Blanca who are thrilled and excited to create “the first luxury, high-end golf project on the ocean in Juan Dolio,” spoke of the numerous economic advantages and various job opportunities Costa Blanca will create for locals of the Dominican Republic. When asked about his vision for Costa Blanca, Mr. Greg Norman answered, “First, you look at the ‘least-disturbance approach’, which works perfectly with this development. Our duty is to build the best golf course we can, in the best way, with the best value. It’s not very often that we get the opportunity to build directly on the ocean. From a golfing perspective, when we have the ability to put nine holes on the ocean, it is a very unique opportunity.”
   
After the press conference, Mr. Norman entered the grand ballroom, where the glittering launch gala was already underway with VIP’s and press excited to learn of the project’s details. Complete with a five-piece string quartet, Costa Blanca lounges, and a white décor theme to showcase the beach atmosphere and luxury of the project’s design, the grand event introduced 1000 of the Dominican Republic’s VIPs and tastemakers to Costa Blanca. Greg Norman made a presentation to the audience and re-visited his excitement over the “amazing transformation that will take place over the next eighteen months.”
   
The following day, the Founder’s Club - made up of 52 elite individuals who secured reservations as the very first buyers at Costa Blanca, gathered at the invitation-only Founder’s Club Reunion. These members had an early invitation to reserve a spectacular one-time package that included a private villa, two condominiums, a slip in the marina, golf membership for life, and private access to The Lighthouse Lounge and Clubhouse. The event took place onsite in beautiful outdoor tents and allowed the Founders to drink and relax while they surveyed the plots of land that would become the site for their private villas. In a unique and exciting format, Founders were able to choose the individual piece of land for their villa, as well as the condo units they desired, according to the order in which their reservation was received. With law firms onsite to advise and offer guidance, Costa Blanca closed almost $100 million dollars in sales on Saturday alone. Members of the Founder’s Club congratulated each other and toasted their new neighbors with champagne and cigars.
   
With the immense success of their opening weekend and almost $100 million dollars closed in sales, Costa Blanca has proven that the real-estate market is still thriving and that the Dominican Republic is one of today’s hottest investments.  

For information, please visit www.costablanca.com.do or call their sales office at 809-526-1200
Media inquiries, please call Kia Zalewski at 305-572-9883 x 306 or kia@americasmediagroup.com

MIAMI, FL., November 26, 2007 – Condo.com, the world’s first and largest online condo marketplace, today announced that it has teamed up with the Miami office of CB Richard Ellis (CBRE) to jointly market bulk condos for disposition. Condo.com has launched an “Investors” section on the website to showcase bulk condo listings being offered by CBRE’s Multi-Housing Group.  Already a destination for buyers and sellers of condominiums, Condo.com will now offer wholesale real estate opportunities to help investors locate properties with bulk buying opportunities.

“The investors tab on the website provides a platform for owners and interested investors to list and view bulk condo opportunities. We are well positioned to understand the developer’s inventory and are a logical outlet for them and their lenders to showcase wholesale opportunities to a growing number of investor groups and funds” says Richard Swerdlow, CEO of Condo.com.

CBRE has added its inventory of 43 partially sold Florida condominium communities to Condo.com to gain added exposure for its clients.  “We launched a site dedicated to bulk condo disposition a few months ago and are now thrilled to join up with Condo.com, a leader in online condo marketing” says Robert Given, Executive Vice President of CB Richard Ellis. “Condo.com provides an additional avenue to promote our bulk condo opportunities to private equity groups and others that want to invest in bulk condo deals.” 


About Condo.com
Condo.com (www.condo.com) is the world’s largest condominium marketplace with inventory of over $100 billion. Dubbed the NASDAQ for condos, Condo.com lists condos in the United States and 70+ countries around the world. Condo.com cost-effectively delivers unparalleled international exposure to developers, brokers and for-sale-by-owners through the seamless distribution of its listings to a global network of real estate websites visited by over 15 million viewers per month. Condo.com also has a social networking platform with extensive user-generated content and the ability to connect in both a B2B and B2C dynamic environment. Condo.com is a privately held company headquartered in Miami, Florida. For more information, visit www.condo.com or dial 877.266.3601.

