For the buyer of an oceanfront home in Bal Harbour or Surfside, new or resale, who wants one folder that answers every question the building, the lender, the insurer or a future buyer will ask.
This page explains. Whether the building suits you is a separate conversation. Contact the desk at Miami Dossier for the current position on any building we cover.
The ownership file is the set of documents that proves what you bought and what you owe. Before signing: the condominium documents, the budget, the reserve study and, in an older building, the milestone inspection report. Before closing: the title commitment, the estoppel certificate, the insurance and any association approval. After closing: the recorded deed, the owner's title policy, the closing statement and the first tax notice. In a small oceanfront building, each of these weighs more, because fewer owners share every cost.
The documents that let you judge the building, not just the home.
The condominium documents. The declaration, the articles, the bylaws, the rules and regulations, and, in a new building, the developer's prospectus. Chapter 718 of the Florida Statutes governs them. Our page on the five sections of the condominium documents shows what each one does.
The budget. The current or proposed annual budget, line by line, and what your share is.
The reserves. The structural integrity reserve study and the reserve schedule. Our page on what a beach building reserve study tells you explains how to read one.
The inspections. In an older building of three stories or more, the milestone inspection report that Florida now requires under section 553.899. Our page on milestone inspections and reserves sets out the rules, which counsel confirms for the building.
The minutes. A year or two of board minutes show what the owners are arguing about before it becomes an assessment.
When you buy from a developer, Florida gives you 15 days after signing and receiving these documents to cancel, under section 718.503. On a resale the rules differ, so read them early, before your offer, not after.
The documents that confirm the deal is clean.
The title commitment, from the title agent, listing what must be cleared before the deed passes to you.
The estoppel certificate from the association, stating what is owed on the unit to the day of closing.
The association approval, where the documents require the board to approve a buyer.
The insurance: the association's master policy declarations, and a quote or binder for your own unit policy, which covers the interior and your liability.
The purchase agreement and every addendum, and, for new construction, the escrow receipts for each deposit you paid.
Our page on documents before closing on a new Miami condo covers the delivery stage of a new building in more detail.
The proof of ownership and the start of the record you will keep.
The recorded deed, once the title agent has recorded it in the county's official records.
The owner's title insurance policy, issued after recording.
The closing statement, showing every cost paid by each side.
The first property tax notices: the TRIM notice each August and the bill that follows in November.
The unit's own records: warranties and manuals for a new home, keys and access devices, and the contacts for the manager, the board and the insurer.
Our page on the first year of owning a Miami condo lists the recurring costs that the file will track.
Because there are fewer owners to share each decision and each cost. The new buildings on our file in this zone are small: Rivage Bal Harbour has about 56 homes over 25 stories on about 2.7 oceanfront acres, and Ocean House Surfside has 25 residences on Collins Avenue. In a building of that size, one special assessment, one insurance renewal or one board vote moves every owner's numbers. Our page on the small building question explains how to read the governance.
In a new building, the developer sets the first budget and controls the board until Florida's turnover rules hand it to the owners. Ask where the building stands on that timeline. For an oceanfront building, also ask for the association's wind and flood coverage; our page on Miami condo insurance explains the layers.
You keep it. Your counsel reads the documents before you sign and the title work before you close. The title agent records the deed and issues the policy. The desk gathers what the developer or the association releases, lays the documents out in the order they matter and flags what to ask counsel, for Rivage, Ocean House or a resale in the same blocks. See the Rivage dossier, whether Ocean House is worth it and the Bal Harbour and Surfside zone page. A buyer still choosing between the ocean and the bay should read Edgewater or Bal Harbour.
Contact the desk at Miami Dossier for the current plans, pricing and availability as the developer releases them, discussed one to one.
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We hold no listings and we are not the developer. Contact the desk at Miami Dossier and we will tell you what applies to your situation, what does not, and where we would not proceed. Where a question is legal, tax or structuring, we introduce you to advisers who handle that properly rather than answering it ourselves.
Samuel Strauch is the owner of Metrik Real Estate. His team of agents represents buyers in Miami pre-construction.
A person replies within 24 hours, usually much sooner. On weekends, back on Monday morning.
