Investment Archives | Real Estate & Investment Perspective by Karen Lee Bertiger

2026/01/192026/01/19

2026 Florida Condos Situation

Florida Senate Bill 4D enacted May 26, 2022 on Building Safety called for MIs (mandated inspections) & SIRS (Structural Integrity Reserve Studies) for condo buildings and the disclosures of those results. Link below is the DBPR’s online database of those condos who have submitted their SIRS.

Condo buildings in Florida that were more than 30 years old (in 2022) faced a December 31, 2024 deadline for a mandatory “milestone inspection.” For condo buildings turning 30 years old between 2022 & 2024, the deadline was December 31, 2025.

https://dbpr-publicrecords.myfloridalicense.com/qpr/single/?appid=14f1ed21-7b21-4272-af14-9eaad7911440&sheet=mcprvJW&opt=ctxmenu&select=cl earall

So, as of January 1, 2026, the inspection & reserve study deadline has passed. It required FULL RSERVE FUNDING. There was a 365 day Phase 2 repair clock for any immediate repairs required by Milestone Inspections. That is a non-negotiable. The Florida Legislature has not enacted any further extensions for compliance. These condo associations must now pay for their immediate repairs, as well as future reserves (as indicated by their SIRS.)

If a condo building is out of compliance, the local building officials are now in charge. This is a substantial issue. If a condo building is out of compliance, the local building officials may declare the building as an “UNSAFE STRUCTURE” (“unsafe and unfit for occupation”) which is an IMMEDIATE SAFETY EVACUATION that gives occupants “NOTICE TO VACATE” orders. That means the unit is uninhabitable almost overnight. (House Bill 913.) This can be done without any court proceedings. It’s not like a foreclosure situation where you have time to figure it out. The local building officials can “red tag” a building.

If this happens to your condo building you will have trouble securing insurance for the building. If you do not have insurance, any owners with mortgages will be in default technically. Carriers are refusing to renew policies where they deem there has been no repairs progress on the milestone reports. If your association thought they could buy some time, they were wrong.

If you’re shopping for a condo now, be sure you are using an agent who understands these issues to advise you.

A condo may already be in violation. Associations with 25+ units MUST post their milestone reports online,

2026/01/182026/01/18

Our Transaction Policies

We send a notice to anyone who wants to utilize our services to sell their property BEFORE we will even consider an employment agreement, particularly for sales of vacant land. These policies have become necessary in a global economy, where scammers can be located anywhere on the planet. Out of our legal jurisdiction. So you’d get an e-mail that looks like this:

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Dear [Customer Name]:

We are looking forward to working with you to sell your property.

As part of our company policies (in accordance with licensing law & regulations duties) we ask you to review our policies listed below and reply to to this communication with the statement, “I agree.”

We are unable to list any property unless you first agree to these terms:

We will be conducting an exhaustive title search to confirm the rightful ownership of the property at the cost of the seller.

We require a copy of the seller’s latest property tax bill and the most recent proof of payment.

We require an in-person meeting or video conference with all sellers.

A “For Sale” sign with our contact information must be posted on every property we list, including the name of our listing agent and a phone number where we can be reached (unless prohibited by law or HOA or Condo Assn.)

We require all clients use one of our approved notaries public. If you are located out of our immediate area, we will provide a list of approved Notaries Public to you.

All transactions are subject to a minimum 48 hour hold before funds will be released. If the 48-hour period ends during a holiday or weekend, funds will be released on the next business day.

Sincerely,

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2025/11/212025/11/21

Boomers

Now represent about 42% of today’s buyers and 53% of today’s sellers. (Source: NAR)

Depending on your situation, you should be marketing to boomers if you’re an investor. If you’re attempting to buy a property you should be researching boomers and those who have been in their homes for more than 7 years (although the length of time people are staying in their homes is trending up towards 12 years!) An agent who wants inventory should be looking at boomers.

2025/11/112025/11/11

Wall Street Journal October 8, 2025 Article on 30 Year Mortgages

Recently the WSJ published an article titled “The Case Against 30-Year Mortgages.” They claim the main obstacle for millennials is “an insidious financial instrument so predatory and deceptive that it has warped the housing market for nearly a century.” The argument is that subsidized credit raises prices.

Keep in mind that in an era of inflation, a 30 year fixed rate mortgage is an instrument which builds financial wealth for the borrower. This is HOW you make it work in your favor. Become educated on amortization schedules. When you have an accurate amortization schedule for your loan, you have a flexible blueprint for reducing the total interest you pay, as well as paying off your loan sooner. But you can always just pay your regular 30 year principal and interest if you have a period of time when you cannot afford to devote extra funds to paying off your loan. If you do devote extra funds to pay down your principal, you have earned the equivalent of your loan’s interest rate on those funds in addition to saving on interest over the life of your loan.

Here’s a link to do the math…

http://calculator.net

2025/11/112025/11/11

House Flippers Operating on Smaller Margins

Which means that YOU, Mr. & Mrs. Buyer, may not be aware that a home offered for sale may be “a flip.”

You’ll definitely need to have a potential home purchase inspected, even if it’s a new build!!! In flipped properties the flipper may have taken shortcuts & thereby covered up potentially expensive defects. Even flippers are required to disclose known defects when selling properties. Many people just don’t want to remodel a property themselves. You could make yourself some sweat equity though if you are willing to do it right. That means finding a property that needs some work but you could purchase it for less than replacement value. Then take it down to the studs, and do it right. It will pay off when you resell.