0 Cleanest Cities in the US: Many are in Florida

cleanest cities If living in one of the cleanest cities in the US is important to you, look no further than Florida. Besides the great weather and endless opportunities, now the Sunshine State ranks high for cleanliness. This means Floridian cities are less likely to be impacted by negative environmental impact.

RealtyTrac conducted the second annual Manmade Environmental Hazards Housing Risk Report. Most of Florida fell into their very low, low, or medium category for risk. The report looks at manmade environmental qualities such as air quality, superfund sites, polluters, brownfields and former drug labs to decide the amount of risk in the area. They analyzed 7,751 zip codes for the report. None in Florida were found as very high risk. More than half of the state fell into low or very low categories. Check out a map of showing county-by-county levels of environmental hazard here.

Often, cities and surrounding metro areas fall into higher risk categories. However, some of the cleanest cities are clearly in Florida. Not a single metro area in Florida fell into RealtyTrac’s “Dirty Dozen” top list of cities with large environmental hazards.

Besides being unpleasant to live in a place that is unclean and at risk for environmental hazard, it is not healthy. Cities offer great opportunities for employment, culture and more, and it’s even better when they are clean, like Miami.

“Miami is a 21st century city, with most of our development post World War II, with no real environmental baggage from the past,” says Mike Pappas, CEO and president of the Keyes Company, covering the South Florida market, where only 3 percent of zip codes were rated very-high or high risk for manmade environmental hazards. “We have clean air, blue skies, clean water and clean industry.”

If you want to live in an international, culturally rich city with beautiful weather and beaches, look no further than Miami, one of the cleanest cities you can find! Check out RE/MAX Paradise’s amazing properties to buy or rent in the Miami area today.

0 Should You Use a Real Estate Agent?

should you use a real estate agent

Real estate agents are increasingly popular.

If you are considering buying or selling your home, building or piece of land, there are many things to consider along the way. Among the first to answer the question, should you use a real estate agent?.

The National Association of Realtors®‘ (NAR) 2015 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers showed that using real estate agents in sales is increasing in popularity. The profile showed that 89 percent of sellers used real estate agents this year, up from 88 percent in 2014. 87 percent of buyers used real estate agents as well.

NAR and other real estate professionals credit a variety of factors to why more people have chosen to use a real estate agent, including the following four:

  1. Supply Shortfalls- Increased demand in real estate means that supply dwindles. By using a real estate agent, buyers are more likely to get an inside scoop about homes that are new to the market and get access to them quickly.
  2. Data Overload- There is a lot of information out there about real estate. Real estate agents, like those at RE/MAX Paradise are well-informed about what is accurate and important to know when you buy or sell a house.
  3. Complex Steps- The steps and actions that go into buying and selling real estate are complex and contracts can be lengthy. Real estate agents are better equipped than most to handle the process.
  4. Earlier Connections-  In today’s internet world, many consumers have been quickly connected to real estate agents through online ads and real estate websites.  “The portals are good at one thing – using that data to keep consumers searching,” says Houston agent Sarah Schnell Jones. “When people are ready to move from searching to actually finding a home, they need an agent to provide insight – insight into the market, neighborhoods and the overall process.”

At RE/MAX Paradise, we offer the most well-informed and effective agents to help you buy or sell your home in the Miami area. Contact us today and see exactly why you should use a real estate agent.