Fort Lauderdale · Private Office
An investor briefing
Why Now,
not later.
New construction, the last waterfront addresses, and the narrow window before pricing moves again.
Fort Lauderdale · Central Beach
Spring 2026 Edition
02 / THE THESIS
Why this conversation matters now
South Florida is in the middle of a generational transfer of wealth, land and demand.
Six forces are arriving at the same address. None of them are reversible on the buyer's timeline.
01 / Capital
Global wealth is relocating.
Income-tax refugees, family offices, founders.
02 / Policy
The 2027 homestead shift.
Be in place before the roll.
03 / Supply
Waterfront land is finished.
There are no more parcels coming.
04 / Brand
Flagship residences set price.
Ritz. Four Seasons. St. Regis. Rosewood.
05 / Cost
Land and PSF are climbing.
Construction cost doesn't retreat.
06 / Demographics
The silver tsunami is here.
80% of the population lives east of Chicago.
Why Now — Not Later
ENGEL&VÖLKERS
03 / CAPITAL
03 / 16
The Capital Story
Wealth is moving south.
Florida is no longer a retirement footnote. It is the net-migration destination for high-net-worth capital in the United States.
01
No state income tax — relief, not a concession.
02
Homestead reform discussion building toward 2027.
03
Business-friendly posture; domicile advantages.
04
Weather, lifestyle, global price comparability.
Drivers of inbound capital
ENGEL&VÖLKERS
High-tax states → Florida
04 / DEMOGRAPHICS
04 / 16
Where the buyers are
80%
of the U.S. population lives east of Chicago.
And when they retire, they do not drive west. They fly south.
20% WEST
80% EAST
→ FLORIDA
U.S. population density, simplified — dark = concentrated
Where do you think they retire?
ENGEL&VÖLKERS
05 / POLICY
05 / 16
Timeline
2024 – 2026
Policy debate
Homestead reform enters the agenda.
BY JAN 1 2027
Be in place.
Homestead eligibility runs to the roll, not the closing.
2027 +
Repricing.
Primary-residence demand re-rates the market.
The investors who win the 2027 shift don't wait for it.
A homestead-eligible luxury residence is a different asset after 2027 than it is today. Buyers who close and domicile before the roll carry that delta. Buyers who wait pay for it.
Savings
Material, primary-residence only.
Demand
Upward pressure on the high end.
Florida homestead / property tax reform
ENGEL&VÖLKERS
06 / SUPPLY
06 / 16
Two out of three buildings on the market were built before 1995.
Inventory by vintage
The condo market is not a market of new construction. It is a market of thirty-, forty-, and fifty-year restorations with looming assessments.
Built pre-1995
67%
Everything newer
33%
What that means
Special assessments. Milestone inspections. Amenity closures.
Jack-hammer years
Structural work timed exactly when you want to enjoy the residence.
The silent cost
Insurance, HOA, and re-sale drag on older stock.
Inventory age — South Florida condominium stock
ENGEL&VÖLKERS
07 / SUPPLY
07 / 16
A decade of almost nothing
Fort Lauderdale's 2008 freeze is still in the numbers. Everything you see going vertical now is the first real cycle of high-rise delivery since the last peak.
2008 never really ended.
Absorption · Fort Lauderdale + Pompano
ULTRA-LUX $2M–$10M+
40–80 / year
LUXURY $1M–$3M
80–150 / year
MID-LUX $700K–$1.5M
100–200 / year
High-rise delivery + typical absorption
ENGEL&VÖLKERS
08 / DISTRICT
08 / 16
Central Beach, Fort Lauderdale
The next Bal Harbour.
Central Beach is being rebuilt as a walkable luxury corridor — flagship hotels, branded residences, redone Galleria, Las Olas in the rear-view. It is the Bal Harbour template, five counties north, with waterfront still available.
HOTELS
Four Seasons · Conrad · W
RESIDENCES
Ritz · St. Regis · Rosewood
CORRIDORS
Las Olas · A1A · Galleria
A walkable luxury corridor
ENGEL&VÖLKERS
09 / PRICING
09 / 16
Flagship brands are setting the floor, not the ceiling.
A short list of operators arriving in Central Beach — and no meaningful pipeline of others left to bring.
BRAND / RESIDENCES
TYPE
ASKING PSF (FROM)
Four Seasons Residences
Hotel + residence
$2,300
Rosewood Residences
Resort
$2,100+
Pier 66 Residences
Marina
$2,100+
St. Regis Residences
Hotel + residence
$2,000+
Riva Residences
Waterfront
$1,650
Ritz-Carlton Residences
Hotel + residence
$1,450
Branded residences · Central Beach / Fort Lauderdale
ENGEL&VÖLKERS
10 / COMPLEXITY
10 / 16
The fine print
New construction is not retail.