About CB Richard Ellis

CB Richard Ellis Group, Inc. (NYSE:CBG), an S&P 500 company headquartered in Los Angeles, is the world’s largest commercial real estate services firm (in terms of 2006 revenue). With over 24,000 employees, the Company serves real estate owners, investors and occupiers through more than 300 offices worldwide (excluding affiliate and partner offices). CB Richard Ellis offers strategic advice and execution for property sales and leasing; corporate services; property, facilities and project management; mortgage banking; appraisal and valuation; development services; investment management; and research and consulting. In 2007, CB Richard Ellis was named one of the 50 “best in class” companies by BusinessWeek, and one of the 100 fastest growing companies by Fortune. Please visit our Web site at www.cbre.com.


Contact:   
    Adam Kujacznski                    Robert McGrath
    Condo.com                            CB Richard Ellis
    305.476.2075                        212.985.8267
    adam@condo.com                  robert.mcgrath@cbre.com   

"80 percent of home searchers conduct research on the Internet” (National Association of Realtors) is one of the most commonly quoted statistics today in residential real estate. Yet, despite this compelling data point supporting the value of online advertising, many brokers report a hesitancy to shift more advertising dollars online-largely due to agent pressure to focus on print media and other more traditional marketing.

Why? Because many agents are unfamiliar (and therefore, uncomfortable) with explaining the benefits of online marketing to homeowners so they can win the listing presentation. In addition, some real estate professionals indicate that they face the challenge of having to successfully “market” the benefits of online advertising to seller clients, who are less accustomed to online advertising being a key marketing driver that attracts home buyers.

The irony is that the vast majority of home sellers are jumping onto the Internet to conduct their own home research, given the robust broker, agent and third-party property listing resources now available for consumers to search online.

For brokers who are struggling to make the jump from “ink to links,” the key is to help more of your agents appreciate the incremental benefits of online advertising and arm them with the know-how to successfully market these benefits to their home seller clients. For agents, take advantage of every opportunity to learn more about these online advertising tools.

1.Understand the power of online advertising. According to NAR, consumers are five times more likely to buy a home found online versus in a newspaper, and 24 times more likely to buy a home found online versus in a home book or magazine. So if you already have an ample print campaign that is delivering results, think about the incremental impact that online advertising can add to your campaign-fully trackable, and at a fraction of the cost.

2.Get data from online real estate media sites on the type of serious home searchers who conduct their research online and share this with your clients. For instance, in a July-August 2007 user survey conducted by Trulia.com, 69% of users indicated that they were not yet working with an agent, and 81% reported that they were planning on buying a home within the next 12 months. In addition, 52% earn more than $100K per year, and 46% are pre-qualified for a mortgage.

3.Know where your online traffic is originating from-and get more of it. Brokers can start by testing real estate advertising sites that offer free traffic, and/or cost-effective paid advertising, and track the results. Take advantage of free analytical tools, such as Google Analytics, or more robust paid tracking services such as Hitwise, to identify your top online traffic referrers.

4.Get a head start with your clients by advertising on sites that offer daily, weekly or monthly reporting. In addition to third-party tracking tools, work with advertising sites that deliver ongoing traffic reporting so agents can easily assign a tangible value to your online advertising efforts and then communicate this value to their home seller clients.

5.Make sure your brokerage has a designated online advertising owner and budget. To ensure you are taking full advantage of your online advertising investments, your head of marketing should have a specific plan and line item in his or her budget for online advertising.

6.Apply your best offline advertising strategies online. Think about what advertising strategies have been most effective in building your offline business and adapt them to your online strategy.

7.Incorporate an e-business or online marketing class into your training curriculum. Whether a brokerage opts to administer the class or enlists a marketing partner to teach the subject matter, ensure that all of your agents know the fundamentals of how to leverage online advertising and how to explain its benefits to their clients-the homeowners.

Commentary by Kelly Roark

To view original article click here

Condo seekers set up weeklong camp to stake out bidding position

Last Updated: Tuesday, November 6, 2007 | 4:06 PM ET

CBC News

A line stretching about 100 people long has formed outside a Toronto condo office — a full week before the units are to be released for sale.

Touted as a prime piece of real estate at Yonge and Bloor, 1 Bloor St. E also holds the distinction of being the first 80-storey residential tower planned in the country. Construction is expected to be completed by 2011.

"The Toronto condo market is booming," said Veronika Belovich, the director of sales and marketing for the builder, Bazis International.

Belovich said she expects the lineup to number more than 1,000 by the weekend, citing an old real estate adage as the reason.

"Location, location, location," she said of the units, which range in price from $300,000 to $2 million. "There's just so much demand."

