April 18th, 2017 6:30 PM by Nour Ailan
Related Group has started pre-construction sales of condos at the Auberge Residences & Spa Miami at lower prices than many rival condominium developments. Auberge Miami is a 60-story, 290-unit building that Related plans to build at 1400 Biscayne Boulevard in Miami, near the Adrienne Arsht Performing Arts Center.
It is the initial phase of a three-tower project that would have 1,430 units and 13,280 square feet of retail space. Carlos Rosso, president of Related’s condo division, said the company is selling Auberge Miami units at an average price of $575 per square foot. Many condo developments in downtown Miami are selling at unit prices exceeding $700 per square foot.
“We weren’t planning on launching this job, but we had partners that said, ‘We don’t mind making a little less profit for the lower price. We want to get closer to getting the [construction] loan,” Rosso said. “It was a unique situation.”
He also said the first five days of sales produced 50 unit reservations, and Related needs reservations for 60 percent of the units, or 174 of them, to obtain construction financing and break ground. Related requires a 50 percent deposit to reserve a unit at Auberge Miami, 10 percent initially and the rest in stages as the development advances. Units at Arquitectonica-designed Auberge Miami range in size from 515 square feet to 1,964 square feet.
“Gran Paraiso and SLS LUX are suffering because we are going out at a great price on this project [Auberge Miami]. But we are fine with that because at those other jobs we already have met our pre-sales,” Rosso said. “Now if you sell condos, it has to be at an attractive price.”