Miami Luxury Homes Group is now The Light Group | Launches MiamiCondos.com Posted on February 17, 2020September 21, 2021 by Michael Light Going forward, The Miami Luxury Homes Group will be known as ‘The Light Group’ at Douglas Elliman Real Estate. To go along with this announcement, we have also finally launched The Official Condo Website for Miami, Miami Beach and the surrounding neighborhoods, MiamiCondos.com. Though we had no intention of changing our group’s name, the State of Florida recently passed legislation regarding real estate teams in an effort to help the public understand who/what is a real estate company and who is an agent on a team, within a company. See, there have been many agents running teams with fancy names and titles that have misled the public into thinking the team is the overall brokerage company they worked for…in Florida, this is and always has been illegal. This change will help bring further transparency to our industry. I have always been transparent that The Miami Luxury Homes Group, and now The Light Group, is part of Douglas Elliman Real Estate, our brokerage company with 523 offices in 60 countries and headquartered at 575 Madison Avenue in New York City. The Light Group is very excited about launching MiamiCondos.com, but rest assured we will still be updating and servicing MiamiLuxuryHomes.com as well…the two will run parallel to each other. MiamiCondos.com The Miami Condos website is a comprehensive tool for both buyers and sellers, providing you with all of the necessary resources to make an informed decision regarding the purchase or sale of a condo only in Miami, while MiamiLuxuryHomes.com will serve as a source for both luxury homes and condos. Why is MiamiCondos.com different from other condo websites? MiamiCondos.com is owned and operated by an award-winning luxury real estate team, The Light Group at Douglas Elliman Real Estate, which is run by a dynamic husband and wife duo, Michael and Jaimee Light. Michael and Jaimee take pride in ensuring that MiamiCondos.com provides accurate statistics, news, condo building details and community information, by personally creating all of the copyrighted content on the site, as well as manually calculating statistical data for their readers. Further, Michael and Jaimee understand that their clients hail from all around the world, and it is significant to educate clients on the wide variety of neighborhoods that make up Miami and Miami Beach. The neighborhood section displays each condo community and highlights the key qualities of each neighborhood from a local’s perspective to guide you to the community that best suits your needs. Please Keep in Mind… Building a brand-new website from scratch with original copyrighted content, original copyrighted photography, original design, etc. takes a lot of time, so we hope that you understand that not all of our neighborhood pages and condo building pages will be launched from the start. Over the next 6 months, we hope to have all of our neighborhoods and condo pages up and running on MiamiCondos.com! We have launched with the following neighborhoods because these are the most high-demand areas for our current client base: Coconut Grove, Downtown Miami, Brickell, South Beach, South of Fifth and Miami Beach. THANK YOU! First, we want to thank all of our clients, friends, family and everyone who has supported us throughout the years with MiamiLuxuryHomes.com and now MiamiCondos.com. A special thank you is well deserved to our website developer, Mario Zamora, Founder/Owner of GoIDX, and photographer Shawn Hood, Founder/Owner of Shawn Hood Media, who have both spent hundreds of hours helping to bring MiamiCondos.com to fruition. We really appreciate the hard work and dedication you all have shown us, and we thank you for helping us every step of the way! About The Light Group at Douglas Elliman Real Estate MiamiCondos.com, along with South Florida’s number one luxury real estate website MiamiLuxuryHomes.com, is owned and operated by a top-producing luxury real estate team, The Light Group at Douglas Elliman Real Estate. The Light Group is led by a dynamic husband and wife duo, Michael and Jaimee Light, who pride themselves on being truly knowledgeable about the real estate market in South Florida as well as offering white-glove treatment, innovative marketing strategies, integrity and overall professionalism to their clients. The Light Group serves clients throughout South Florida’s prime residential areas including Coconut Grove, Coral Gables, South Miami, Pinecrest, Downtown Miami, Brickell, Miami Beach, South Beach, South of Fifth, Surfside, Bal Harbour, Sunny Isles Beach, Golden Beach and Fort Lauderdale. In addition to serving the Miami real estate market, The Light Group strongly believes that giving back to the community is extremely important. Members of The Light Group participate in many local and international philanthropic organizations by volunteering and/or sponsoring Habitat for Humanity of Greater Miami, Women’s Fund of Miami, St. Hugh Charities, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, a variety of local animal rescue groups, VICDA (Volunteer International Community Development Africa) and Day Love Orphanage in Nairobi, Kenya. About Douglas Elliman Real Estate Established in 1911, Douglas Elliman has grown to become the most reputable luxury real estate firm in the country. As the market leaders in New York, South Florida, California, Connecticut, Colorado, New Jersey, Boston and Houston, Douglas Elliman closed more than $28+ Billion in real estate transactions in 2018 making it the 2nd largest privately-owned residential real estate brokerage in the country by sales volume. In addition, Douglas Elliman has strategically partnered with Knight Frank Residential of London to extend their powerful real estate network to 523 offices in 60 countries across 6 continents. Douglas Elliman’s