Liz Hogan is a Realtor with EWM Realty in Coral Gables.

Every week, we ask a Miami real estate professional for their thoughts on the top three stories from the week before.

This week, we talked with Liz Hogan, a Realtor with EWM Realty in Coral Gables who, in addition to being consistently ranked as one of the top-performing agents corporate-wide for EWM, specializes in residential properties ranging from first-time homebuyers, to luxury custom estates, to commercial properties and leases. She also services Fortune 500 companies, private equity funds, family corporate offices and private businesses handling their housing and relocation needs. 

For 2011, Liz completed 63 transactions with an average sales price of $1,185,000, and for 2012, she completed 45 transactions with an average sales price of $1,385,000.

Miami Agent (MA): Our most recent Inside Edition took a look at Miami’s mortgage markets. Do you find that credit is still tough to come by for some buyers, or have lending standards loosened somewhat?

Liz Hogan (LH): I think the mortgage market has definitely loosened, but that said, it remains a tough environment. My customers who purchased during the height of the market, and are now trying to borrow again for a new home, are shocked at the amount of paperwork required, the thoroughness of details needed for the bank and the time needed for various reviews, especially  appraisals. Low appraisals are a major issue. And, it has become worse now that the market has become so heated; the appraisers are not keeping up with momentum.

MA: Miami ranks among the busiest housing markets in the U.S. What do you think is behind the surging homebuyer demand for homes in Miami?

LH: Most people realize we are the gateway to Latin America, but what most people don’t know is that we are truly an international city attracting buyers from all over the world. This international demand, chasing relatively low prices, has definitely contributed to the activity. Also, a lot of local residents sat on the sidelines for quite a while waiting for certainty that the market was on an upswing, and are now looking to get back in before interest rates rise further.

Another factor is there wasn’t a new supply of inventory created over the past five to seven years, and therefore, we really do have a shortage of quality properties.

MA: Finally, our coverage of syndication sites always generates interest from our readers; do you use any of the big three sites (Zillow, Trulia, Realtor.com) for your business, or do you find other methods of online marketing more effective?

LH: My brokerage company has partnerships with all of those sites, so my listings are automatically uploaded, which is great. I am fortunate to gather leads from all of them; syndication sites are not a medium you can ignore and be successful.