Miami is a hot spot to buy a home. Whether you’re a fan of the culture, the weather, the shopping, or the beaches – it’s not challenging to find reasons to make Miami the place you call home. Unfortunately, the Miami real estate market can be difficult to navigate, especially if you’re shopping for a luxury home.
Thankfully, there are tons of tips, advice, and tried-and-true best practices for shopping for a luxury home in Miami.
Let’s chat about them.
6 Tips for Luxury Home Shopping in Miami
Here are six tips for luxury home shopping in Miami.
1. Understand the Neighborhoods and Know What You Want
If you aren’t local, you might be surprised to learn how varied Miami is. For instance, if living by the beach is important to you, then you’ll want to shop for homes in North Beach, South Beach, Mid Beach, Sunny Isles Beach, Bal Harbour, Key Biscayne, or Surfside. However, if you’re more interested in the culture and arts, you’ll want to look in Downtown Miami, Wynwood, The Arts and Entertainment District, Midtown, Edgewater, or the Design District. Miami has a lot of Neighborhoods to offer, so you must know what you want and where to find it. Otherwise, you could end up buying the perfect home in the wrong location.
2. Make Sure the Home Is Right for Your Goals
Are you looking for a vacation property or a full-time home? Many beachfront homes in Miami aren’t built for year-round residents; therefore, they lack proper insulation for the cold winter months. Be sure to speak with your top Miami real estate agent about your plans. If you’re simply looking for a vacation home, this might not matter to you. However, if you’re looking for a home for around the year, you want to make sure that you purchase a home equipped to make it through every season.
3. Be Weather Aware
It’s no secret that Miami is home to many hurricanes and moisture. While most luxury homes are equipped with some level of protection, things aren’t always as they seem. Sometimes contractors and flippers use shoddy materials and cut costs to maximize profits on luxury real estate in Miami. This is why you must work with a realtor and inspector that you trust. Consider looking for homes that include weather-resistant construction techniques like tilt up construction, and ensure that any house on your list is up to par and ready to handle the unpredictable Miami weather.
4. Go Beyond What’s on the Internet
Many luxury homeowners in Miami don’t list their homes for sale online to protect their privacy. That means that the only way to get access to these homes is via a luxury real estate agent. Moreover, any skilled luxury real estate agent will tell you that luxury homes and luxury Miami condos don’t always photograph well. The larger the house, the more challenging it is to capture its essence in photographs. For that reason, it’s crucial to look at any luxury home that matches your amenity list – even if you don’t love the pictures online.
5. Know What Amenities Matter to You.
Most luxury homes have the basic amenities, so it’s vital to make a list of the things that will really take a house from the “not interested pile” to the “maybe pile.” For luxury home shoppers, this can be something as simple as quartz countertops to something as unique as an indoor bird aviary. Get specific with your wants and let your realtor know what those specialty requests are.
6. Look for Energy-Efficient Features
Miami was recently rated the worst city for energy efficiency in the US, thanks mostly to high air conditioner usage in the warm summer months. When shopping for a luxury home, you might want to consider energy-efficient features, because electricity costs can add up quickly in Miami – especially in large, luxury homes. Look for features like high-quality insulation, concrete roof tiles, new HVAC systems, solar panels, cooling roofs, energy-efficient appliances, and more.
Find a Realtor You Trust to Find Your Miami Luxury Home
If you follow the six tips above, you’ll be well on your way to finding the perfect luxury home in Miami.
Ultimately, if you find a realtor that you trust from the start, you’ll have no problem finding the luxury house of your dreams in Miami. A skilled luxury realtor knows the ins and outs of this dynamic market and can help ensure you find what you want.
Skylar Ross is a contributor to the Innovative Materials blog. He is a content writer for the construction and home improvement industries with an interest in landscaping, outdoor remodeling, and interior design. Skylar is focused on educating homeowners, contractors, and architects on innovative materials and methods of construction that increase property value, improve sustainability, and create a warm and welcoming ambiance.
