Strategy for buying primary residence in south florida

[Daniel K.]

hi, i was wondering if anybody can chime in regarding finding a good deal on a primary residence?

As criteria such as price, neighborhood etc differ for a primary residence as opposed to a investment property, i was wondering if anybody would share their thoughts on strategies to find a "good deal" on a house in a more upscale neighborhood one might actually want to live in? In my particular case, i was looking for a single family residence <$400k in miami neighborhoods such as miami shores, coral gables, morningside, coconut grove etc. it seems like people are listing their houses for almost double than 1 year ago and i dont see alot of houses actually being sold at those prices. These are MLS listed properties. I would be willing to sacrifice some features of my ideal house for value but it doesnt seem to get me anywhere.

Are there any particular strategies i should be looking at for this type of purchase?

Any help is greatly appreciated.

[Elizabeth Colegrove]

My secret to success has been my realtor. We have an amazing one who really knows the area. She was realtor of the year so she has a strong reputation. This has allowed us to be very successful because of this!