Powerful International Partnership with Knight Frank Residential Douglas Elliman Real Estate, the 2nd highest-grossing private real estate company in the United States, formed an exclusive partnership with Knight Frank Residential headquartered in London, which is an international luxury real estate firm that individually operates across Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia. These 2 real estate powerhouses strategically formed an alliance because Douglas Elliman only operates in the United States while Knight Frank operates everywhere but the U.S. So, what better way to take over the luxury real estate market across the globe…form an exclusive partnership. Both Douglas Elliman and Knight Frank represent many ultra-high-net-worth individuals that are buying real estate all over the world. Together, DE & KF joined forces to create an influential real estate network spanning 523 offices in 60 countries across 6 continents. Our companies share clients and data as well as collaborate on projects. For example, every year DE & KF put out the highly-respected Wealth Report, which reflects the global perspective on prime property and investment, including key wealth trends and property hotspots around the world. The Wealth Report examines investment trends covering almost 100 countries and 100+ cities, including what $1M USD buys you around the world. If you have questions about the market, a specific neighborhood or would just like to talk about real estate, please contact Michael Light, Senior Director of Luxury Sales at Douglas Elliman and a member of the exclusive Douglas Elliman Sports and Entertainment Division. You may contact Michael directly at (305) 350-9842 or michael@miamicondos.com.
2018 NBA Crossover Event with Douglas Elliman Sports & Entertainment Division Posted on December 30, 2018March 12, 2023 by Michael Light This past year has been an amazing year for my business and our team. One of the biggest honors for me during 2018 was that I was asked to join the exclusive Sports & Entertainment Division at Douglas Elliman. As a result, I had the privilege of participating in the NBA Player Development Career Crossover Program. What is the NBA Player Development Career Crossover Program? The NBA Player Development Career Crossover Program is an exclusive partnership between the NBA and Douglas Elliman Real Estate that was created to expose NBA players to various businesses and industries outside of basketball. The NBA partnered with Douglas Elliman to show players career options beyond the game of basketball. Many players who “retire” in their late 20’s or early 30’s want a career after basketball. Many former players go into coaching or become media personalities, but what about those players who want to go into business? How many times have you heard a news report about a former athlete that invested his/her money into real estate and lost everything? The NBA crossover program was designed for players to “shadow” top real estate agents at Douglas Elliman in NYC, Florida and California to get a true sense of what it takes to be a top real estate broker. Michael Light Leads NBA Players on a Tour Through Coconut Grove This past summer, I had the honor of being one of the few brokers nationwide that was selected to spend an entire day with several players while we toured Coconut Grove, one of the most sought-after communities in South Florida. The players that participated were Sterling Brown, Terrence Jones and Roger Moute. We were also accompanied by Alexys Feaster, the Director of Player Development for the NBA, as well as Rosemarie Laffler, the National Coordinator of the DE S+E Division and Jaimee Light, my wife and business partner. New Construction Tour We began the day by meeting with a local developer in Coconut Grove. He gave us a private tour of one of the many luxury properties that he has under construction in Center Coconut Grove. This was a unique opportunity for the players to tour a construction site to see the behind-the-scenes action of real estate development and have a one-on-one with a developer to gain insight on more than simply buying and selling properties. During our tour of the new construction home, the developer was very thorough in explaining to us what it is like to purchase land, experience the arduous planning and permitting stages of construction, working with architects and designers and the management of multiple construction sites. He also explained how he has on-staff graphic artists to assist his firm with creating marketing materials for the benefit of sales. The players enjoyed the tour of the construction site and were impressed with all of the insight that they gained from talking directly with an experienced developer. I really wanted them to have this experience because a lot of athletes are asked to invest their money in real estate deals, specifically development properties, so this gave them invaluable knowledge to prepare them when they are next presented with a development opportunity. 2018 NBA Crossover Event with Douglas Elliman Real Estate Sports & Entertainment Division 2018 NBA Crossover Event with Douglas Elliman Real Estate Sports & Entertainment Division Tour of a Waterfront Mansion in Coconut Grove Next, we went on to visit my client’s 12,000 sq/ft waterfront home in Coconut Grove so that I could show them what it is like to tour a luxury property with a potential buyer. So, I treated the players as if they were clients/buyers so they could see that the order in which you show a property is important as well as what you highlight about the property and the overall knowledge you must know about the property, not just how many bedrooms and bathrooms it has. We then went out outside where we discussed all of the amenities including the pool, private beach, incredible views, private boat dock and the launch for watersports. I explained to them how it’s so very important to understand and be able to relate to a client about the importance of the lifestyle of certain properties such as this. In our business, when you are selling waterfront mansions, it is not just about the property itself, it is the luxury lifestyle that you are selling to a client. People outside of real estate usually do not think about this aspect in sales. For instance, I know Coconut Grove inside, out and backwards…I know all the good restaurants, sailing clubs, art festivals, spas, watersports, etc. It is just as important for a broker to know the neighborhood that they are selling as it is the house itself. 