The price on a rack card is the easiest decision in the transaction. Everything that actually determines outcome is in the contract, the deposit structure, and the sponsor's reputation.
Private office · contract review
01
Developer reputation
Final product + after-closing.
02
Deposit structure
What's exposed, when.
03
Construction timeline
Delivery vs. market cycle.
04
Resale restrictions
Flip clauses, hold periods.
05
Rental restrictions
Minimum stay, frequency caps.
06
Use-case fit
Personal vs. investment.
What to underwrite before you sign
ENGEL&VÖLKERS
11 / UNIT SELECTION
11 / 16
The biggest buyer mistake
The building is rarely the decision.
The unit is.
The unit is.
Two units, same address, same square footage — and twenty points of performance between them.
What separates the strongest units
ENGEL&VÖLKERS
The factors that matter
Artist Conceptual Rendering
01
Floor height
Above the tree line.
02
View corridor
Ocean, not parking deck.
03
Sun exposure
SE corner.
04
Privacy line
No neighbor's balcony.
05
Ceiling height
10 ft, not 8′6″.
06
Floorplate
Continuous glass line.
12 / ADVOCACY
12 / 16
The in-house question
“Who does the on-site actually work for?”
Developer sales teams represent the developer. Their job is to close the project — not to tell you which unit outperforms, or which project doesn't.
DEVELOPER ON-SITE
Sells one project.
Sells what's still available.
Cannot disqualify their own inventory.
INDEPENDENT ADVISOR
Compares projects side by side.
Analyzes pricing against real comps.
Asks for lines that aren't publicly released.
Identifies the strongest units at every tier.
Who is on your side of the table
ENGEL&VÖLKERS
13 / MARKET
13 / 16
A lot is going right. A few things are going wrong. Both matter.
WHAT'S GOING RIGHT
01
Modern construction standards
Post-Surfside code, better engineering.
02
Insurance advantages
Newer stock prices better, renews easier.
03
Architecture that sells
Floor-to-ceiling glass, open plan, higher ceilings.
04
Early appreciation
Pre-construction pricing, late-cycle delivery.
WHAT'S GOING WRONG
01
Construction delays
Labor, permitting, supply.
02
Right-unit scarcity
Premium lines sell off the floorplan.
03
Financing friction
Rates, reserves, developer terms.
04
HOA + developer risk
Rising assessments, sponsor resolve.
New-construction environment, mid-2026
ENGEL&VÖLKERS
14 / PLAN B
14 / 16
If sales softens at delivery
A turnkey residence pays you while you wait.
Luxury properties always have a second strategy. When the market softens, you rent. When design, storage and layout are handled properly, you rent at the top of the band.
PLAN A · SELL
PLAN B · RENT
DUAL · LIST BOTH
A case: Casamar Residence 905
ENGEL&VÖLKERS
CASE · CASAMAR · RESIDENCE 905
Two-bed, ≈1,700 sq ft — reimagined finishes, smarter kitchen, better storage.
OFFERS EXCEEDED
$2.7M
RENTED AT
$15.5K/MO
Twelve-month lease. Premium tenant. The residence kept producing while we held it for the right buyer.
15 / FRAMING
15 / 16
Reframe the conversation
Should I buy new construction?
Which projects, which units, which advisors — will actually outperform?
PROJECT
Who has the long-term plan?
UNIT
Which line stays ahead?
ADVISOR
Who will stay with you?
The question that earns the return
ENGEL&VÖLKERS
16 / CLOSING
16 / 16
The invitation
Invest in Central Beach now —
before pricing moves again across all of Fort Lauderdale.
LITTLE UP-FRONT
Deposit-structured entry.
LATE-CYCLE DELIVERY
Price today, close tomorrow.
ADVISED, NOT SOLD TO
Independent, end-to-end.
Engel & Völkers · Fort Lauderdale · Private Office
ENGEL&VÖLKERS
ENGEL&VÖLKERS — PRIVATE OFFICE
Contact
Your advisors.
A Private Office team focused on new construction, waterfront inventory, and the Central Beach corridor specifically.
Niliana Garcia
PRIVATE OFFICE ADVISOR
561.222.3053
Niliana.Garcia@evrealestate.com
Nilianagarcia.evrealestate.com
Francisco Garcia
BROKER · PRIVATE OFFICE ADVISOR
561.722.8905
Francisco.Garcia@evrealestate.com
Franciscogarcia.evrealestate.com
Susan Larkin
LUXURY REAL ESTATE ADVISOR
781.801.5885
Susan.Larkin@engelvoelkers.com
Susanlarkinrealtor.com
3301 North Ocean Blvd · Fort Lauderdale, FL 33308
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