Watch the webinar below.

The panelists were Raimundo Onetto, Principal and CEO Alta Developers; Edgardo Defortuna, CEO of Fortune International Group; and the nationally recognized Dr. J. Antonio Villamil, Founder and Senior Advisor of The Washington Economics Group. They were hosted by Haute Living's April Donelson.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Alta Developers

Highlight quotes from the webinar:

Raimundo Onetto: "Due to the pandemic, we were forced to do things in completely different ways. There was a lot of pressure on real estate, but we were able to come up with new concepts, new ideas, and I think that is going to change how projects are designed in the future... I'm very proud of Quadro Miami. It's one of the latest condos that we finished last year. We spent more than two years designing it. We hired a famous artist in Chile to bring all of his ideas into the project. We brought the art and connected the Miami Design District with the project. It came out really nice, and sales are doing great. It's a boutique 12-story building with great views of the Bay, within walking distance to the Design District. Miami Beach is right there and the airport is five minutes away. What we are selling here is a new way of buying a condo in Miami. It's a concept of 'own, live, and share.' You can buy a unit and put it on long or short-term program. Snowbirds can have a unit here, use it for six months, go back home and still make money... We have seen a lot of domestic buyers from New York. They come here with their family and say, 'I'm going to try this for six months.' On foreign buyers, they are looking to keep their money safe. We add a little more to that. We offer them a product that they can own a piece of real estate but also use it without paying enormous amounts of expenses over the year... When Miami started opening again, we changed the strategy, focusing more on foreign countries but also starting the idea of reaching out to New York buyers, and I think it's been very successful."

Edgardo Defortuna: "South Florida is positioned to be one of the best places in the world and we are lucky to be here and in the real estate business... Quadro Miami is very appealing to the person that is not going to use the unit on a full-time basis. And the flexibility of being able to get an additional unit when people are here makes it very effective... Unlike many foreign developers, Alta Developers started by learning the market. They really got educated and participated in projects, understanding what buyers in South Florida is all about; they put their heart into it and build products for the lifestyle the potential buyer really wants and desires. Quadro Miami is the perfect example for that. They came up with a great location, with a perfect size for units, and a price point that the market is very attracted to, and created a program that you can rent it on a short-term basis. Alta puts attention to detail... In the early days, snowbirds spent a month or two depending on their location. What is happening now and for the last two or three years, since the tax reform of 2018, we have seen an incredible desire and motivation from northeasterners, Californians, and other high-tax states to move to South Florida. The effect that created was very significant, with major players moving to South Florida for the climate and the lifestyle. When they experience what it's like to live here, they fall in love with it... People want to start vacationing again, and South Florida is perfectly positioned to handle that. We saw that early on during the pandemic of people coming from New York, and they are still here. I see that repeating itself during this Winter season."

Dr. J. Antonio Villamil: "The overall foreign market has become more established. The seasonality that we saw over the decades of snowbirds has changed completely. With Latin America, Brazil, and Europe coming here to purchase real estate, we have seen a structural change over the last decade towards more inflow of foreign buyers coming in and purchasing real estate. The industry has adapted to it. Its flexibility is also a critical component long-term. In spite of the decline we have seen in the number of visitors to South Florida, the quality and depth have increased significantly... Once a vaccine is deployed effectively, we will be able to see a significant pickup in economic activity through snowbirds and other visitors as this is a key area to invest, especially in real estate... The Snowbird phenomenon has been going on for over 100 years. We get 127 million visitors in Florida every year. A good percentage of that is "sunbirds," who become full-time residents... People are starting to fly again but very cautiously. We do see more visitors coming into the state in 2021, especially to the South Florida area. We are now a global center for visitors. That creates a cushion in terms of the downturn. Things are beginning to level off; I find that this is a very uncertain period, so reaching buyers virtually, like Edgardo and Raimundo are doing, has become very important... The most important thing for Florida and South Florida real estate is the Federal Reserve's policy, which is independent of the Executive branch. There, we see the continuation of relatively easy monetary policy. Low interest rates are a key factor."

To watch more webinars curated by Haute Residence, visit https://dev.hauteresidence.com/.

Raimundo Onetto, Edgardo Defortuna, Dr.J Antonio Villamil

The post Real Estate Webinar: Seasonal Snowbirds, The Economy, And Quadro Miami appeared first on Haute Residence by Haute Living.

The panelists were hosted by Haute Living's Erik Haase for the dialogue. They were:

Alvaro Nuñez Alfaro, Cofounder of Super Luxury Group, a leader in Miami and surrounding areas as well as globally with high net worth clientele

Joel Schemmel, Founder of the Schemmel Group, a top producing team with Sotheby's in Sarasota, top 1% overall in Sarasota

Connie Huergo, a top agent at Coldwell Banker in Delray Beach and Boca Raton, over 20 years of experience in South Florida luxury real estate

Pierre-Marc Bellion, Ocean Sotheby's International Realty, a leading agent in Key Largo and Islamorada areas of the Florida Keys

Highlight quotes from today's webinar:

Alvaro Nuñez Alfaro: "Everybody has been working very hard through this year to put all the tools in place to continue working in this business... People feel the trust and confidence of working with experts... Right now, everyone is finding a bigger purpose. Real estate is about enhancing people's lives... When it comes to what platforms we use, right now is the time to try out anything related to digital... Put your face out there. Beautiful videos [of properties] are nice, but people will relate to you. Build your personal brand.

Joel Schemmel: "We are seeing even more demand. Inventory challenges are going to slow us down to a certain extent... In Sarasota, we are comparatively undervalued to other markets in Florida. People are discovering that. They are coming from New York, California, Naples, and other Florida places... During the third quarter of this year, the pending sales compared to the same period last year were up 400% in the $2-4 million range... The market is very engaged. Things move quickly. Focus and understand the market, the value your buyers and sellers are trying to achieve...

Connie Huergo: "Interest rates are extremely low. That has really made an incentive for people that were on the fence. They have decided to make an early retirement. Our city of Delray is full of restaurants, beaches, and a lot of places to go...  We have had to be very creative and I love that, getting out of the traditional and do FaceTime presentations, 3-D... Delray Beach attracts the northeastern [audience]. When they see the prices here, it's an easy decision to make... We have to make sure to work with the right tools and surround ourselves with the proper people that can help us close in time."

Pierre-Marc Bellion: "People are moving out of the city. It's not just about getting out of the urban cities; it's about getting a new perspective... A year ago, a Zoom meeting was an exotic thing. It took us five weeks to get used to it and now it's how we do business... We sell the lifestyle, but you do better when you can share with people and they can tell that you are connected to your environment... On the personal and business level, with the pandemic, it's good to regroup and dig your roots deeper into the community. Go back to talking to people around you to get new listings."

To watch previous webinars by Haute Residence featuring top real estate agents, developers, brokers, and interior designers, visit dev.hauteresidence.com.

Alvaro Nuñez Alfaro, Joel Schemmel, Connie Huergo, Pierre-Marc Bellion

The post Watch: “Top Agents Of Florida Real Estate” On Latest In The Sunshine State Luxury Market appeared first on Haute Residence by Haute Living.