Eastern Shores · North Miami Beach
Selling a waterfront home in Eastern Shores
In a gated neighborhood of canal-front houses between Maule Lake and the Intracoastal, buyers compare docks, depth and the route to open water before they compare kitchens. Raphael represents sellers here, and sold 3400 NE 165th Street in 2026.
Seller representation · Case study
3400 NE 165th Street
Sold for $3,000,000 · May 2026
Sold for $3,000,000 in May 2026, with Raphael representing the sellers: a house that had never been renovated, sold on its water, its dock and its setting rather than its condition. A modern single-story house built in 1972, marketed with 80 feet of deep-water frontage, an 80-foot dock with a 16,000-pound boat lift, a separate jet ski dock and no fixed bridges to open water. The owners asked Raphael to sell it.
He set out to sell the setting and the life the house could hold, not a list of rooms. The listing film, in which he falls backward into the pool in his suit, went viral: it made people stop, watch to the end and talk about the house.
What sets the price
How Eastern Shores buyers value a house
Waterfront comparables
Most single-family houses here face a canal, so the useful comparables are not the nearest sales but the closest matches on the water: similar frontage, similar position on the canal network, similar dock and a house in similar condition. An average price per square foot across the neighborhood blurs exactly the differences buyers pay for. Raphael builds the valuation from those matched sales, and separates the value of the lot and its water from the value of the house. How waterfront homes are priced.
Canal frontage and boating access
The canals connect to Maule Lake and the Intracoastal Waterway, and boaters usually reach the ocean through Haulover Inlet to the south. For the buyers who pay the most here, the questions come in a fixed order: how many feet of frontage, how long a dock, what size of boat and lift, and how long it takes to reach open water. A listing should answer them before they are asked.
Bridges, depth and open water
Eastern Shores is widely marketed for having no fixed bridges between its canals and the Intracoastal. What matters to a buyer is the route from your dock, for their boat: the clearance on that route, the depth at your dock and along the canal at low tide. Depths vary from one canal segment to another. Serious boat owners will check them, often with a marine survey, so a seller is better placed with the facts in hand than with a general claim.
Seawall and dock
Buyers and their inspectors look closely at the seawall and cap, the dock structure, the lift and its capacity, and the permits behind them. Repairs on the water are costly and require permits, so uncertainty there is usually priced in at the buyer's estimate, not the seller's. Gathering the survey, dock and lift specifications, permit history and the elevation certificate before listing removes that discount.
Condition, renovation and marketing
Many houses in the neighborhood date from the 1970s, and their condition ranges from original to fully rebuilt. Whether to renovate before selling depends on what the most likely buyer intends: to move in, to renovate, or to build new. When the water and the lot carry the value, the right presentation can sell a house that still needs work on what it offers rather than on what it lacks.
Seller representation
How Raphael sells on the water.
A written valuation
Matched waterfront comparables, the value of the lot and its water, and the house as it stands, with a recommended price and the reasoning behind it.
The documents buyers ask for
Survey, elevation certificate, dock and lift specifications, seawall information and permits, assembled before the first showing.
Preparation
What to repair, what to stage and what to leave, decided against the most likely buyer rather than a checklist.
Film and photography
The frontage, the dock and the route to open water shown from the water and from the air, as well as the rooms.
Qualified buyers
Corcoran's reach and Raphael's network in New York and Miami, with showings arranged through the gate and around your schedule.
Negotiation and closing
Offers compared on terms as well as price, then inspections, any marine survey, insurance and closing coordinated to the end.
The neighborhood
Eastern Shores at a glance
- LocationNorth Miami Beach, off NE 163rd Street, between Maule Lake and the Intracoastal
- AccessGated entrance
- HomesSingle-family houses on the canals; townhouses and condominiums on the eastern side
- NearbySunny Isles Beach, Aventura, Oleta River State Park
Nearby waterfront sales by Raphael: Sans Souci (seller) and Keystone Island (buyer). See also Raphael's Miami practice and Aventura.
Neighborhood descriptions are general. Frontage, depth, bridge clearance, flood zone and permits must be confirmed for each property.
Private consultation
Start with your address.
Share the address, the frontage and dock if you know them, the condition of the house and your timing. Raphael replies personally with a view on value and how he would bring the house to market, in English or in French.