View Entire Story

THE VERY-WEAK US DOLLAR MAKES GREAT DEALS FOR NON-U.S. BUYERS.
According to OANDA.com, here are today's exchange rates:
 
1 UK Pound = $2.08 US
1 Euro = $1.43 US
1 Loonie = $1.07 US
1 Swiss Franc = $0.867 US
 
It's certainly a time to buy Florida real estate. With the discounts and incentives currently being offered to  buyers as well as what sellers must give up or lose, it’s a win win situation.
With a US election coming in 2008, who knows how the pendulum will swing.  But, for now, at least, we know that non-U.S. buyers have a condo shopping spree in front of them!

The team from Sellsius Real Estate Blog began their journey across the country this weekend, BlogTourUSA, which will end up in San Francisco for INMAN Real Estate Connect in August. They will be here in Miami and Coconut Grove on July 8th and 9th with the team here at Condo.com to meet and greet with everyone and discuss the Miami condo market. We'll keep you posted on when and where we will all be meeting so everyone in the Condo.com Community can join us. You can check out the RV the team is touring in to support all of us who love blogging about real estate in the video below...Check our the great looking Condo.com logo.

June 07, 2007
By Barbra Murray, Contributing Editor

Real estate firm The Peebles Corp. has secured a 13-acre parcel just a half mile from the Las Vegas Strip for the development of the city's largest non-gaming hotel, Las Palmas Hotel & Residences. Peebles purchased the land for $65 million from Con AM Management Corp. for the upper upscale project, which will cost an aggregate $2.5 billion to complete.

Situated on Paradise Rd. across from the Wynn Las Vegas Golf Course, Las Palmas (pictured) will be a 4.5 million-square-foot development consisting of four 55-story high-rise structures designed by the architectural firm of Arquitectonica. In addition to 800 guestrooms and 1,000 condominiums, the property will feature a 40,000-square-foot spa, premier retail offerings and parking facilities beneath the towers. Scheduled to reach completion by 2009, the hotel structure, which will be topped by residences, will be the first of the towers to come online. A date for the completion of the three condominium high-rises has not yet been disclosed.

Las Palmas will also carry the distinction of being Las Vegas' sole five-star non-gaming hotel. "Our luxury brand strategy is to appeal to the affluent customer looking for privacy and exclusivity that is still within close reach of the city’s action," R. Donahue Peebles, founder & CEO of The Peebles Corp., told CPN today. "In Las Vegas, more than 50 percent of travelers visit for reasons other than gambling. They are looking for an ultra-luxury hotel room, over-the-top entertainment, fine dining, spa services and shopping.”

High-end gaming, non-gaming, residential and hotel properties are popping up all over Las Vegas, so big ticket land sales are not uncommon. In May, MGM Mirage closed on the purchase of several parcels totaling eight acres from Concord Wilshire Acquisitions for $131 million. In a separate deal that month, the company also wrapped up its $444 million acquisition of a 26-acre parcel from Gordon Gaming Corp.

Headquartered in Coral Gables, Fla., The Peebles Corp. is a diversified real estate developer overseeing a premier portfolio that includes office towers, hotels, condominiums and mixed-use complexes in major cities including Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.

USCondex.com Now Operates Under New Domain Name Condo.com


MIAMI, FL., June 5, 2007 – USCondex.com, the world’s first and largest online condo marketplace – dubbed the NASDAQ for Condos – today announced it has acquired the domain name Condo.com, and effective immediately will operate under its new domain www.condo.com. The new name easily resonates with buyers, renters, sellers and developers of condominiums around the world, identifying Condo.com as THE leading website to visit for all things condo.

The announcement comes less than two years after the successful launch of USCondex.com to the online real estate community. The name change is a significant milestone for the company, indicative of the growth it has experienced and further strengthening its leadership position in the online condominium marketplace.

“Acquiring this new domain has a huge impact on our business at hand,” said Richard Swerdlow, Chief Executive Officer for Condo.com. “As we continue to bring the world’s condo community together online, owning the premier domain name in the space will help us achieve our goal to better communicate our business model to global users and partners. Condo.com is a name that transcends language barriers, giving us a tremendous advantage over our competition as we seek to grow our business globally.”

Condo.com provides cutting edge information, functionality and tools for buyers and sellers around the world, including a social networking tool that allows users to network and connect to one another, video blog and upload virtual tours. With unmatched listing capabilities and resources offered on the site, and proprietary technology that provides users with detailed neighborhood, school and demographic information, Condo.com provides a service found no where else in the world.

