Knowing which fairs and auctions to attend, which galleries to patronize and which emerging artists to collect takes not just money but experience and a background in art history as well.

To help negotiate the art world, which can at first blush seem enormous and overwhelming, collectors often employ advisors such as Lisa Austin, a longtime Miami art consultant.

Austin, who has a master's in art history from the University of Miami, works from her home in Miami Beach but spends most of each week on the road, visiting clients and looking for art around the world. ''My office is a BlackBerry and an airline seat,'' she says.

While Austin does advise corporate clients, much of her work involves getting new private collectors up to speed and feeling comfortable in the art world. ''It's really for new and emerging collectors,'' she says of her services. ``How can you go into the Basel art fair without a clue? You don't know what you're looking at. You don't know what the prices should be. It's intimidating.''

The first step with new clients is determining their likes and dislikes. Do they want to focus on minimalism, abstract expressionism or Pop Art? ''When I first meet people, we just talk, and I learn how much they know, where they stand on what art they like,'' she says. ``From there, I bring in lots and lots of images. You want them to love it.''

This means first bringing them a stack of catalogs and poring through the images, determining what the client does and doesn't respond to.

Next, based on first impressions from the catalogs, Austin will take her clients to museums and galleries. ''It looks very different in person,'' she says. ``It's not the same in a catalog or on a screen.''

Until very recently, if clients saw work at an art gallery that they liked, Austin would advise them to buy ''because if you didn't, it wouldn't be there tomorrow.'' But now, with the art market cooling, buyers can afford to be less impulsive. ''Now I might say let's look at other works by the same artist,'' she says.

Once a client selects a work to buy, Austin helps negotiate the sale price. Galleries have been known to take advantage of naive buyers, but because Austin spends her every working hour in the art world, she is typically able to ascertain what is or isn't a fair price. As her fee, Austin takes an additional 10 percent to 20 percent on top of the sale price.

Appraising art is also a part of Austin's work. Collectors often need to know the value of their collections for insurance purposes and tax appraisals. Another function of the advisor is confirming the originality, curriculum and provenance of a piece of art. Authenticity, a history of exhibition and prestigious former owners can all enhance a work's value.

Mostly though, Austin enjoys getting her clients engaged with the art. ''To get excited about the ideas. To get involved in the intellectual part of the art. To be in love with it. That's why you collect,'' she says.

FRAMING MATTERS:

BORDERS CUSTOM FRAMING

While many paintings and photographs come framed to the specifications of the artist, others are handed over to collectors without the necessary framing. When this happens, or if a work simply needs new housing, Miami collectors turn to seasoned professionals such as Steve Meeks, 67, owner of Borders Custom Framing.

Meeks opened Borders Custom 24 years ago in Coral Gables when he saw so many local photographers getting their pictures framed improperly. ''That was the main reason I opened my frame shop,'' he says. ``Every frame shop in Miami was doing the wrong type of framing to preserve the artwork.''

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