A Cool Hand in a Hot Market: Spotlight on Miami Agent Dean Bloch
by ELLIMAN INSIDER TEAM
May 2025
It’s a sign of where luxury real estate in Miami is headed that one of the market’s hottest new residential developments isn’t located on the water. It doesn’t feature a beach club or offer access to a private deep-water dock, among other standard amenities that have lured scores of buyers down to South Florida in recent years.
And yet, for Dean Bloch, an award-winning agent for Douglas Elliman, THE WELL Bay Harbor Islands is nothing short of “groundbreaking.”
One of Miami’s top agents since 2006, Bloch is well-versed in marketing ultra-luxury properties in the region’s most coveted locales, including oceanfront developments like Arte Surfside, which he helped to sell out in just eight months. So, he understands what makes THE WELL Bay Harbor Islands such a distinct offering in a market with no shortage of spectacular product. And as the development’s exclusive in-house sales broker, he can draw on his exceptional experience and deep expertise to tell the story of this unique live-work-play community focused on holistic personal health.
Situated in the heart of an intracoastal island town that is conveniently close to Miami’s coastal main drag to the east yet far enough away to be an escape, THE WELL Bay Harbor Islands is a collaboration between the namesake wellness membership community and the South Florida developer Terra. Alongside the boutique collection of 66 condominiums—each with built-in air purification, aromatherapy diffusors, and other wellness features)—are more than 95,000 square feet of office space and over 22,000 square feet of amenities, including a state-of-the-art fitness and wellness center with an immersive Bath House experience, Hyperbaric Oxygen Chambers, and an extensive menu of “east-meets-west” spa services.
“It’s very exciting,” says Bloch, who came to the project after four in-house salespeople departed and quickly in sold two residences directly to clients within just two months.
“There’s so much more awareness of everyday wellness, especially here in Miami," he said, pointing to the functional medicine doctor and soon-to-open organic supermarket on site. "The timing couldn’t be better.”
When it came to launching a career in real estate, however, Bloch’s timing could’ve been a great deal better. A native of New York City who grew up in Israel before attending the University of Miami, he obtained his license shortly before the housing market crashed and dragged the global economy down with it.
“It was definitely a big learning curve,” he recalls. “I learned a lot of things you don’t have to deal with in a healthy market, like getting in touch with the right lenders and asset managers.”
The experience he’s gained and the network of key relationships he’s developed over the years since have enabled Bloch to distinguish himself as a trusted source of expertise and guidance in a market that continues to grow in buyer demand, new product, and new agents getting in the game.
“I know every single developer, every single broker in town; I've been in every single building,” he says. “I know how different developers deliver their product, who over-promises and under-delivers and vice versa, all the different neighborhoods. That knowledge is key.”
Bloch’s deep connections have led to numerous off-market and word-of-mouth deals, including one that resulted in the $13.5-million sale of a waterfront Venetian Islands home to investor Rohan Oza, who has appeared on Shark Tank.
“That literally came from a guy I played padel with in the morning,” he says.
He also credits Douglas Elliman’s network of agents in luxury markets, both across and outside the country, for providing a vital source of connections and referrals.
“The fact that Elliman is in every top market in the country is very important,” says Bloch, noting that he travels to Aspen every year to meet and connect with fellow agents. “It allows me to maintain relationships with the right brokers and stay up to speed with everyone in all the right markets, whether it’s New York, Austin, Dallas, or Malibu.”
Bloch’s capacity to connect with people is evident in the enduring relationships he forges with clients—at least four of whom he’s introduced to their future spouses. It also drives his commitment to philanthropic endeavors, particularly his work with The Innocence Project, which works to free wrongfully convicted and incarcerated individuals. After learning about the organization’s work from the 2017 Netflix series Taped Confessions, Bloch has joined an effort to win the release of a man imprisoned in Washington.
“It looks like he’s probably going to get out in the next year or two, God willing,” he says. “There’s no better feeling than giving help to somebody that you know truly needs it.”
For Bloch, it’s all of a piece with his work as an agent who strives to connect with people in an authentic way—and whose recent engagement has inspired a lot of reflection "on growth and next chapters."
"As an agent, it's important for me to connect with my clients on a personal level, to build a rapport and share my story," he says. “Bottom line—everyone has a story.”
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