Miami motorists said they saw other drivers slam on their brakes, run red lights and talk on cell phones, according to AutoVantage, a Connecticut-based automobile membership club offering travel services and roadside assistance.

Other cities near the top of the rude drivers list were New York, Boston, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.

South Miami resident Erik Pinto told The Associated Press that he has probably seen every bad driving habit on Miami’s roads.

“You don’t want to know what I’ve seen,” Pinto said. “I’ve seen everything. I’m from L.A., and we don’t see the crazy drivers that you see here.”

The most courteous drivers can be found in Portland, Ore.; Pittsburgh; the Seattle-Tacoma area; St. Louis; and Dallas-Fort Worth, the survey found.

Portland drivers were the least likely on the list to see other motorists tailgating on the roadways, and St. Louis motorists were the least likely to swear at another driver, according to the survey. Continued..

Source: Boston .com

Other Top Road Rage Cities

2. New York (Lets Hope the NY Crew Rudy and Joe behave on the BlogTourUSA)

3. Boston

4. L.A

5. D.C.

Watch this YOUTUBE VIDEO for more road rages.

The famed 25 Bond Street developed by Goldman Properties gets “coined”.

The Goldman team is renowned for taking raw material combined with bright passion to mold the sense of community - life! Goldman Properties has taken the next step to make a statement by manufacturing a coin which stands for the meticulously MINTED 25 BOND.

Here is the message behind the symbol (thx AP):

“This beautiful custom coin and the jacket that contains it have been issued as unique piece to demonstrate the commitment to quality, creativity and attention to detail that runs through this entire project. On one side is an abstract field of 25s and on the other, a custom design from renowned New York stone sculptor Ken Hiratsuka. Inside the jacket is a vellum that contains the comprehensive list of finishes, amenities and services that are offered by this phenomenal property. When the coin is lifted out of the jacket a sub-domain is revealed that gives the recipient deeper access into the www.25bond.com web site. This project is about substance, timeless design, convenience, livability and super luxury. Nothing has been overlooked. Stay tuned…”

25 Bond? So Money!

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Own the Mint at 25 Bond - “discrete inquiries” only!

25 Bond & Schrager & Goldman Dance on Bond: recent entries on 25 Bond

Our Fav NYC Bloggers: NYHouses4Sale, UrbanDigs, Toni Haber, TrueGotham, Curbed (floorplan porn) & Observer : this is a must PICK-UP story a ‘Goldman Property’ to an entirely different level!

(Goldman Properties, also a founding contributor to South Beach and what it is today is also working on another property in the Wynnwood District....to be continued..)

WATCH THE MOVIE

One of the most fun film shoots we have been on and one of the most luxurious properties we have ever seen exists here...in Providence Rhode Island.  The Residences at the Westin Hotel are GORGEOUS!

Imagine a space tailored to your dreams. A home in the center of a bustling downtown with gorgeous views of the city around you. A haven for your mind, body and soul. Imagine lavish surroundings with all the services and comforts of a Four Star hotel including around-the-clock security, wellness spa, concierge, valet, room service, 24-hour chauffeur and housekeeping. This is high-rise luxury living. Imagine yourself at The Residences at The Westin Providence.

WATCH THE MOVIE

or

Click Here for More Info on the Residences

Visit here for more info on Providence Condos

...and I am not talking about putting it on your AMEX at 18% interest or using those catchy in store finance programs.  What I am referring to is...finance it within your mortgage!  Many are probably asking themselves...can I do this?  The answer is YES, you can.  Here is probelem #1, most if not all the loan officers you will ask will say that you can't and the reason being is, they dont know how to do it (and are probably too lazy to research it).  Well below I will show you one out of the 3 ways you can do this according to Fannie/Freddie guidelines. 

Scenario A - 5% down on a 500,000 purchase price

Jimmy (Buyer) enters into an agreement to purchase a $500,000 new condo / loft.

Jimmy has no time, no decorating talent, but is business minded smart and he knows that a properly upgraded and well designed condo or loft will have a higher re-sale value and he will most likely get out what he upgrades...or more.

Jimmy's sister Lina has a good eye for design so she decideds to help Jimmy.

Jimmy and Lina go out and pick out plasma TV's for living room and bedrooms, tables, chairs, couches and even art work and silverware.  At the end of the Jimmy and Lina estimate about $12,000 in upgrades.  (they went to those cool stores that dont cost a lot like IKEA)

Ok here we go...

Jimmy now needs to find a mortgage lender who will loan him $487,000 on his $500,000 new condo.

Well, before Jimmy was going to purchase the condo for $500,000 with 5% down...so he would need a loan for $475,000.  Most likely he would have got a first mortgage for $400,000 and a second mortgage for $75,000 (to avoid PMI - private mortgage insurance).

To stay intune with Fannie and Freddie guidelines we are going to keep the first loan amount at $400,000 (or 80% of the real estate purchase price) and we are going to UP the second loan amount by $12,000, making it $87,000.

At the closing, when Jimmy goes to close on is $500,000 condo, he will have a first mortgage at $400,000 + his second mortgage of $87,000 of which he will only need $75,000 drawn on it that day + his $25,000 deposit he put down a month ago at Purchase & Sale.

He Closes, gets his keys and orders his stuff for delivery and pay's for it on his 2nd mortgage line in which he has $12,000 left to spend (as estimated)...yup...its that easy.

The Numbers ...  why do this?

(Example, lets use 6% rate for 1st mortgage and 7% for 2nd mortgage both scenarios with 5% down on $500,000 purchase.)

Example 1 - Without furniture or upgrades

Purchase Price  $500,000

1st Loan (80%) $400,000 - $2398.20

2nd Loan (15%) $75,000 - $498.98

Total Payment $2897.18 Per Month

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Example 2 - WITH furniture & upgrades

Purchase Price  $500,000

1st Loan (80%) $400,000 - $2398.20

2nd Loan (15%) $87,000 - $578.81

Total Payment $2,977.01 Per Month

---------------------------------------------

GRAND DIFFERENCE IS - $79.83/MONTH...now would you rather scrape together another $12,000 after spending all your cash for your $25,000 down payment?  We have done this time and time again and all of our clients have been so happy to have a completely brand new place for very little $...and when they go to sell in the next few years, its been completely decorated and has a much higher re-sale value.

PS - your 2nd mortage is tax deductable too :)

Contact Christina - clongo[at]nymc.com or visit Condo Mortgage Group for more tips and tricks to our finance program.

brought to you by the gracious condoDomain.com your soure for new condos online.

This is what happens when you dont use USCondex or condoDomain.com !!!

Watch part 4 of the Redfin vs. NAR debate on value oriented REALTORS.

What are your thoughts on Redfin's rebate model?

Matt - see the posts below on Google Labs, I would love to dive into this with you.  PS - good seeing you guys @ Inman this week in NYC.  Im sure he didnt tell you so I will tell you...however your co-founder surpisingly found http://condoDomain.com saved as his HOME PAGE on his MAC this week...haha....  Just fun and games...

Zilbert has organized a special team of real estate specialists, and is publishing an online catalog of 100 of Miami’s most-luxurious condos.The catalog features some of South Florida’s most- impressive properties, including a 2-story $5.5M penthouse at OCEAN 4 in Sunny Isles, Florida and a flow-through apartment at the new APOGEE tower in Miami’s South Beach.  Continued...

- Hey James...Im Back :)

Here on my first post Ill mention some of the newest blogs on the market:

Condo Blog

Barbara Corcoran

Sellsius

Be back soon!!! Thx James for inviting me to YOUR condo world!