Townhouses in Miami

How to Select a Townhouse in Our Catalog

The Discount House filter builds a property by the parameters on which the decision depends: area, budget, bedrooms, floor area, number of stories, year built, yard, garage, community fee, and form of ownership. The last filter is almost never found in catalogs, yet it influences more than floor area. If there is no suitable lot in the open part — leave a request: a manager will select options, request the community documents, and conduct a viewing or video showing without your arrival.

What Counts as a Townhouse Under Florida Code and Why It Is Your Money

The definition is strict: a single-family home no more than three stories in a group of two or more attached units, where parcel boundaries run between the units, each unit runs from foundation to roof, and has a yard or access to a driveway on at least two sides. Florida differs from the general American norm twice: there the minimum is three attached units, here two is enough, and here a three-story limit has been added.

The key is the words about parcel boundaries. If the building stands on a single parcel and there are no boundaries between the units, it is by law not a townhouse but a condominium, no matter how much it resembles a house from the outside. Hence two forms in which the property will come to you:

• Direct ownership with a homeowners association. The land under the house and the house itself are yours, and the association manages only the common territory and lives under Chapter 720 of the state statutes. Mandatory structural inspections and a structural reserve fund do not apply to such communities at all. The wave of one-time assessments that hit apartment owners in towers does not touch this format.
• Condominium form. Legally you are buying a share in the common property, not a house with land. Such communities are subject to Chapter 718: with three or more residential stories and a building age of thirty years or more, a structural inspection with a repeat every ten years and a structural reserve fund are mandatory. Note the coincidence: the townhouse limit under the code is three stories, and the threshold for mandatory inspections begins at exactly three. A two-story property does not fall under the requirement in any form; a three-story one in condominium form does.

The form is recorded in the community documents, not in the listing. The fee, the likelihood of an assessment, the loan rate, and the speed of resale depend on it.

Five Formats Sold Under the Word "Townhouse"

• Two- to three-story townhouse. Shared walls on two sides, bedrooms upstairs, living room and kitchen downstairs, built-in garage. The most mass-market format and the most understandable to a tenant. The pitfall: the staircase makes the home inconvenient for the elderly, and on resale this narrows the circle of buyers.
• Villa, also known as a single-story attached home. One level, one shared wall or none at all, its own yard or lanai. The association usually takes on the facade, landscaping, often the roof — therefore the fee is higher while personal expenses are lower. Taken by those moving from a large home to a smaller one, and by seasonal residents. In catalogs such a property is often labeled a villa, although under the code it is the same attached home.
• Duplex: two homes under one roof. One shared wall, each half has its own land. If both halves are sold to one owner, it is a ready rental property with two streams of payments — it must be counted as an income-producing building, not as housing.
• Patio home with an inner courtyard. A single-story home pressed by a wall to the property line: the yard is entirely on one side and therefore actually used. Upkeep is minimal. The pitfall — there are no windows in the blank wall, and the home is darker than it appears on the plan.
• Bungalow. A compact single-story home in established mid-century neighborhoods. The lowest entry price and the most land per dollar, but the roof, electrical wiring, and pipes are approaching the end of their service life — repairs are budgeted immediately.

A separate case — units located one above the other: parcel boundaries between them cannot exist, meaning it is a condominium, whatever the listing calls it.

Stages of Purchase and Closing

1. Offer and deposit. The deposit of 1–3% of the price is paid into an escrow account at a title company or attorney and is not passed directly to the seller.
2. Inspection — 10–15 days. Inspection of the home, roof, air conditioning, and traces of water, a flood zone report, a title abstract. During this period one can exit the deal and take back the deposit.
3. Community documents. Bylaws, budget, meeting minutes for two years, information on planned works and assessments, rental rules. In condominium form, additionally — the reserve report and the inspection report, if the building falls under the requirement.
4. Association approval. The board reviews the candidacy of the buyer and the future tenant: application, references, sometimes an interview. Two to four weeks, in parallel with the inspection.
5. Financing. Banks give a non-resident a loan with a down payment of 30–40%; the decision takes about a month and a half. A transfer from abroad goes through compliance with confirmation of the origin of funds — start in advance.
6. Closing — 30–45 days from the contract. The title company checks the history of title, issues title insurance, and conducts the settlement. The transfer fee — $0.70 per $100 of price; by Miami custom the seller pays it, as well as the realtors' commission of 5–6%.
7. Paperwork. A foreign passport and confirmation of funds are required; a non-resident's tax number is arranged after the transaction. Recording to an individual, in joint ownership, or to a company affects the tax on sale and inheritance, so it is chosen before signing. Signing can be done by power of attorney; coming in person is not mandatory.

A foreigner buys an attached home without residency, a local partner, or ownership restrictions. The purchase grants no visa rights: the U.S. has no residency-through-real-estate program.

Taxes, Expenses, and Pitfalls

• Property tax — 1.76% of appraised value per year. On a change of owner the assessment is recalculated at the transaction price, so the previous owner's payment says nothing about your future payment. There are no exemptions for a second home and a non-resident.
• Community fee. Two neighboring neighborhoods with identical homes differ in fee by multiples, and the reason is usually that in one the association services the roofs and facades, and in the other it does not. Compare not the homes but the association budgets.
• Insurance. A hurricane policy and separately a flood policy. With direct ownership you insure the structure; in condominium form — partially the association; what is covered is stated in its bylaws.
• Rental rules. Minimum lease term from six months to a year, a ban on subletting, sometimes a quota on the number of rented homes in the community. Short-term rental is closed almost everywhere — read the rules before the deposit.
• How to calculate yield. Take the rental rate of your area and floor area, not the city average: for three-bedroom apartments it is $3,721 per month and is overstated twofold for the southern suburbs. From the annual rent subtract tax, fee, insurance, and a month of vacancy; divide the remainder by the price.
• Liquidity. The sale period in the county is 86 days. Single-story formats sell faster than two- and three-story ones: the circle of buyers is wider thanks to those who do not need a staircase.
• Tax on sale. From a non-resident, 15% of the transaction amount is withheld against capital gains tax; the overpayment is refunded based on the tax return. The non-taxable threshold for inheritance is $60K at a rate of up to 40%.