Condo Market Insights - Fort Lauderdale

The Real Carrying Cost: How Florida's HB 913 Made Condo Reserves Honest

Buyers used to fall in love with the "deal." What deal? An ocean‑view condo with surprisingly low monthly dues. But then the letter would arrive: a special assessment large enough to flatten the ROI and the mood. Florida's HB 913 changed that story. By forcing structural‑integrity reserves into every condo budget, the law didn't make condos more expensive. It made the true costs visible. And in today's market, transparency is an asset in its own right.

Why Honest Dues Matter

For years, many associations kept dues artificially low by underfunding long-term capital needs. Roofs aged. Concrete spalled. Mechanical systems limped along. Suddenly, a major repair forced a one-time assessment that blindsided owners. HB 913 compels building associations to…

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Fort Lauderdale Has Grown Up

For decades, Fort Lauderdale lived in Miami's shadow. It was the quiet cousin that's now emerging in its own right. Somewhere between the cranes and catamarans, the city found its stride.

Today's Fort Lauderdale is a global yachting capital and a luxury high‑rise destination in its own right. It has become a living example of what happens when lifestyle and livability finally align.

The High‑Rise Transformation

Drive down Las Olas Boulevard and the transformation is unmistakable. The skyline now tells a new story. Glass towers rise above the marinas. Branded residences from the Four Seasons, Ritz‑Carlton, and St. Regis add a touch of luxury to the waterfront. Developers who once glanced past Fort Lauderdale now view it as South Florida's most…

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Miami Pre-Con: Spotting 24-Month Risks & Protecting Deposits

Some buyers believe “If a Miami pre-con project hasn’t broken ground in two years, it’s doomed.” The truth is more nuanced. A few eventually move forward, but delays dramatically raise risk and shift the burden onto your deposits and timeline. The buyer’s question I hear most often is, “How do I know if my project is real or stalling?” The answer lies in learning to separate slow-but-serious from likely-to-stall, and in structuring your contract so you’re protected either way.

The 3 Signals That Matter Most

Forget renderings. Investigate the machine behind them.

Money in place: A closed, recorded construction loan, signed GC contract, and visible mobilization are green lights. “Lender engaged” or “GC selected” is yellow. No lender named, rising…

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Choosing the Right High-Rise Condo Building

There are so many buildings out there – how do you begin to find the right one?

When you’re starting your high-rise condo search you’ll quickly find that in most cities there are a myriad of buildings that each offer a different lifestyle. How do you decide which one is best for you? Staring with this guide may help.

It's important to consider the needs for each family member (including four-legged ones!) before you start looking.

Once you start looking it’s easy to get drawn in by amenities or features you don’t really need, sometimes at the expense of more practical choices. You also may get burned out looking at too many buildings before you get to the ones that would fit your needs best. So before you and your Realtor start touring take a…

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What Do HOA Dues Cover?

They cover quite a bit, and they may not be much different than what you’d pay in a home over time.

So you’ve decided you’d love to live in a high-rise condo, but those monthly HOA dues might have you scratching your head. What exactly are those dues for? Each high-rise will be a bit different, and the exact coverage can and will vary. If the HOA dues seem high, consider how much you would pay on a single family home to maintain the structure and roof, monitored security, the yard maintenance, pest control and insurance. Then factor in utilities, trash water, etc. and what it would cost to join a gym and have access to a pool. You might find the monthly cost isn’t that much more than you’d pay for a comparably-priced single family home.

Let’s…

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What Does LEED Certification Mean?

LEED is about leadership in green thinking — it’s intended to make buildings more efficient and better for the environment. You’ve probably seen a LEED certification on a building before, or perhaps you’ve seen it advertised in a new condo building that you are considering buying into. You probably already know that LEED means green.

However, as you might expect, it’s a little more complex than that. Below, you’ll find a quick condo-focused guide to the points that LEED considers, the process of reviewing projects and the various levels of certifications available.

An Introduction to Green Buildings

The USGBC is currently on LEED 5., and the program has expanded to cover various different types of developments. There are nine major categories…

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