What to check on a property before buying it to renovate

1 · Permit history

First thing. Permits issued and closed with final inspection, expired and open permits, and code enforcement cases. An open permit from years ago is an inherited problem: until it is closed, the folio takes no new permits and your renovation does not start.

2 · What is built vs. what is documented

Compare the real area and layout against the Property Appraiser records and the permits. Converted garages, enclosed porches, roofed terraces and backyard units are the usual gaps. Each one is extra work and extra time, and sometimes it cannot be documented at all.

3 · Zoning and room to expand

The zoning district sets the permitted use, the setbacks and the lot coverage. Subtract what is already built and you get the real margin left: that is the ceiling on what you can plan, however large the yard looks. In unincorporated Miami-Dade this sits in Chapter 33 of the Code of Miami-Dade County; inside a municipality, in its own code.

4 · Flood zone, effective and preliminary

Check the flood zone on the effective FIRM and also FEMA's preliminary map. A change of zone alters the required elevation and, above all, triggers the substantial improvement rule: if the cost of the work equals or exceeds 50% of the market value of the structure, the whole house has to be brought to the current standard. That single condition can turn a renovation into an elevation.

5 · Sanitary service, easements and trees

• Sewer or septic: if septic, confirm with the Florida Department of Health in Miami-Dade whether it takes what you plan to add.
• Easements recorded on the plat: they govern where you can build, and they are not always visible on the ground.
• Protected trees: they can require a tree removal permit with mitigation from the Department of Regulatory and Economic Resources, or move the layout.
• Pervious area and drainage: depending on lot size, Sec. 24-42.8 of the Code of Miami-Dade County applies.

6 · The cost of permitting

Official fees, surcharges if something has to be legalized and the jurisdiction's review timeline are part of the number on the deal. They get looked up and written down; they are not estimated from memory.

Do it inside the due diligence window

The time for this review is while you can still renegotiate or walk away. Our feasibility report covers the six points with the code cited and the date of review, and opens with a determination: what may be built, what the property carries and what is still unconfirmed. From $249, delivered in 5 days: order it during your due diligence, before you close.