Free 19-page buyer's guide

BEFORE YOU FALL FOR THE VIEW.

The questions to ask before you put money down on a home you have not stood in. Resale or new construction. This is what I send clients before they book the flight.

Twelve questions to ask before you put money down, resale or new construction, and why the agent showing you the place works for the seller
What insurance, flood zone and Florida's post-Surfside condo rules actually do to your monthly cost
A video tour checklist to hand whoever walks the property for you
The five markets and how they genuinely differ, from Boca to Miami
A one-page list to run through before you wire anything

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Naomi Besson · Licensed Florida Real Estate Agent · SL3624380

Five markets, and how they actually differ

All five sit on the same sixty mile stretch of Florida's Atlantic coast, close enough to drive end to end in an afternoon. They are not interchangeable. Most people arrive with one city in mind and buy in another. These are differences of geography, price and building stock, the things you cannot see from a listing photo. Which one fits is a conversation, not a formula.

Boca RatonPalm Beach County

On the ocean, with the beach just east of A1A. One of the highest price points in Palm Beach County, and it earns it: a genuinely walkable downtown, strong schools, and the kind of quiet that families move here for. Low-rise and mid-rise rather than towers, deep country club and gated inventory, and a large share of the region's newer boutique condo product. Roughly 50 minutes to Miami, 25 to Palm Beach.
Delray BeachPalm Beach County

On the ocean, five miles south of Boca and typically below it on price per square foot for comparable finish. It is also the fastest changing town on this list. New construction, new restaurants, businesses relocating in, people moving in. Atlantic Avenue is a dense restaurant and gallery strip that runs straight to the sand, and the feel is closer to a European beach town than anywhere else in South Florida. Smaller scale than Boca: more single family and townhouse stock, fewer high-rises.
West Palm Beach & Palm BeachPalm Beach County

The widest spread on this list, from new downtown towers to historic estates across the bridge. West Palm itself sits on the Intracoastal, with the ocean a short bridge away on Palm Beach island, which is a separate market with its own rules and its own pricing. Heavy financial-sector relocation in recent years has rebuilt the downtown skyline.
Fort LauderdaleBroward County

On the ocean, and growing quickly. Serious private investment has moved into the city over the last few years and you can see it in the construction pipeline. The deepest waterfront and boating inventory in the region, a wide range of preconstruction, and generally more square footage for the money than Miami. Airport access is the best on this list if you fly often.
Miami, Hallandale & Sunny IslesMiami-Dade & south Broward

On the ocean, and it is Miami: the one place on this list where you can find almost anything you are looking for. The most international market, the tallest buildings, the highest ceiling and the widest range of quality. Also where the gap between a good and a poor preconstruction contract is largest.

I have made this move myself. More than once.

Naomi Besson · Licensed Real Estate Agent · SL3624380

I grew up in Poland and lived in Spain. Before settling in South Florida I called Miami, Aventura, Fort Lauderdale, Las Vegas, Orange County and West Palm Beach home. So I know what it is to choose a place you have never stood in, from a laptop, in a different time zone, with a stack of PDFs and a sales agent who is pleasant and is not working for you.

Most of my clients have never sat across a desk from me. They live in New York, New Jersey, California, Texas, Canada, Colombia and further. Most fly in once, near the end, for the two or three properties genuinely in contention.

The guide is free and there is no catch. I speak English, Spanish and Polish, and conversational German.

BEFORE YOU FALL FOR THE VIEW.

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Five markets, and how they actually differ

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