Browse South Florida's finest luxury condos and branded residences. Explore oceanfront towers, Intracoastal mid-rises, and ultra-luxury buildings from Miami to Boca Raton.
A branded residence is a private condominium affiliated with a luxury hotel brand such as Four Seasons, Ritz-Carlton, St. Regis, or Bentley. Residents receive hotel-style services including concierge, housekeeping, and room service, along with access to hotel amenities. Branded residences command a 20–30% price premium over comparable non-branded units and historically retain value well due to ongoing brand management and international name recognition.
HOA fees for luxury condos in South Florida typically range from $0.75 to $2.50 per square foot per month depending on building age, amenities, and whether utilities are included. A 2,000 sq ft unit might carry fees of $1,500–$5,000 monthly. Miami Beach, Brickell, and Palm Beach County ultra-luxury buildings and branded residences can run higher. Fees generally cover water, trash, building insurance, reserves, security, and shared amenities.
Yes. Foreign nationals can purchase South Florida condos without U.S. residency or citizenship. Key considerations include financing, foreign national mortgages typically require 30–40% down and carry higher rates, FIRPTA withholding upon eventual sale (typically 15% of gross proceeds withheld for IRS), and obtaining an ITIN for the transaction. An attorney experienced in foreign national real estate transactions is strongly recommended.
A condo-hotel is a unit within a hotel that can be individually owned, often with an option to place it in a hotel rental program. Condotels are typically harder to finance, most conventional lenders won't lend on them; portfolio or DSCR loans are common. Rental income varies by season and hotel management performance, and owner usage may be restricted to 30–90 days per year. Standard condos have no such restrictions and are generally easier to finance and resell.
South Florida's luxury condo market spans three counties. In Miami-Dade, Sunny Isles Beach offers newer ultra-luxury oceanfront towers at competitive prices relative to Miami Beach; Brickell is the premier choice for urban high-rise living with walkable amenities; Bal Harbour and Fisher Island are the most exclusive and limited markets; and Aventura bridges Miami and Broward with strong rental demand. In Broward County, Fort Lauderdale's Las Olas corridor and the Galt Mile oceanfront strip offer Intracoastal and ocean views at comparatively accessible price points, while Harbor Heights and Weston provide newer master-planned options further inland. In Palm Beach County, Highland Beach and Boca Raton deliver oceanfront luxury with a quieter pace, and Delray Beach has seen a wave of boutique high-rise development; further north, Jupiter and Singer Island round out the county's waterfront condo options.
A non-warrantable condo is a building that Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac will not buy loans on — typically because reserves are underfunded, too many units are rented, there's pending litigation, or the building failed its financial review. When a building is non-warrantable, conventional 30-year mortgages are unavailable. Buyers are limited to cash or portfolio loans, which require 20–30% down and carry interest rates 1–2 points higher than market. This dramatically shrinks the buyer pool, which puts downward pressure on resale values for every unit in the building.
As of August 2026, lenders must perform full financial review on all condo buildings with more than 10 units — a significant tightening from the previous limited-review standard; read the full analysis at /blog/fannie-mae-freddie-mac-condo-financing-rules-2026. Request three documents before going under contract, not after: (1) the HOA questionnaire, which shows budget health, delinquency rate, pending litigation, and insurance coverage; (2) the most recent reserve study, which confirms whether the association has adequately funded its long-term maintenance obligations; and (3) the owner delinquency report, showing what percentage of owners are behind on HOA dues. Buildings with more than 15% delinquency or underfunded reserves may not qualify for conventional financing.
The most reliable check is to have your lender run a condo project review early in the process — before you make an offer if possible. You can also ask the listing agent or HOA manager directly whether the building is on Fannie Mae's approved or unavailable list. Red flags include: special assessments levied in the past 12 months, reserves funded below 10% of the budget, deferred milestone inspections (required for buildings 25+ years in Broward, 25–30 years in Miami-Dade), and pending or active litigation against the association. Well-capitalized newer buildings built in the past 10–15 years generally pass review; older buildings near the coast carry the most risk.