5 Questions Every Florida Homebuyer Should Ask Before Making an Offer

Most people have been to Miami Beach and experienced Miami Beach. It is one thing to come visit. It is another thing to live here. Property taxes are a bit higher. Once you live on the beach, once you live in any area, you get used to it. Most people who move down here are used to it because they have come down so often.

Even the people from New York who were buying properties online without seeing them during COVID were very familiar. Miami Beach is a very easy city to become familiar with quickly. People say, how do you raise kids in Miami, how do you raise kids on the beach? It is like you do everywhere else. There are normal schools here. There are great schools on the beach.

You are at the beach. It is a flood zone. You have to realize that you are carrying flood insurance, especially if you have a place within a certain distance of the water. But I do not think it is a hard sell by any means.

First-time buyers are understandably excited, but their wish list is often unrealistic for their budget. If you have five hundred thousand dollars and want everything, it is not going to happen. You have to decide which things matter most.

For older people, the blind spot is that they fall in love with a property that is two stories or three stories. If you buy a townhouse, it could be three stories. They want to see it because it looks so great. If it has an elevator, great, but a lot of them do not have an elevator. You cannot always put one in because you need significant space. If they fall in love with a two-story place and they are sixty or sixty-five and have just had knee surgery, you have to let them know they might have an issue with the steps.

Get that out to them when you first meet them, or after the first showing. You do not want to waste their time or your time by showing places they should not be buying.

Right now in Miami, for a three-bedroom, two-bath that you do not have to do any work on, and I am not talking about the beach, it is going to be in the sevens or eights. Way west. Everglades. With the alligators.

Those are the tradeoffs I want a buyer to see before an offer, not after the inspection or at the closing table. The right questions turn a beautiful listing into a property you can evaluate.

1. What will this home really cost every month?

Ask for a property-specific estimate that includes principal and interest, current property taxes, homeowners insurance, flood insurance where applicable, mortgage insurance where applicable, and association dues. Then add a maintenance reserve.

Do not use the seller’s current tax bill or insurance payment as your final answer. Ownership changes, exemptions, coverage, claims history, building condition, and the buyer’s own policy can change those numbers. Get a current insurance quote while the contract still gives you time to evaluate it.

2. What does the condition require after closing?

When somebody owns a house and has been there twenty-five years, and they have done nothing in twenty-five years, you are selling as is. It is a gut job, unless somebody has the same exact taste that you had twenty-five years ago.

When you own a house, if you are buying something with the intent of not staying there forever, try to keep it in mind, but be happy. In your color choices, do what you want to do. In your kitchen or whatever, you can stick with the white cabinets, and you do your backsplash. Do what you want to do to be happy.

When you are getting ready to show your place, make sure everything is minimal. Clean your counters up. Do not be stacking your appliances. We do not need to see every appliance that you own on top of your cupboard, because it is too confusing. Hide everything. Put it in storage, whatever, but anything you do not need, keep it clean. When somebody comes in and sees clutter, the buyer gets turned off.

If something is visibly broken, or there is a crack in the wall, before I take a listing I personally go through the place and say, okay, this needs to be fixed, this needs to be addressed. Let us get a handyman in here. It is worth it. You want to sell and there are things here that are jumping out. As a realtor, you have to give your client advice.

Look at handles that are loose on your cupboards or a refrigerator, just simple things that your eye catches. If there is a broken chair, or a shower that is disgustingly dirty, or your bathtub is dirty, walk through every room. Write down everything that should be addressed and either hire somebody to address it, a housekeeper or handyman or whatever. I do not care if you are paying three to five hundred dollars. In the long run, you are going to get your price.

Buying a fixer-upper today is much harder than it was even ten years ago, especially in South Florida. If a kitchen once took eight to twelve weeks, expect roughly twice that—and sometimes longer.

As far as a buyer, know that. If you go into some place that is a good price, and of course it is reflected because it needs work, make sure you take all that into consideration with your funds, with your budget, and get prices. Before you sign on the dotted line, I would bring in a GC and say, what is this going to cost?

Buyers are already buying high. They are paying high interest rates, plus your taxes, and then you are going to be paying triple of maybe what you thought you were going to do to fix it up. You need to be more educated as a buyer. If you are going and paying top dollar for something totally done, what you see is what you are going to get.

Look beyond cleanliness to the roof, air conditioning, electrical system, plumbing, windows, moisture, appliances, and any work an inspector recommends. If renovation is part of the plan, bring in the right contractor and obtain a realistic range before the decision becomes emotional.

A repair is not only a price. It may also mean permits, material delays, building approval, temporary housing, and months of living around work.

3. What am I buying from the association as well as the owner?

Number one, you should never have the seller there for a showing. You do not want people to ask the seller anything. As a realtor, you better know everything about that property. Especially in condos, which we deal with a lot in Miami and Miami Beach, you better know everything to do with that association.

If the seller is not there and you have access on your own, I have actually cleaned apartments before the clients have shown up. Clothes were lying around. You cannot do that. They will say it was short notice, but now they should need twenty-four-hour notice. If a client comes into town and says, I am here for a few more hours, that is an exception. You show it. But you get there a little early because you want to make sure it is showable.

As a buyer, no one wants to walk in and think, if this is what it looks like now, what else am I going to find? If everything looks sparkling clean and organized, you think, well, they take good care of this place. The air should be cool. Do not go into an oven.

In the old days they used to say, if you are showing a place, put some cinnamon in the oven. Cinnamon is a very relaxing smell. You can throw in some apples and cinnamon. It smells like somebody is making a pie.

For a condominium or homeowners association, review the governing documents, budget, reserves, insurance information, rules, rental restrictions, pet restrictions, recent meeting information made available to buyers, and current or planned assessments.

Ask whether the building has projects underway and how they are funded. Confirm the application process, fees, interview requirements, move-in rules, elevator reservations, and expected approval timeline. The unit can be lovely while the building creates a cost or restriction the buyer cannot accept.

4. Why is the seller moving, and how long has the property been available?

The answer may explain the seller’s priorities, but verify what can be verified. Review the listing history, price changes, comparable sales, and whether an earlier contract failed. Ask what the seller values besides price: timing, certainty, a leaseback, fewer contingencies, or a particular closing date.

Days on market do not automatically mean a problem. They are a reason to ask better questions.

5. What stays, what goes, and what must the contract say?

Do not rely on what appears in photographs. Clarify appliances, fixtures, window treatments, lighting, wall-mounted televisions, smart-home equipment, furniture, storage units, parking rights, and anything the seller plans to remove.

If an item matters, identify it in the offer. The same rule applies to requested repairs, credits, closing dates, and contingencies. A spoken understanding is not a substitute for clear contract language.

One final question: would this property work on an ordinary Tuesday?

Imagine the stairs, parking, groceries, pets, work calls, guests, school run, commute, laundry, noise, light, and storage. A showing is a special event. Ownership is mostly ordinary days.

Take notes after each property. If you see several homes or condos in one day, they will blur together. Write down the numbers and the one thing you cannot stop thinking about—good or bad.

I feel you have got to like people. You have got to like to really get involved in what they need, what they want, and what they can afford. I like that. It is kind of like a puzzle, and you have got to put the pieces together.

There are going to be nice people, great people that you want to stay friends with, and then there are going to be the tough ones that you just cannot wait until the day of closing. But that does not really happen that often.

An offer should feel informed, not rushed. You may still be nervous; that is normal. But you should know the monthly number, the condition, the association, the important contract terms, and whether the home works for the life you actually live.

If you are looking in South Florida, tell me what you are considering before you write the offer. I will help you identify the questions that belong to that specific property.