2018 NBA Crossover Event with Douglas Elliman Real Estate Sports & Entertainment Division 2018 NBA Crossover Event with Douglas Elliman Real Estate Sports & Entertainment Division Lunch & Learn at Strada in the Grove After our Coconut Grove waterfront home tour, we all sat down at my favorite Italian restaurant in Coconut Grove, Strada in the Grove, to have a Lunch-and-Learn question and answer session with the players. The players asked me a lot of questions about the day-to-day tasks of our industry and how I get my business (clients). I also explained to them that I am a very tech-savvy broker and explained how I have built multiple real estate websites and how technology has really changed the real estate industry. We also discussed the importance of having a business partner you can trust, and we laughed about the daily life of working with my spouse! The coolest part of this lunch is that I asked them a lot of questions about their backgrounds so that I could give them personalized advice that they could take away and put toward a career in real estate if they so choose in the future. Tour of Park Grove’s Sales Gallery After lunch, we finished our day by visiting Park Grove in Coconut Grove. For any of you who don’t know, Park Grove is the greatest condo building ever constructed in Miami, and it happens to be in Coconut Grove. This was a great opportunity to help them understand what it is like to sell something that has not been built yet. We discussed things like the type of marketing efforts/materials we use, to how I “show” a property from a sales gallery instead of a finished property. Selling pre-construction is harder than any other sales because you have to “paint a picture” in a buyer’s mind instead of walking through a finished property. I must have painted an amazing picture for the players because they were all blown away with the project when we finished! 2018 NBA Crossover Event with Douglas Elliman Real Estate Sports & Entertainment Division 2018 NBA Crossover Event with Douglas Elliman Real Estate Sports & Entertainment Division 2018 NBA Crossover Event with Douglas Elliman Real Estate Sports & Entertainment Division NBA Player Development Career Crossover Program Comes to a Close We ended our Coconut Grove tour at Park Grove and said our goodbyes, but the very next day we all met up again at Eighty Seven Park in Miami Beach with my Douglas Elliman Sports & Entertainment colleagues, our CEO Jay Parker and our COO Gus Rubio to enjoy a private catered brunch and discuss the NBA players experience of touring the different neighborhoods in South Florida, including our tour in Coconut Grove. All-in-all, this was an amazing experience. Not trying to sell anything, but actually share my expertise with NBA players was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I am so grateful that I had this opportunity.
Michael Light Joins Elite Sports & Entertainment Division at Douglas Elliman Posted on August 11, 2018 by Michael Light Michael Light, Founder/Owner of the Miami Luxury Homes Group at Douglas Elliman Real Estate recently joined the ultra-exclusive Sports & Entertainment Division at Douglas Elliman. Douglas Elliman Sports & Entertainment is a curated, invitation-only, sales division that provides an elite level of real estate brokerage services for clients within the sports and entertainment industries, as well as ultra-high-net-worth individuals. Further, this highly-specialized and personalized division is comprised of real estate agents who have an extensive history of working with professional athletes, celebrities, money managers and business executives, as well as the reputation for tending to every need involved with their transactions. “To be invited into the Sports & Entertainment Division at Douglas Elliman is quite an honor,” says Light. “Less than 1% of agents in the entire firm are part of this elite division, and I am grateful to be included with the most affluent real estate professionals in our industry.” Douglas Elliman consists of approximately 7,100 agents nationwide and only 70 agents are members of the Sports & Entertainment Division. Light is among great company, as he is joined by Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles stars, Josh Altman and Tracy Tutor-Maltas from the Beverly Hills office and Gordon von Broock, a real estate powerhouse in the Manhattan office in NYC. If you, or someone you know, are interested in learning more about the Miami and Miami Beach luxury real estate markets, please do not hesitate to contact Michael directly at (786) 566-1700 or michael@miamiluxuryhomes.com. About Douglas Elliman Real Estate Established in 1911, Douglas Elliman has grown to become the most reputable luxury real estate firm in the country. As the market leaders in New York, South Florida, California, Connecticut, Colorado and New Jersey, Douglas Elliman closed more than $26+ Billion in real estate transactions in 2017 making it the 3rd largest residential real estate brokerage in the country by sales volume and the #1 Luxury Real Estate Brokerage in the country. In addition, Douglas Elliman has strategically partnered with Knight Frank Residential of London to extend their powerful real estate network to 520 offices in 60 countries across 6 continents.
