Mauricio Umansky’s The Agency Celebrates Opening of Boca Raton Office at Private Faena Reception

Beverly Hills-based brokerage The Agency has picked Boca Raton as its first location in its highly anticipated expansion plan throughout South Florida.

The luxury brokerage celebrated the announcement last week at a private cocktail reception hosted in Faena’s Living Room, where they hit the ground running; contracts were signed and deals were inked on the hotel’s velvet, cheetah-print couches. The celebration followed The Real Deal’s South Florida Real Estate Showcase & Forum where Umansky revealed the finalized location.

The Agency is launching its office at 20 Southeast Third Street in mid-November, according to managing partners Chris Franciosa and Jared Ringel, who are leading the Agency’s expansion in South Florida along with Howard Elfman, the managing broker.

The brokerage was attracted to the “long-term stability” of Boca Raton and its potential for growth. The two-story, 6,700-square-foot office will house the Agency Development Group and the Agency Creates, its creative division.

The Agency plans to expand the business to Broward and Miami Dade, according to managing partners Franciosa and Ringel who joined the Agency from Douglas Elliman and have sold more than $100 million of real estate in their careers. The Agency anticipates about 20 agents joining the Boca office, but Ringel hinted at the possibility of a Miami location already in the pipeline as well.  

In addition to its home base in Beverly Hills, the firm has 25 offices in Brentwood, Calabasas, Danville, Malibu, Noe Valley, Venice, Orange County, Pacific Palisades, Palm Desert, Park City, Scottsdale, Sherman Oaks, Turks and Caicos, Los Cabos, Punta de Mita and elsewhere. 

It will compete with other high-end brokerages in South Florida like One Sotheby’s International Realty, the Keyes Company and Lang Realty.

Mike Pappas, CEO of the Keyes Co., stated that “Just as the L.A. market is very intense and competitive, so now is the South Florida market with all the major players, both local firms and firms outside of this market.”

Article by: Katya Demina

CMC Group Drops Video Tour of A Finished Residence At Brickell Flatiron

Brickell Flatiron, which is the only remaining condo under construction in Brickell, has released a sneak peek of a finished residence showcasing the top-of-the-line materials and finishes hand-picked by developer Ugo Colombo from his native Italy. Hailing from Milan, Ugo is known for his meticulous attention to detail and ability to deliver a bespoke product, whether that means flying in Italian craftsman to lay porcelain tile or importing everything from hardwood doors, marble baths, and terracotta cabinetry from his home country. The interiors are designed by legendary Italian architect, designer and creator Massimo Iosa Ghini of Ferrari and David Bowie fame and the Miami-based Luis Revuelta is responsible for the building’s exterior. Construction crews are aiming to top off the tower in December and will open in mid-2019.

Sales at Brickell Flatiron have been strong as the tower is now 85% sold. In September, a penthouse in the tower sold for a record-breaking $13.2 million, the highest price paid for a condo in the Brickell submarket since 2007. Buyers are coming from major US cities, whereas this time last year, 70% of Brickell Flatiron’s condos were selling to Latin American buyers, whereas today 80% of sales are being inked with local and domestic buyers.

When complete, Brickell Flatiron will stand 736' and will be one of the tallest residential towers in the U.S. Units range from 1 to 5 bedrooms starting at $500,000 and ranging up to $15.5 million for penthouses. Brickell Flatiron's amenities include an 18th floor amenity deck with a resort style pool, 24-hour concierge, billiard and cigar room, wine cellar, valet, electric car charging stations and a 64th-floor rooftop that will feature a Sky Spa, Sky Pool and Sky Gym along with stunning 360 views of Biscayne Bay, Brickell, Downtown Miami, Coral Gables, etc.

For more information about Brickell Flatiron, private showings or purchasing/ leasing information please fill out the form below:

Augmented Reality App Launching in Miami to Help Drive Foot Traffic to Brick and Mortar Businesses

ARVISL Future is a Miami based technology startup founded by Krystal Kunyue Zheng, a recent Florida International University graduate. ARVISL Future is based at CIC Miami, the hub of South Florida's startup and technology scene.

This November, ARVISL is launching its first mobile application, SAVR, in Miami. SAVR aims to bring measurable foot traffic to local brick and mortar businesses with technologies like location based service and augmented reality. Zheng describes SAVR as the fusion of Pokemon Go and Groupon.

With location based services, SAVR can reach, measure and engage with local and tourism traffic at any specific location. By combining augmented reality and location based service technology, SAVR also allows businesses to showcase products in real life that are outside of their current geographic location.

Consumers are navigated to a business if they find its AR incentive enticing: complimentary drinks, food or swag items.Zheng has introduced an innovative marketing metric for physical businesses called “cost per traffic™", where brick and mortar businesses will measure how much an individual's foot traffic costs. SAVR provides performanced based service fees to businesses who decide to place AR incentives around the city. Therefore, businesses will only pay for foot traffic brought into their location.

“Instead of driving attention strictly to a web page, we're offering local businesses that aren't able to compete with national online retailers a way to survive in the digital age while maintaining the charm of their physical presence that has such a profound effect on our communities,” said Zheng.

SAVR will welcome Miami users and businesses for a first-hand experience this November. Users can download SAVR on both the iOS App Store and Android Google Play Store and businesses can participate in AR sampling by filing a request on the SAVR website.

Article by: Katya Demina