For more information, visit www.condo.com.

About Condo.com
Condo.com www.condo.com is the first and fastest growing global advertising portal and listing service for condominiums. Condo.com carries the largest inventory of condominiums listed in the United States and 70+ countries around the world, valued at over $100 billion. Condo.com cost-effectively delivers unparalleled international exposure to developers, brokers and for-sale-by-owners through the seamless distribution of its listings to a global network of real estate websites visited by over 15 million viewers per month.

#    #    #

USCondex is now Condo.com! Dear Friends and Valued Customers, We are proud to announce that we have changed our name to Condo.com. This name better reflects our mission, growing global brand and positioning as the World's Largest Condo Marketplace. For Buyers it means more condos to search and more tools to help with purchase and rental decisions! For Sellers it means more traffic, more leads and faster sales! Our site now features: Over 300,000 listings from around the world A growing social network and user community Condo TV with dozens of property videos Detailed neighborhood information on all listings Free listings and video uploads Power Seller program for Brokers and Agents And more... Visit us today at Condo.com! All the best, Richard Swerdlow CEO

NEW YORK, April 3 /PRNewswire/ -- The just-released 1st Quarter 2007 Prudential Douglas Elliman Manhattan Market Overview reports that the Manhattan residential real estate market entered 2007 with a surge in the number of sales, declining inventory, rising prices and shorter marketing times. Record bonus income and stabilizing mortgage rates have helped foster a significant increase in demand this quarter. The rise in demand has helped reduce inventory, shorten marketing times and reduce listing discounts

"Manhattan's real estate market has been very good and these numbers are even better than we had anticipated," says Dottie Herman, President and CEO, Prudential Douglas Elliman. "Real estate in Manhattan doesn't mirror anything else we're seeing in the rest of the country."

The number of sales increased 73% this quarter to 3,474 units as compared to the 2,005 units sold in the prior year quarter. Listing inventory fell 14.2% to 5,923 units from the prior year quarter total of 6,904 units. Average days on the market were 131 days this quarter, one week faster than the same period last year. Listing discounts were 2.6%, down from 2.8% during the same period last year. "The influx of record bonus income is a primary catalyst for the high volume of residential sales that have heralded in the New Year," says Jonathan J. Miller, CRP, President/CEO of Manhattan residential real estate appraisal firm Miller Samuel. View full article

WHILE virtually all signs point to a housing market gone limp, sales at two opulent projects in Hoboken and Jersey City indicate that there is still vibrancy at the very high end.

At the 55-story Trump Plaza condominium tower rising in Jersey City, more than 100 of 445 units priced from $425,000 to more than $2 million were sold in the first 10 days. At the W Hotel under construction beside the Hudson River in Hoboken, 22 of 36 condos offered at prices from $775,000 to $4.5 million were sold in three weeks.

The Trump building, the first of two planned towers that will be the tallest residential structures in New Jersey, has only dirt, foundation, scaffolding and cranes right now at its site at Washington and Bay Streets, a block from the Exchange Place PATH station. The W, which will be the first of its brand in New Jersey, currently has a similar look at its site on River Street in Hoboken.

Nevertheless, both projects have sales offices near their construction sites, with scale models, streaming video, detailed floor plans and mockups of finished rooms. View Entire Article

ONE brisk afternoon this past winter, the lobby of the Ritz-Carlton, Bachelor Gulch in Beaver Creek, Colo., could have been mistaken for the Westminster Kennel Club dog show.

There sat Biscuit, a white-haired West Highland terrier from Denver, waiting diligently at the foot of her owner, a stylishly trim woman drinking a glass of wine in the lounge with a friend. And Bambi, a skittish border collie from Texas, wore a red Willie Nelson-style bandanna around her neck. Then there was the tan and petite cocker spaniel, prancing up and down the sunny courtyard alongside her equally tan and petite owner.

In a culture in which dogs and cats have become surrogate children (and grandchildren) and are sometimes better dressed than their owners, a growing number of hotels and resorts have welcomed four-legged guests in recent years, including the Four Seasons, the Ritz-Carlton, the Loews and the Kimpton hotels. But now, several luxury condominiums and private residence clubs are taking pet-friendly policies further by offering services and amenities that rival those meant for humans, including grooming sessions, swim classes, massage treatments (no mere belly-scratch) and even a doggie psychic. View entire article