Relocating from Silicon Valley to West Palm Beach: which building fits?

Four West Palm Beach buildings answer this move differently. Olara is the largest, 275 homes of two to four bedrooms plus den on the Intracoastal at 1919 North Flagler Drive, with a private marina and more than 80,000 square feet of amenity, delivering in phases from late 2026 through 2028. South Flagler House is the Robert A.M. Stern pair of towers on 3.4 acres at 1355 South Flagler Drive, delivering March 2027. Alba Palm Beach is finished, 55 homes completed June 2026 with only final developer inventory left. Banyan Tree Residences is the 88 home OMA tower downtown at 400 Hibiscus Street, with no published completion date. None publishes an entry price. The household reads them on three things: when the home exists, what the first year costs as documents, and whether the building can hold an office.

The same five axes, from the developers' published material only.

Olara. Price point: released on request. Delivery: phased, late 2026 through 2028; construction at floor 15 as of August 2026. Unit mix: 275 residences of two to four bedrooms plus den across 26 storeys, two assigned full sized parking spaces with EV capability per home, twelve guest suites. Position: 1919 North Flagler Drive on the Intracoastal, Currie Park and the NORA District walkable per the developer. Operator or brand: no hotel brand; Savanna as developer, a 24 hour doorman, valet and security, a resident manager and concierge, a recovery spa managed by Arch Amenities and a 24/7 medical concierge by Sollis Health.

South Flagler House. Price point: released on request. Delivery: topped out November 2025, delivery March 2027, reported on track. Unit mix: two towers, Park Tower and Lake Tower, 28 storeys; the Park Residences on floors 1 to 3 run one and two bedrooms of about 1,800 to 3,000 square feet interior, with private gardens on the first floor; about 80 percent sold. Position: 1355 South Flagler Drive, 3.4 acres facing the Intracoastal, Palm Beach Island and Worth Avenue. Operator or brand: Related Ross; no hotel; business centre and private offices in the amenity.

Alba Palm Beach. Price point: released on request. Delivery: completed June 2026, immediate occupancy, very limited final developer inventory. Unit mix: 55 homes, two to four bedroom condominiums plus two and three storey townhomes, 1,778 to more than 4,500 square feet, private elevators and vestibules. Position: 4714 North Flagler Drive on the west bank of the Intracoastal, no fixed bridges to the Atlantic, direct east views of Palm Beach Island. Operator or brand: BGI Companies with Blue Road; no brand; a private dock with boat slip access for owners.

Banyan Tree Residences. Price point: released on request. Delivery: pre-construction, no completion date in the filed materials. Unit mix: 88 residences plus a penthouse collection, one to four bedroom corner homes with wraparound terraces and 10 foot ceilings, direct elevator entry in most. Position: 400 Hibiscus Street, downtown, moments from the Intracoastal, near Worth Avenue, CityPlace and Royal Poinciana Plaza. Operator or brand: Banyan Tree, with a dedicated 24 hour host and owners joining The Sanctuary Club across more than 100 Banyan Group properties.

Edgeworth, Related Ross's next address at 1155 South Flagler Drive, takes fully refundable reservations ahead of a 2027 construction start, with closings anticipated in the second quarter of 2030: a position to hold, not a home to move into. Read Olara's floor plans and unit mix and Edgeworth: reservation or contract.

A household used to a house and no association wants the first year as documents, not estimates. There are five. The developer's estimated operating budget in the condominium documents, which states the assessment for the home's share and names what it covers. The declaration's capital contribution at closing, usually expressed as a number of months of the assessment. The purchase agreement's closing cost clause, which lists every line the developer may pass on. The property tax, which resets to the price in the first full year after the sale and is prorated in the closing year by the contract's formula. And the insurance: the association's master policy certificate and the owner's own policy for the interior, contents and loss assessment. Read how to read the developer's estimated budget, why property tax resets when you buy and the association budget at Olara line by line.

The second question is what sits outside the assessment. Olara publishes a recovery spa managed by Arch Amenities and a 24/7 medical concierge by Sollis Health; the budget says whether those are a shared cost or a membership billed to the owner who uses them. Banyan Tree publishes The Sanctuary Club and a 24 hour host; the club terms say what an owner pays to keep them. Alba publishes a private dock with boat slip access; the declaration says whether a slip is deeded, assigned or leased. The desk reads each budget beside each amenity list and marks the optional lines.

Three questions, all for counsel. The first is domicile: Florida has no state income tax and California does, and California tests a move on facts, the days, the home, the family, the business, the licences and the paper. Read moving from California to Miami: domicile and does buying a Miami condo make you a Florida resident. The second is the homestead: a primary residence in Florida can be declared by March 1 of the year after the move, and the deed name decides who declares it. Read homestead at Olara. The third is the money's path: stock sold or borrowed against lands in a California account before it moves to a Florida escrow, and the closing agent asks where it came from. Read buying a Miami condo after a liquidity event, buying without selling your shares and source of funds documentation.

Yes in all four, with different papers. South Flagler House publishes a business centre and private offices in the amenity, a second desk outside the home. Olara publishes its homes as two to four bedrooms plus den; the plan of your line shows whether the den closes. Banyan Tree's corner homes publish 10 foot ceilings and floor to ceiling impact glass. Alba's townhomes give the office its own floor. The bulk internet agreement, the second carrier in the riser and the cell signal above the tenth floor are the building's answers, not the brochure's. Read working from home at Olara, working from home at South Flagler House and working from home at Alba.

Olara suits the household that wants a building run by staff, a boat below and a restaurant downstairs, and can wait for its phase. You give up intimacy and take a resort's budget. Read the Olara dossier.

South Flagler House suits the household that wants architecture built to read as permanent, a private office downstairs and a March 2027 date. You give up the larger homes to the towers' upper floors and take a building that is 80 percent sold. Read the South Flagler House dossier.

Alba suits the household that needs the home this school year. You give up choice, since what remains is the developer's final inventory. Read the Alba dossier and which new West Palm Beach condo can you move into first.

Banyan Tree suits the household that wants downtown on foot and a hospitality brand's manners in a small building. You give up a published completion date. Read the Banyan Tree dossier.

Relocating from New York to West Palm Beach runs the same move from the other coast. The desk reads the five first-year documents with the household before the reservation.