By Luiza Chiminacio Blackmon
International buyers · 8 min read
I was born in Curitiba, I have lived in seven countries, and I work in English, Portuguese, Spanish and Italian. A large share of my clients are buying in the United States for the first time. This is the conversation I have with all of them, and it is worth having before you fall in love with a residence rather than after.
What follows is orientation from someone who does this constantly. It is not legal, tax or immigration advice, and you should have your own attorney and accountant — I will introduce you to ones who work with international buyers if you do not have them.
You do not need to be a resident, and you do not need to pay cash
There is no citizenship or residency requirement to own property in Florida. Foreign nationals buy here routinely.
Financing is also available to non-residents through lenders who specialise in it, typically on different terms than a domestic buyer would see — a larger deposit, different documentation, different rates. Many international clients assume cash is the only route and are surprised to learn otherwise. It is worth pricing both before you decide.
Buying personally or through an entity
How you take title has consequences for tax, for estate treatment and for privacy, and the right answer genuinely differs by country of residence, by whether the property will be rented, and by what else you own in the United States.
This is the single most common thing buyers get wrong by deciding it late. Have the conversation with a cross-border tax adviser before you sign, because restructuring afterwards is expensive and sometimes impossible.
What it costs to hold, not just to buy
Annual carrying costs in South Florida are a real line item and should be modelled before purchase, not discovered after. They include property tax, the condominium association fee, and insurance — the last of which has moved considerably in this market in recent years.
Ask for the actual current figures for the specific building, in writing, rather than an estimate. In a pre-construction project, ask how the projected figures were arrived at and what has happened to comparable buildings since.
The building's own finances
Since 2021, Florida has tightened its requirements around structural inspection and reserve funding for condominium buildings. For any resale purchase, the building's inspection status and reserve position are legitimate and important diligence — not paperwork.
I go through these documents line by line with buyers. A building with completed inspections and funded reserves is a different asset from one facing an unfunded assessment, even when the two residences look identical.
Two clauses that surprise people
The first is the withholding that applies when a foreign person sells US real property. It is a withholding against your eventual tax liability rather than a tax in itself, and it is frequently reducible — but only if it is planned for in advance. Plan for it at purchase, not at sale.
The second is the rental restriction in the condominium documents. Buildings vary widely in minimum lease terms and in how many times a year a residence may be let. If income is part of your reason for buying, read this before you offer.
What I do for international clients
- Introductions to attorneys, cross-border tax advisers and mortgage brokers who work with foreign nationals
- Contracts, inspections and negotiation conducted in your language rather than summarised into it
- A written carrying-cost model for each residence under consideration, so buildings compare honestly
- Building document review — inspection status, reserves, assessment history, rental rules
- Coordination of the move itself, including private aviation and yachting where they are part of the picture
Tell me where you are buying from and what you are trying to achieve. The first conversation costs nothing and usually saves a great deal.
