In 2020, Clara Homes made waves in the industry with their spec homes, selling three in Miami above market value, totaling over $50 million within months of listing. Buoyed by this success, Clara Homes embarked on four more waterfront homes, anticipated to be valued at over $175 million. Presently, they have three waterfront spec homes and three custom homes in the works. Clara Homes recently entered Miami’s luxury multifamily market, securing approval in April 2022 for Clara Bay Harbor, a 150-unit, three-building rental development in Bay Harbor. This project will introduce the only newly managed, New York-style apartment buildings in Miami Beach, with the first phase slated for completion in 2023.

James Curnin is the  CEO and founder of Clara Homes, a Miami-based real estate firm that seamlessly integrates residential and commercial development, operations management, and custom home expertise. He has pursued ground-up new construction opportunities in high-end markets across Los Angeles and Miami, and specializes in the development of luxury spec homes, multifamily assets and workforce rental communities.

In Miami, James seeks to fill the city’s much needed niche for reliable, quality and innovative work. To date, he has acquired seven waterfront properties, totaling $200 million in assets. Four of these spec homes have completed and sold for above market rate, and the other three are in still in the preliminary stages of construction. James has also started taking on custom home projects with private owners as demand for turnkey residences surges.

In addition to developing spec homes, James is reinventing luxury apartment living in Bay Harbor with a new, three-building rental project called Clara Bay Harbor. The 150-unit new development will complete in three phases. James eagerly continues to pursue active opportunities in the South Florida multifamily and single-family home markets.

Steeped in a rich real estate legacy as the great-grandson of the esteemed New York City developer, Jack Parker, James has had extensive experience in real estate from the age of 14. He contributed to the development and operations of major tri-state area projects, including Parker Meridian Hotels, Parker Towers, and Parker Plaza and spent five years working on various JPC NYC assets and acquisitions. Among his notable achievements was the on-site leasing management of Truffles Tribeca, a 291-unit rental building, and the oversight of the JPC NYC portfolio, involving a comprehensive gut renovation and the marketing and sale of the remaining 300 sponsor units, amounting to roughly $150 million in assets.

James graduated with a degree in entrepreneurship from the University of Miami in 2008.