Notes on Miami condo financing.
An editorial archive of buyer briefs, investor strategy, building watch, and market notes — written for buyers, Realtors, investors, foreign nationals, and jumbo borrowers.
June 2026 Outlook: The International Buyer's Summer
Currency, capital controls, and the buying patterns shaping the rest of the year.
Mid-Year 2026: The State of Miami Condo Financing
Six months into a recalibrating market, the data points worth tracking.
Brickell vs Edgewater: A June 2026 Financing Comparison
Two adjacent submarkets with different warrantability and pricing dynamics.
- Investors· June 3, 2026
DSCR Portfolio Financing: When You Own Three or More Miami Condos
Cross-collateralization, blanket loans, and the pricing math at scale.
- Buyer Brief· May 27, 2026
Luxury Condo Buyer Pipeline: Spring 2026
Where the high-end activity is concentrating, and how the financing is being structured.
- Compliance· May 20, 2026
Condo Insurance Renewals: May 2026 Watch List
What rising premiums and tighter wind coverage mean for the loan file.
- Realtors· May 13, 2026
Reading the Condo Questionnaire With Your Client: A 2026 Walkthrough
Six lines that should anchor the conversation before the inspection period closes.
- Building Watch· May 6, 2026
Downtown Miami New Construction: 2026 Financing Map
Pre-construction deposits, end-loan structures, and developer-lender relationships.
- Compliance· April 29, 2026
Special Assessment Disclosure: 2026 Underwriting Posture
How pending and recently-passed assessments are now being underwritten.
- Building Watch· April 22, 2026
Aventura Condo Financing: April 2026 Snapshot
Three building tiers and the lender appetite for each.
- Jumbo· April 15, 2026
Jumbo ARM vs Fixed in 2026: An Honest Comparison
When the 7/6 ARM still pencils, and when the 30-year fixed wins on pure math.
- Foreign Buyers· April 8, 2026
Foreign Buyer Tax Considerations Lenders Now Ask About
FIRPTA withholding, US tax filings, and how each affects the loan file.
- Building Watch· April 1, 2026
Miami Beach Historic Building Loans: Spring 2026
Small projects, mixed warrantability, and the portfolio lenders still active on Deco buildings.
- Investors· March 25, 2026
DSCR + Short-Term Rental: A March 2026 Walk-Through
Nightly-rate documentation, AirDNA reports, and the lenders that will and won't use them.
- Buyer Brief· March 18, 2026
Buydowns in March 2026: Where They Still Make Sense
Permanent vs temporary, and the seller-credit math in today's market.
- Realtors· March 11, 2026
The Pre-Offer Building Review: A 2026 Realtor Workflow
Three steps to clear a building before your buyer writes an offer.
- Building Watch· March 4, 2026
Sunny Isles Trophy Tower Financing in 2026
Above the $10M mark, the lender list contracts to a handful. Here it is.
- Foreign Buyers· February 25, 2026
Foreign National Reserves: The 2026 Standard
Twelve months of PITIA is now table stakes. What the next six look like.
- Compliance· February 18, 2026
Non-Warrantable Condo Financing: February 2026 Update
Which portfolio lenders are still writing, and at what pricing tier.
- Investors· February 11, 2026
DSCR Rates in Q1 2026: An Investor Strategy Note
Spreads narrowed; structure is now where the deal is won.
- Building Watch· February 4, 2026
Brickell Tower Financing: Q1 2026 Snapshot
Across the corridor's largest buildings, how warrantability and lender appetite are currently sitting.
- Compliance· January 28, 2026
HOA Budget Season and Your Loan Approval
January is budget-approval season. What lenders are now asking to see before they clear-to-close.
- Foreign Buyers· January 21, 2026
Foreign Buyer Pipeline Entering 2026
Latin American, European, and Canadian buyer activity broken down by typical loan structure.
- Jumbo· January 14, 2026
The 2026 Conforming Loan Limit and What It Means in Miami-Dade
Where conforming ends and where jumbo begins, with this year's number applied to local price points.
- Market Notes· January 7, 2026
January 2026 Outlook: Where Miami Condo Financing Goes From Here
Rates, inventory, and the building-review backlog — the three numbers that will shape the year.
