What should you verify before buying an oceanfront condo in Mid-Beach?

Verify six things on paper before you sign: what "oceanfront" means at the address, what part of the sand is yours to use, what the home will cost to insure, what the first association budget pays for, when the building will deliver, and who runs the services you are paying for. The Perigon, From $12,500,000, is the clearest Mid-Beach case on our file: about 73 homes at 5333 Collins Avenue, with about 200 linear feet of shoreline and a resident-only restaurant. Its delivery date is not in the material we hold, so that is the first question.

It should mean the building sits on the ocean side of Collins Avenue with nothing between it and the beach. At The Perigon, the developer describes 5333 Collins Avenue as between the Atlantic and Biscayne Bay, with about 200 linear feet of shoreline. Our file describes it as the widest stretch of sand in Miami Beach, roughly equidistant from Bal Harbour and South Beach.

Then check the line, not just the building. Ask for the plan of the home you are offered, mark which rooms face the ocean, and ask how the diamond shaped tiers that step toward the water affect the terrace above and below you. Our page on oceanfront vs ocean view explains the vocabulary, and our note on where The Perigon sits maps the site.

Less than many buyers assume. In Florida the wet sand seaward of the mean high water line is generally public, and some beaches carry a fixed line set during renourishment. A building's shoreline footage tells you how much frontage it has, not how much sand is private. Ask counsel what the survey shows and what the declaration grants residents. Our page on what private beach access means in Florida sets out the general rules.

The comparison is useful. Rivage Bal Harbour, From $14,100,000, describes about 200 linear feet of private shoreline on about 2.7 acres; Ocean House Surfside sits on the ocean with 25 homes. Each wording deserves the same question.

Two separate lines. The association insures the building and passes the cost to owners through the budget; you insure the interior of your home and your liability. On the ocean, wind and flood drive both. Ask for the flood zone of the site, the association's proposed coverage, and a quote for your own policy before the 15 day cancellation window under section 718.503 of the Florida Statutes closes. Our page on Miami Beach flood maps and insurance explains what to ask.

The budget is the other half. In a new building the developer sets the first budget. The Perigon lists a resident-only oceanfront restaurant and speakeasy, a breakfast room, a wine room, a spa with treatment rooms and a beachfront pool with cabanas. Ask which of these the association pays for every month, which are billed by use, and what reserves the budget sets aside.

The delivery date. Neither The Perigon nor Rivage nor Ocean House has a date in the material on our file. Ask for the construction schedule in writing and read the outside completion date in the purchase agreement; our page on delivery timelines and how they slip explains what moves them.

Also ask for the deposit schedule and where deposits are held. Florida requires deposits up to 10 percent of the price to stay in escrow under section 718.202; above that, the contract may let the developer use them for construction. Our note on The Perigon's deposit schedule sets out what to request.

At The Perigon, the developers are Starwood Capital Group and Mast Capital; OMA designed it, its first residential building in Miami Beach, with interiors by Tara Bernerd & Partners. Douglas Elliman Development Marketing handles sales. There is no hotel brand on the file, so ask who will run the restaurant and the daily service, and under which contract. Ask for the management agreement and the restaurant's operating terms.

Rivage, by Related Group and Two Roads Development, lists private marina services and house cars. Ocean House lists staff quarters, a private garage for six cars and 24 hour valet. Each building's service lives in its documents, not its brochure. Our note on The Perigon or Rivage compares the two side by side, and the Mid-Beach zone page explains why many South Beach shoppers finish here.

The desk gathers these documents for the line you are offered and reads them with you, in this order, before the deposit. See the Perigon dossier, whether it is worth it, and for a seasonal owner, living part-time on the beach.