The Sofi Group - the extraordinary in real estate

Downtown always seems to conjure dirty, gritty, a more under the radar kind of cool. But Miami's downtown has just emerged from the throws of a glam makeover, thanks to a multi-billion clean-up, designer condos sprouting up as regularly as the sun, luxury loft living, a new generation of upscale hotels, the International Miami Film Festival, a financial district that rivals Wall Street, and one of the largest ports in the world. While the area isn't fully cleaned up yet, it is just a matter of time (give it five to seven years), so buying into it now may well prove to be a good investment later. The future of downtown is certainly bright.

The heart of a booming, multi-cultural metropolis, downtown Miami evokes the City's status as the gateway to Latin America. Modern skyscrapers race for the clouds, and form a stunning backdrop to the azure waters of Biscayne Bay. The futuristic Metromover is an elevated monorail that quietly glides between key points of interest. The City's Latin flavor is everywhere, from the street vendors selling arepas to countless Cuban coffees stands to shops that advertise their wares in Spanish.

With the construction of One Miami Center (a Related project), the first new condo in eighteen years downtown, developers started looking at the two and a half square-mile area, bordering Biscayne Bay and the Miami River, as the new frontier and the savvy, well-heeled, upwardly mobile are getting in now, expecting their property values to soar in years to come.

Two other Related properties, 500 Biscayne and Loft Downtown, are getting lots of buzz. 500 Biscayne is the first building in all of Miami to utilize I.R.I.S. (Intuitive Resident Information System), a tech-savvy set up that integrates the building services with a laptop). Plus, the building has a wine cellar, billiards, spa, gym, and 20-seat movie theater. Loft Downtown is just that - gorgeous, modern lofts that have a Zen feel (even the lobby is designed in a feng shui corrent fashion), aroma therapy steam room and lava rock sauna in the spa, a tea garden and juice bar, and energy-efficient sliding glass doors and windows in all apartments. Other buildings to note: 900 Biscayne, Met 3, and Freedom Square, a Mediterranean-style structure that was formerly the Cuban Refugee Center. Within the next five years, there will be over 16,000 new residential units.

Commercial high rises are going up right and left, breeding new business life into the neighborhood. The Performing Arts Center is under construction. Once empty sidewalks will be buzzing with retail stores in no time. Developers are even expanding the sidewalk width (making way for outdoor cafes and walkways galore). And restaurants like Les Halles of New York fame are making the area even more delicious. Little Havana is around the corner and late night lounge lizards live at Pawn Shop, where the VIP room is - get this - in a school bus.

Downtown has never been so uptown.