The Miami Luxury Homes Group at Douglas Elliman Welcomes NYC Broker Andrew K. Becerra, Jr. Posted on September 21, 2017September 21, 2017 by Michael Light Miami Luxury Homes is pleased to announce that seasoned New York City real estate professional Andrew K. Becerra, Jr. has joined its top-producing luxury real estate group at Douglas Elliman Real Estate in South Florida. Andrew brings over 14 years of real estate experience from California and New York City to the unique luxury market in South Florida. Born and raised in California, Andrew graduated from the esteemed University of California Berkeley and went on to pursue a career in real estate in Northern California where he handled the extensive marketing and sales of luxury estates, wineries, ranches, large development sites and equestrian facilities. Andrew then carried his infectious enthusiasm and passion for real estate to New York City where he used his extensive knowledge, professionalism, attention-to-detail and influential connections within the coast-to-coast fashion and art worlds to excel in Manhattan’s real estate industry as an integral member of The Albert & Rice Team at The Corcoran Group for more than 8 years. Andrew’s success in one of the top real estate markets in the world proves that his keen interpersonal skills, strong work ethic, transparency and tenacity is effective in providing first-class service to his clients. After a successful real estate career in both California and New York City, Andrew relocated to South Florida, bringing his innate friendly disposition, ethical reputation, professionalism and influential network to the luxe Miami real estate world. His positive energy, honest guidance and outstanding concierge-like service will fit perfectly into the luxury South Florida real estate market. Andrew currently resides in Coconut Grove with his dog, Charley, and enjoys traveling, cooking, swimming, boating and reading. “The Miami Luxury Homes Group at Douglas Elliman is grateful and excited to welcome such a seasoned and enthusiastic real estate professional to our team,” says Michael Light, Founder of the Miami Luxury Homes Group. “Along with his extensive knowledge, Andrew brings with him an influential network of people from New York City, which adds a lot of value to our team and to our seller clients, especially since the Northeast is currently the #1 buyer pool of luxury real estate in the South Florida market.” If you, or someone you know, is interested in buying or selling your luxury home or condo in South Florida, please contact Andrew Becerra. You may reach Andrew on his cell phone at (917) 838-3131 or via email at ab@miamiluxuryhomes.com. ANDREW IS FLUENT IN ENGLISH AND SPANISH
The Miami Luxury Homes Website Turns 4 Today! Posted on June 12, 2017June 14, 2017 by Michael Light I am proud to say that the Miami Luxury Homes website turned 4 years old today! 4 years ago today, the Miami Luxury Homes website was launched to provide you all of the luxury real estate available for sale and rent in South Florida, but also to bring you original news articles on this blog. I am proud to say that this post is our 497th since launching on June 12, 2013! As a result of our hard work, news outlets like the Wall Street Journal, The Real Deal & Curbed use our blog as an authoritative source for Miami real estate news. Please visit our News & Media page to read all of the publications that site Miami Luxury Homes. Thank you all for following us on this amazing journey. We hope to bring you news for many years to come! Michael Light Owner/Founder – The Miami Luxury Homes Group at Douglas Elliman Real Estate Cell: 786-566-1700 Email: michael@miamiluxuryhomes.com
Miami Luxury Homes is Pleased to Welcome Andrew McCreary Posted on February 28, 2017 by Michael Light Miami Luxury Homes is pleased to announce that seasoned real estate professional Andrew McCreary has joined its top-producing luxury real estate group at Douglas Elliman Real Estate. Born and raised in Miami, Florida, Andrew McCreary has extensive knowledge and unrivaled understanding of the various neighborhoods, luxury condominiums and lavish estates that have made Miami and Miami Beach one of the most desirable places to live in the world. An integral member of the top-producing real estate team, Miami Luxury Homes, Andrew is a consummate professional, always maintaining the highest level of mutual respect with his clients and dedication to their goals. Andrew provides his clients with the highest level of service by effectively facilitating their real estate transactions while distinguishing himself as an informative, ethical and trustworthy professional. Strong marketing skills utilizing the most up-to-date technologies and market statistics, coupled with his personal expertise of the local area and his transparency, gives his clients insider knowledge and invaluable tools to explore the real estate options that best suit their needs. Andrew also prides himself on being ahead of the curve and works diligently to maintain that edge. Staying at the forefront of changes in the real estate market and his business, he finds immense satisfaction in bringing together buyers and sellers and