Living in North Miami

Older construction: the file a buyer and an insurer will ask for

A house from the mid-century era can be a very good house, but insurers and lenders treat it by its documents. A four-point inspection covering roof, electrical, plumbing and air conditioning is routine for older construction, and the answers drive both whether a carrier will write the policy and what it will cost.

Keep these current and in one place:

• Roof permit, installation date and final inspection, plus the current condition report.
• Electrical panel type and any upgrade permit; some older panel brands are a known underwriting issue.
• Plumbing material and repipe permits where applicable.
• Wind mitigation inspection recording opening protection, roof-to-wall attachment and roof shape.
• Permits for additions, enclosed porches and converted garages, with final inspections.

Unpermitted work is the most common surprise at sale

Enclosed carports, additions and converted spaces are common in housing of this age, and not all were permitted when built. Miami-Dade County and the City of North Miami both keep permit records, and a buyer's inspector or title company will compare the record to what is on the ground.

If you know something was done without a permit, find out now what closing it out involves. It is far cheaper to resolve on your timeline than under a contract deadline.

Condominium owners: recertification and reserves

Florida now requires a milestone structural inspection for condominium and cooperative buildings of three or more stories once they reach a set age, with earlier deadlines in some coastal locations, and a structural integrity reserve study that changes how associations fund major components. North Miami has a meaningful share of older mid-rise and garden-style condominium stock, so these rules are live here rather than theoretical.

Ask your association for the milestone inspection status, the reserve study and the current budget. If a special assessment is coming, a buyer will find it in the estoppel and the questionnaire; better that you already know the figure.

Houses and condominiums, reported separately

North Miami has meaningful activity in both single-family houses and condominiums and townhouses, and the two markets behave differently. The North Miami market data page reports each separately, with active counts, closed sales for the reporting month and year to date, median days on market and median percent of list received, each with its sample size and retrieval date.

If you are considering selling, start with median days on market for your property type. That number tells you more about your situation than any county headline.

If your mortgage situation has changed

If you owe more than the property would sell for, a short sale is one of the routes owners consider. It requires lender approval and has legal and tax consequences that a licensed attorney and a tax professional should address for your situation. PBP does not give legal or tax advice.

What a real estate brokerage can do is explain the process, the documentation a lender typically requires and how the timeline usually runs. If that is where you are, say so when you contact us, and a PBP agent who works short sales will take it from there.

How PBP works in North Miami

PBP Real Estate is a Florida licensed brokerage (CQ1064615) with agents based in Miami-Dade as well as Palm Beach and Broward, under Gia Freer, Broker of Record. Tell us what you are weighing and a licensed PBP agent will respond directly. Your information stays with PBP.

This guide is general process information. It is not legal, tax or insurance advice, and it is not an opinion of value on any particular property. Market figures are drawn from BeachesMLS, listings permitted for internet display, with the reporting window and retrieval date shown.

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