- Market Notes· December 15, 2025
Year-End 2025 Recap: What Actually Changed for Miami Condo Borrowers
Twelve months of rate, regulatory, and building-review movement summarized in one read.
- Compliance· December 1, 2025
Non-Warrantable Condos: Who Is Actually Lending in Late 2025
A short list of portfolio lenders still active on non-warrantable files, and what each will and won't do.
- Jumbo· November 15, 2025
Luxury Condo Financing Above $3 Million: The Lender Map
Portfolio lenders, private banks, and the documentation each demands.
- Education· November 1, 2025
The Anatomy of a Miami Condo Closing Cost Statement
Doc stamps, intangible tax, lender title, owner title — what each line means, in plain English.
- Investors· October 15, 2025
DSCR Cash-Out Refinance for Miami Investors
When the cash flow supports it, equity becomes the next down payment.
- Buyer Brief· October 1, 2025
Rate Lock Strategy on a 45-Day Condo Close
Float, lock, or extend — the trade-offs through a building-review delay.
- Foreign Buyers· September 15, 2025
Foreign National Cash-Out Refinance: A Quiet 2025 Trend
International owners are pulling equity to fund the next purchase. Here is how the file is structured.
- Building Watch· September 1, 2025
Wynwood and Midtown: Lending in an Emerging Submarket
Mixed-use towers, live-work product, and the appraisal challenge of a still-thin comp set.
- Compliance· August 15, 2025
Five Condo Questionnaire Red Flags Underwriters Always Catch
Owner-occupancy ratios, single-entity ownership, commercial space — the lines underwriters read first.
- Education· August 1, 2025
Bank-Statement Loans for Self-Employed Condo Buyers
Twelve or twenty-four months of deposits, an expense factor, and the qualifying income that results.
- Building Watch· July 15, 2025
South Beach: Financing a Historic Art Deco Building
Small projects, mixed-use ground floors, and the lender appetite for historic character.
- Building Watch· July 1, 2025
North Miami Beach: The Quiet Value Corridor
Older buildings, value pricing, and the recertification posture that determines lender appetite.
- Buyer Brief· June 15, 2025
Temporary Buydowns: Do They Make Sense on a Condo?
2-1 buydowns are back in marketing materials. The honest answer about when they pencil.
- Compliance· June 1, 2025
Special Assessments and the Loan File
A pending assessment changes the math three different ways. Here is how each is underwritten.
- Building Watch· May 15, 2025
Coconut Grove and Coral Gables: Boutique Buildings, Bespoke Files
Smaller projects, owner-occupancy ratios, and the lender appetite for character buildings.
- Building Watch· May 1, 2025
Doral: A Mid-Market Snapshot
Newer construction, manageable HOAs, and a financing posture that rewards conventional files.
- Foreign Buyers· April 15, 2025
ITIN Loans: Quiet Workhorse of Miami Condo Lending
For buyers without a Social Security number, ITIN programs remain the most reliable path.
- Buyer Brief· April 1, 2025
Asset-Depletion Loans for Luxury Condo Buyers
How high-net-worth buyers without W-2 income are qualifying in 2025.
- Education· March 15, 2025
Pre-Approval vs Pre-Qualification: The Distinction That Matters
Realtors and sellers read these terms differently than borrowers do. A small wording change can move an offer.
- Building Watch· March 1, 2025
Edgewater: The In-Between Neighborhood's Financing Map
Between Brickell and the Design District, a corridor of new product with mixed warrantability.
- Compliance· February 15, 2025
HOA Litigation: When It Kills a File and When It Doesn't
Not all lawsuits are deal-breakers. The materiality test that lenders actually apply.
- Investors· February 1, 2025
DSCR at 1.0 vs 1.25: Picking the Right Program
Two tenths of a ratio point can mean a hundred basis points in pricing. Here is the trade-off.
- Foreign Buyers· January 15, 2025
Foreign Buyer Down-Payment Bands: A 2025 Map
By residency status, building tier, and loan size — the typical reserve and down-payment bands you should expect.
- Market Notes· January 1, 2025
Where Miami Condo Rates Sit Entering 2025
Spreads have normalized; the story is now about loan structure, not the headline rate.
- Building Watch· December 15, 2024
Key Biscayne: Island Pricing, Island Underwriting
Limited inventory and insurance complexity shape the loan path on the island.
