About Esslinger-Wooten-Maxwell (EWM) Founded in 1964, Esslinger-Wooten-Maxwell (EWM) is one of the largest real estate firms in America, with an annual sales volume in 2003 of $2.2 billion. The full-service firm has 850 associates and staff, throughout 12 offices in Miami-Dade and Broward Counties, located in Coral Gables, Coconut Grove, Ponce de Leon, South Miami, Pinecrest/ Palmetto Bay, Miami Beach, Key Biscayne, Brickell, Plantation, Weston Road, Weston Town Center and Las Olas. They offer residential and commercial real estate services, corporate relocation and international services, as well as home mortgage, title closing services, and property insurance through their subsidiary companies, Embassy Financial Services, Inc., Columbia Title of Florida, Inc., and First Reserve Insurance, Inc. EWM is the exclusive Miami-Dade and Broward County affiliate for Christie's Great Estates, a subsidiary of Christie's International PLC, the London-based art auction company founded in 1766, and the largest network of luxury independent real estate firms in the world. With over 600 offices and approximately 14,000 real estate agents in 17 countries, the affiliate members of Christie's Great Estates market the finest homes around the globe. As one of the principal owners of the RELO® Network, EWM is a member of the nation's largest real estate referral group, comprising over 700 real estate firms across North America. Through joint alliances with their member firms, these affiliated real estate companies provide home buying and selling services to families and individuals relocating all across the continent. EWM is a wholly owned subsidiary of HomeServices of America, Inc., a Berkshire Hathaway affiliate. HomeServices is the second largest residential real estate brokerage firm, and the largest settlement services provider, in the United States. Through its affiliation with HomeServices of America, EWM is part of a real estate family of 17,000 sales associates spanning across 16 states, with an annual sales volume approaching $50 billion.For additional information, visit www.ewm.com.
MIAMI, FL February 12, 2004 - Audrey Ross, Senior Vice President of Esslinger-Wooten-Maxwell (EWM) Realtors ® and one of the nation's top realtors, ushered in a new threshold of residential real estate values in Miami-Dade with the $20.6 million sale of One Arvida Parkway, a 12,641 square foot, waterfront home in the nationally acclaimed Gables Estates. The sale eclipses the $20 million barrier on a single-family home for the first time in Miami-Dade, surpassing the $19 million sale of slain fashion designer Gianni Versace's Casa Casuarina mansion on South Beach, and the $16 million sale of Sylvester Stallone's home on Brickell Avenue. "Audrey's accomplishments are nothing short of remarkable," says EWM President Ron Shuffield. "She is not only one of the nation's highest producing realtors, but she continues to almost single-handedly raise the bar on home values." The 5.5-acre estate was originally constructed in 1972 by Knoll Furniture founder Florence Knoll-Bassett and her husband, Harry Hood Bassett, who was then board Chairman of the now-defunct Southeast Bank. The home has five bedrooms and 6 ½ baths, sits on its own cove, and is arguably Miami-Dade's most prestigious address. "There is no property like One Arvida," adds Ross. "It is truly one-of-a-kind, and, like any rare jewel, the price reflects the value." Ross, who within the last 24 months was the number one ranked realtor south of New York, and 13th nationally by the National Association of Realtors, with $123 million in sales, is well on pace to surpass that total, with more than $60 million in closed transactions during January, 2004 alone. "I've no doubt that at this rate Audrey will surpass her prior record sales total, and more than likely be one of the top ten realtors in all of the United States. To put this accomplishment in perspective, it is important to note that the National Association of Realtors has more than 800,000 members. To be within the top ten of that group is a life-time achievement," concludes Shuffield.