Blog
How to read a floor plan before the building exists
A floor plan for a building that does not exist yet is a promise, so it helps to read it the way you would walk it. Start at the entry door and note where the first wall stands: is the kitchen visible from the door, or is there a hall?
Then find the glass. In a tower on the water, the glazed wall and the terrace tell you where the light and the view will be, and every other room borrows from them. Check the swing of each door and the depth of the terrace, because those two details decide how furniture fits.
Look at the bathrooms last. Are they reached from a hall or from a bedroom? Bring a tape measure to the model residence and measure a room you know, so the drawing turns into a size you can feel.
Blog
Where your deposit goes, and when
A deposit on a residence that has not been built is money you pay in stages under a contract. The first payment reserves the residence. Later payments follow the schedule in your contract, often tied to signing and to points in construction.
In Florida, an independent escrow agent holds these deposits under the state's condominium law, and the contract says when any part of the money may be released and what happens if you cancel.
The amounts, the dates and the release rules are different in every contract, so read yours line by line. Ask the sales team to point to the escrow language, and take the whole package to your attorney before you sign. If a term is unclear, ask for it in writing.
Blog
Questions to bring to a sales gallery
A sales gallery is the one place where the building is explained by the people selling it, so use the visit to ask what a drawing cannot say. Ask which floors and views are still available and which plan types are the most flexible.
Ask who manages the building after closing and how the residents' association takes over. Ask what the rental and pet rules are, because they are set out in the declaration. Ask how the developer handles changes to the plans, and what you receive if a change affects your residence.
Finally, ask to see the contract before you reserve. Write the answers down, and compare them with the documents you receive later.
