Florida Condos · Sell or Hold

Should You Sell Your Florida Condo Before the Next Assessment?

Florida condos are stacked up at well over a year of supply in some metros, prices are sliding, and reserves can no longer be waived, so deferred repairs are landing as special assessments. Enter your building's details to weigh your assessment exposure against a soft resale market and get a sell-or-hold read.

~9.7 mo
Statewide condo months of supply, early 2026, with Miami-Dade near 13.2 and Broward near 9.8. A balanced market is about 6 months.
~ -4.5%
Statewide condo prices year over year, about 8% below their peak. Miami-Dade median fell roughly 10% and dropped below $400,000.
Dec 31, 2025
SIRS deadline for unit-owner-controlled associations existing on or before July 1, 2022 (or Dec 31, 2026 if paired with a milestone inspection).
No waivers
Reserves can no longer be waived for buildings 3+ habitable stories, which is what turns deferred maintenance into special assessments.
Your condo
Soft-market weight. South Florida coastal is the softest.
Older coastal buildings carry the most structural exposure.
SIRS and milestone rules apply at 3 or more stories.
Enter the total per-unit assessment if your board has announced one.
Assessment exposure
High
Based on building age, height, and reserve status.
Estimated all-in monthly carrying cost
$1,100/mo
Condo fee plus an assessment reserve, before mortgage, taxes, and insurance.
Lean sell
Enter your building's details to see a sell-or-hold read.
Estimate only, from your inputs. Confirm your building's reserve study, milestone inspection, and any planned assessment with your association and an attorney before acting.
Check your building's assessment risk in detail →

Why the Florida condo market turned.

For years, condos were the affordable on-ramp to Florida coastal living. That math broke. Three forces hit at once. Supply piled up, with condos well above the six-month balanced threshold across the state and Miami-Dade near 13 months of supply in early 2026. Carrying costs jumped as insurance and association fees climbed. And the post-Surfside safety laws ended the long practice of waiving reserves, so years of deferred maintenance are now coming due as special assessments. Statewide condo prices have slipped from their peak, with older coastal stock hit hardest, and every owner who sells to get ahead of an assessment adds to the same soft market.

The reserve rule is the real catalyst.

The structural integrity reserve study, or SIRS, is the part that turns a safety law into a five-figure bill. It calculates what an association must set aside for major structural repairs, and for buildings three or more habitable stories those reserves can no longer be waived. Unit-owner-controlled associations existing on or before July 1, 2022 had to complete a SIRS by December 31, 2025, or by December 31, 2026 if paired with a milestone inspection. When a long-underfunded building finally runs the study, the gap is often large, and it gets funded through higher dues or a special assessment. If you own in an older building that has not completed or funded its SIRS, that is the exposure this page is about.

How to read the sell-or-hold tool.

The exposure read combines the three things that drive an assessment: building age, height (the rules bite at three or more stories), and whether the reserve study is done and funded. The all-in carrying cost adds an assessment reserve to your monthly fee so you see the real cost of holding. The sell-or-hold read weighs high exposure against a soft resale market: when exposure is high and you could not absorb a large assessment, selling before it lands is often the safer move, even into a slow market. When exposure is low or your building is already funded, holding is more defensible. It is a framework, not a verdict, so confirm your building's actual status before you act.

Common questions.

Should I sell my Florida condo before the next assessment?
It comes down to your building's assessment exposure versus a soft resale market. If your building is older, three or more stories, and has not completed or funded its structural reserve study, the odds of a large special assessment are higher, and selling before it lands can protect you, even into a slow market. If your building is newer or already funded its reserves, holding is more defensible. The tool above turns your building's details into a sell-or-hold read, but confirm your building's actual reserve and assessment status with your association and an attorney before deciding.
Why are Florida condo prices falling?
Three forces at once. Supply has piled up, with condos well above the six-month balanced threshold in many metros (Miami-Dade near 13 months in early 2026). Carrying costs have jumped as insurance and association fees rose. And the post-Surfside safety laws ended the practice of waiving reserves, so deferred maintenance is now coming due as special assessments, which pushes more owners to sell into the same soft market. Statewide condo prices have slipped from their peak, with older coastal stock hit hardest.
What is a structural integrity reserve study (SIRS) and why does it matter to me?
A SIRS is a study that calculates how much an association must reserve for major structural repairs, and under Florida law those reserves can no longer be waived for buildings three or more habitable stories. Unit-owner-controlled associations existing on or before July 1, 2022 had to complete a SIRS by December 31, 2025 (or by December 31, 2026 if done alongside a milestone inspection). If your building underfunded reserves for years, the SIRS often reveals a large gap, which is funded through higher dues or a special assessment. That is the single biggest driver of condo assessments right now.
How much are Florida condo special assessments?
They vary enormously by building, from a few thousand dollars to six figures per unit in older buildings with serious structural work, as widely reported. The amount depends on the building's age, condition, how underfunded its reserves were, and the scope of repairs the milestone inspection and SIRS identify. Because the number is so building-specific, ask your association for the reserve study, the milestone inspection report, and any board discussion of upcoming assessments before you buy or decide to sell.
Is it a bad time to buy a Florida condo?
Not necessarily, but diligence matters more than ever. Softer prices and high supply can mean real deals, especially in newer or well-funded buildings. The risk is buying into an older building that is about to assess. Before you offer, review the milestone inspection, the SIRS, the reserve funding level, recent board minutes, and any planned assessment. A low price on a unit facing a six-figure assessment is not a deal.

Data and sources.

Condo supply and price figures are early-2026 readings from market reporting: Miami-Dade near 13.2 months of supply and a roughly 10% year-over-year median price drop below $400,000, Broward near 9.84 months and about 8% lower, and statewide condos near 9.7 months with prices about 4.5% lower year over year and roughly 8% below peak (TD Economics; 2026 South Florida market report). The SIRS and milestone rules, the December 31, 2025 reserve-study deadline, the three-story threshold, and the end of reserve waivers are from Florida law and the state's condo division (Florida DBPR, condo inspections). Special-assessment amounts vary by building and are described qualitatively here; confirm your building's number with your association.

This is educational only, not legal or financial advice. Every building is different. Before you buy, sell, or decide to hold, review your association's reserve study, milestone inspection, reserve funding level, and recent board minutes, and consult a real estate attorney.

Keep going.

Check your building's risk in the condo assessment risk checker, see your options if you are underwater or behind in the short sale, hold, or foreclosure tool, read what actually changed in the 2026 Florida housing laws, see your full monthly number in the true cost of ownership calculator, or check distress trends in the Florida foreclosure statistics.