Rental Restrictions Follow-up

As a follow-up to conversations I had with a couple of prospective condo buyers this week, I'm going to repost an article below that I wrote in 2009 about rental restrictions in condos and how they affect an owner's use of the property and her potential income. It is just as relevant now as it was when I wrote it twelve years ago. 

How about that moonrise Friday night? As seen in south Cocoa Beach (left). ___________________________

In this post I'm going to address an often-overlooked, yet very important issue that condo buyers need to understand before they begin their search for the perfect condo at the beach. If you're already a client, you know the drill and have heard the sermon, so, you can just skip to the quote.

In addition to amenities, view, association health, building condition, parking and all the other items that a condo purchaser should review, a prudent buyer also needs to understand the implications of rental restrictions and how they will affect his use and cost of ownership. Cocoa Beach and Cape Canaveral condominiums evolved in a different direction than many coastal Florida communities with the vast majority of condos here restricting rentals to a minimum of at least one month and ranging up to 12 months. The number of ocean complexes allowing weekly rentals in Cocoa Beach and Cape Canaveral is only about a dozen. The rental habits of our visitors makes these particular complexes the overwhelming best choice for owners who want the most flexibility for mixing personal use with income or for investors who want the maximum income possibility.

We have two distinct visitor seasons here, snowbirds in the cold months and vacationers in the summer. Our snowbird visitors typically stay for periods from a month to several months. Our summer guests are predominantly one-week vacationers. For condo owners in a 3-month minimum rental building, chances are high for finding a renter for three months or more in the January through April period, but finding a 3-month renter during the rest of the year can be difficult if not impossible. An owner of a weekly rental can usually count on renters during the entire year although much slower in the Labor Day to Christmas period. For owners of units with a six month or longer minimum, the choice is usually between a long-term tenant, which takes away the personal use option, or not renting at all to leave it open for personal use, which takes away all income.

For those not wanting or needing income, complexes that have longer rental periods may be preferable as they are typically quieter with more permanent residents and less visitors and the facilities like pools and tennis courts are less crowded.

If you're looking for a condo, determine in advance what your needs are for income and/or personal use and narrow your search to those complexes that match rather than finding out after purchasing that your plan of having a great beach getaway that also spins off a little income isn't realistic. If your buyer's agent hasn't asked you about your needs in regard to use and income or hasn't briefed you on the implications, fire her immediately. Why work with Eliza Doolittle when you can have Marie Curie?

You know, it occurs to me that the best way you hurt rich people is by turning them into poor people. ___Billy Ray Valentine

Depletion Impending

 

That didn't take very long. This morning we have a total of 107 existing residential properties listed for sale in the Cocoa Beach and Cape Canaveral MLS. Ninety of those are condo or townhouse units and 17 are single family homes. Median price of available condos is $339,000 and buyers looking for a single family home in our two cities for less than $500,000 have three from which to choose. Fifteen homes have closed since January 1. I have no idea how this rapidly worsening inventory crunch will resolve itself but the immediate effect is rising prices. 

Cocoa Beach residents age 65 or above are able to receive a Covid vaccination at one of the Publix supermarket in Cocoa Beach with an advance appointment. Appointment reservations are usually available at 7 AM Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at this website. The website will refresh every 60 seconds until a position is available at which point a screen will appear asking for information. Medicare recipients will need their Medicare number which is on the red, white and blue Medicare card. It may take several tries as Brevard County only has a couple of thousand doses available on each day. Good luck.

"The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who, in times of great moral crisis, maintain their neutrality."  __JFK

Approaching 100 - The Long Decline

Today the MLS inventory of condos and townhouse units for sale in Cocoa Beach and Cape Canaveral will likely hit 100 total units. The decline from 1200 units in May of 2006 to 100 today has been relentless. The flush of sales that began in late 2006 had the supply down to 500 units by 2010 and below 250 by 2015. The decline never slowed. The story for the single family home market has paralleled that of condos and we have a grand total of 20 existing homes for sale today in the two cities, only three of those asking less than a half million dollars.

What does this mean for the 2021 real estate market in Cocoa Beach and Cape Canaveral? At the current rate of sales the single family inventory will be gone in less than 60 days and the condo supply will last 48. We will add supply with new listings but unless the trend reverses, new listings will continue to lag sales. With this type of supply and demand imbalance, lacking some currently-unknown macro issue, prices will continue to climb. Those hoping to purchase can expect multiple offers on desirable, fairly-priced new listings. Know that sellers are taking advantage of the market conditions to swing for the fence with almost all new listings asking well above fair market value, some of them ridiculously so. Buyers should consider the possibility that they may have to overpay for a desirable property. It's an unfortunate situation but one that can't be ignored. There are buyers in our market who have been looking for years but who have been unsuccessful in their search because they can't bring themselves to pay current fair value because it is higher than when they began their search. Those who pinched their nose and overpaid last year have been vindicated as market value caught up with their, at the time, too-high purchase price. 

In the last sixty days about half of all transactions were cash deals and a third of all listings sold in less than two weeks on the market. The fast and flexible buyers are winning. Those hoping to purchase a condo here who plan to use a mortgage need to talk to their lender before starting the search. The down payment requirement may be higher than anticipated. A low down payment condo loan will eliminate many condos from consideration as some won't satisfy lender requirements. As always, be prepared with finances first and know enough about our current market to be able to estimate fair value. Identify the target property type as closely as possible and be prepared to move quickly once a target has been acquired. Decide before the search begins what criteria are non-negotiable; if you must have a garage, if you'll be bringing a pet with you, if rental restrictions matter, the type of view you must have and if a particular location within our two cities is off-limits. Prepared and informed buyers will continue to be successful in this difficult market. Best of luck in your search.

Melbourne aircraft company, Alerion, is to begin production of a supersonic passenger jet at their new Melbourne facility. 

"A Covid test nurse asked if I've had a sudden loss of taste.  I told her, "No, I've dressed like this for quite a while." __Ruth Buzzi