- Building Watch· November 15, 2024
Surfside and Bal Harbour: Where Luxury Meets Lender Caution
Post-Champlain Towers, the most beautiful corridor in Miami is also the most carefully underwritten.
- Realtors· October 15, 2024
Co-Marketing With a Lender: The Compliance Boundary
RESPA Section 8 is back in focus. Here is what Realtors can and cannot do with a financing partner.
- Compliance· September 15, 2024
Hurricane Deductibles and the Master Policy Trap
Master policy gaps now move a building from warrantable to non-warrantable in a single insurance renewal.
- Education· August 15, 2024
Non-QM Condo Loans: When They Actually Make Sense
Bank-statement, asset-depletion, and ITIN programs each solve a specific problem. Match them carefully.
- Buyer Brief· July 15, 2024
The Second-Home Condo Loan: How It's Actually Underwritten
Second-home pricing looks gentle on paper. The occupancy test is where files get rewritten.
- Building Watch· June 15, 2024
Downtown Miami: Financing the New Tower Wave
Pre-construction conversions, deposit structures, and the lender posture toward the urban core.
- Building Watch· May 15, 2024
Aventura: The Investor-Friendly Condo Map
Buildings where rental policies and lender appetite line up — and where they don't.
- Building Watch· April 15, 2024
Brickell Flatiron, Icon Brickell, and the Mid-Tower Tier
How lenders are pricing the trophy-adjacent buildings in 2024.
- Investors· March 15, 2024
DSCR for Short-Term Rental Condos: The Real Math
Underwriters now distinguish nightly-rental income from long-term lease income. Here is the practical impact.
- Foreign Buyers· February 15, 2024
Foreign National Jumbo: 2024 Paths and Pitfalls
Asset-based qualification, ITIN options, and the reserves question that trips up most international files.
- Compliance· January 15, 2024
Structural Integrity Reserve Studies: What SB 4-D Means for Your Loan
Florida's SIRS requirement is reshaping HOA balance sheets — and the loans written against them.
- Realtors· December 15, 2023
A Realtor's Pre-Qualification Checklist for the Building
Before you write an offer, six questions about the building that can save your closing.
- Building Watch· November 15, 2023
Miami Beach: Financing a 1960s or 1970s Building Today
Recertification timelines, special assessments, and lender appetite all tilt the older-building file.
- Education· October 15, 2023
The Condo Questionnaire, Line by Line
Fannie Form 1076 looks like paperwork. It is actually the single most important document in your file.
- Building Watch· September 15, 2023
Sunny Isles: Financing the Ultra-Luxury Tier
Above $5M, the lender pool narrows quickly. Here is how the top of the market is being financed in 2023.
- Education· August 15, 2023
Warrantable vs Non-Warrantable, in Plain English
Six factors that move a building from one column to the other — and what to do when you find yourself on the wrong side.
- Jumbo· July 15, 2023
Jumbo Thresholds in Miami-Dade: Where Conforming Ends
The 2023 conforming limit reset, and the practical implications for Miami buyers are bigger than the headline number.
- Buyer Brief· June 15, 2023
How HOA Reserves Quietly Decide Your Loan
The reserve study is now read as carefully as the appraisal. A weak one can move a file from approved to denied overnight.
- Investors· May 15, 2023
DSCR Loans Through a Rate-Shock Year
When the debt service ratio compresses, the loan structure has to expand. Here is how investors are adapting.
- Foreign Buyers· April 15, 2023
Foreign National Condo Loans: What Changed for International Buyers in 2023
Higher reserve requirements and tighter source-of-funds documentation now define the international buyer file.
- Building Watch· March 15, 2023
Brickell Tower Financing: A Mid-2023 Snapshot
Across roughly two dozen Brickell high-rises, three patterns are emerging in how lenders are pricing risk.
- Compliance· February 15, 2023
Fannie Mae's Temporary Condo Requirements: A Field Guide
Lender Letter LL-2021-14 stopped being temporary in practice. Here is how it now shapes every Miami condo file.
- Buyer Brief· January 15, 2023
Post-Surfside Lending: How Miami Condo Underwriting Quietly Reset
Eighteen months after the collapse, lenders, agencies, and HOAs are operating under a fundamentally different rulebook for Miami condo financing.