creating lasting relationships. A home town boy, Andrew enjoyed the first half of his childhood growing up in South Miami before moving to Coconut Grove. Andrew studied at Beth Am Day School and Gulliver Academy and Prep School before attending college at UCF. During his college years at UCF, Andrew was a professional wakeboarder, feeding his appetite for adventure which also led him to other invaluable experiences such as volunteering as an English teacher in Costa Rica and a beekeeper in Tennessee. As a person who grew up in Miami but also spent a lot of time traveling, visiting the most vibrant cities around the globe, Andrew has had the great opportunity of spending most of his life immersed in an array of cultures and languages, allowing him to appreciate the diversity in Miami and understand how to communicate and relate with people from all over the world. Andrew currently resides in Coconut Grove and is an avid golfer and animal advocate who enjoys meeting new people. If you, or someone you know, are interested in listing your luxury home in Miami, please contact Andrew McCreary for a complimentary valuation and customized marketing plan specifically tailored for your home. You may reach Andrew on his cell phone at (305) 302-3347 or via email at andrew@miamiluxuryhomes.com. ANDREW IS FLUENT IN ENGLISH AND SPANISH
Follow Miami Luxury Homes & Michael Light on Social Media! Posted on August 21, 2016 by Michael Light Miami Luxury Homes and its Founder/Owner, Michael Light, is all over social media…Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, Pinterest and YouTube! Our social media features photos, videos and posts about pre-construction developments, luxury condos, luxury homes, entertainment in South Florida and the everyday musings of me, Michael Light. Follow us to stay in the know with what’s happening in and around Miami. Have something that you would like to share with us? Send your photo to michael@miamiluxuryhomes.com or tag us on social media! Follow us on Social Media! Instagram: MichaelLightMIA Facebook: Miami Luxury Homes Snapchat: MichaelLightMIA Twitter: @SoBeAgent Pinterest: MichaelLight YouTube: Miami Luxury Homes
Miami Luxury Homes is Pleased to Welcome Rafael Montejo Posted on July 30, 2016June 25, 2021 by Michael Light Miami Luxury Homes is pleased to announce that seasoned real estate professional Rafael Montejo has joined its top-producing luxury real estate team. “Known for his people skills, transparency and marketing skills, Rafael brings a great new energy, perspective and unique skill set for marketing our listings to our luxury brand,” said Michael Light, founder and owner of the Miami Luxury Homes team at Douglas Elliman. “He is an extraordinary addition to our team, and we are so excited to have him on board.” Born and raised in Miami, Florida, Rafael Montejo has extensive knowledge of the various neighborhoods, luxury condominiums and lavish estates that have made Miami one of the most desirable places to live in the world. Rafael has always been a strong believer of centering his career on honesty, integrity and transparency to hold himself to the highest possible standard of professionalism for his clients. Rafael is dedicated to providing his clients with the highest level of service by facilitating their dreams of buying or selling their home while distinguishing himself as an informative, ethical and trustworthy professional. What sets Rafael apart from other real estate agents in Miami is the respect that he and his clients share for each other and that he understands that being a great real estate agent goes far beyond helping people buy or sell homes. It is about listening to the unique needs of each and every client and combining those specific needs with his real estate expertise and his ambition to empower his clients to make the best decision for themselves. Rafael demonstrates the definition of a great client-agent relationship by holding his clients hands from start to finish. Further, he discusses and defines expectations with each and every one of his clients followed by fully explaining the entire buying and/or selling process from initial contract to the closing table. Most importantly, Rafael combines his real estate and marketing skills and ambitious and honest nature to ensure his client’s overall satisfaction. Prior to launching his thriving career in real estate, Rafael enjoyed a lucrative career in marketing where he gained invaluable knowledge that would directly help him to become successful in real estate. His knowledge in marketing gives his clients an expertise in selling their homes that other agents cannot offer. Born and raised in Miami, Rafael has spent most of his life immersed in an array of cultures and languages. Having lived and visited some of the most vibrant cities around the world, Rafael appreciates the diversity in Miami and understands how to communicate and relate with people from all over the world. Rafael is fluent in English and Spanish and efficient in Portuguese. Rafael currently resides in Coconut Grove with his wife of eight years and their three dogs, and he enjoys giving back to the community by working to help protect animal rights.