Sell Your Florida Condo or Townhome for Cash

Home › Property Types We Buy › Condos & Townhomes · Updated October 25, 2026

For decades, a Florida condo was the simple option: someone else handles the roof, the pool and the landscaping, and you pay a monthly fee. That calculation changed after the Champlain Towers South collapse in Surfside in June 2021. The Legislature responded with a series of condominium safety laws that require older buildings to be inspected on a schedule, require associations to study and fully fund reserves for major structural components, and give buyers more information about a building’s condition. These changes are aimed at making buildings safer, and over time they should. In the short run, though, many owners — especially in older coastal buildings — are facing sharp increases in monthly dues, large special assessments, and buyers who can’t get a loan.

If you own a unit in that situation, you have choices: pay the assessment and hold, list and hope a buyer can finance, or sell for cash to a buyer who accounts for the costs up front. This page explains how the new rules work in general terms, how they affect value, and how we buy condos and townhomes across Florida, with a particular focus on our home market in Southwest Florida. For the broader view of everything we buy, see our property types hub.

Why Condo and Townhome Owners Choose Libera Capital Group

What Condos and Townhomes Do We Buy?

• High-rise and mid-rise condo units, including older coastal towers and buildings currently undergoing concrete restoration, balcony work or roof replacement.
• Low-rise garden condos — the two- and three-story walk-up buildings common in Fort Myers, Naples, Port Charlotte and Sarasota.
• Villas and coach homes within golf and country club communities, which may be condo-form or HOA-form ownership.
• Townhomes, whether held fee-simple within an HOA or as condominium units.
• Age-restricted (55+) condos where the pool of eligible buyers is smaller by design.
• Condo-hotel and rental-restricted units, which are often difficult to finance conventionally.
• Units with problems — unpaid dues and association liens, a pending foreclosure by the association, water intrusion, mold, or storm damage to the unit interior.
• Units in buildings with problems — litigation, a failed or incomplete milestone inspection, large deferred maintenance, or a recent or pending special assessment.

We also buy units with tenants in place, including seasonal leases, and multiple units within the same building when an investor or estate wants to exit several at once.

What Changed in Florida Condo Law After Surfside?

Beginning in 2022, Florida passed a series of condominium and cooperative safety laws, starting with Senate Bill 4-D and followed by amendments in later sessions. The details have been adjusted more than once — including deadlines — so treat this as a general overview and confirm current requirements with your association, a Florida community association attorney or the statutes themselves (Chapter 718 governs condominiums). In broad strokes, the laws do three things.

1. Milestone structural inspections

Condominium and cooperative buildings that are three stories or taller must undergo a milestone inspection once they reach a certain age — generally 30 years after the certificate of occupancy, with local officials able to require it earlier in some circumstances — and then on a recurring roughly ten-year cycle. The inspection is performed by a licensed architect or engineer in two phases:

• Phase one is a visual examination of the building’s structural components to look for substantial structural deterioration.
• Phase two is required only if phase one finds substantial deterioration, and may involve destructive or non-destructive testing to determine the extent of the problem and what repairs are needed.

When repairs are recommended, associations have deadlines to begin them. Concrete spalling, corroded rebar, balcony and walkway deterioration and failing waterproofing are common findings in older coastal buildings, and those repairs can be expensive.

2. Structural integrity reserve studies (SIRS)

Buildings three stories and taller must also have a structural integrity reserve study prepared on a recurring schedule, generally every ten years. The SIRS identifies key structural and life-safety components — such as the roof, load-bearing walls and primary structure, fireproofing and fire protection systems, plumbing, electrical systems, waterproofing and exterior painting, and windows and exterior doors — estimates their remaining useful life and replacement cost, and sets a funding plan. Historically, many Florida associations voted each year to waive or reduce reserve contributions to keep dues low. Under the new framework, associations generally can no longer waive or underfund reserves for the components the SIRS covers. Catching up on decades of underfunded reserves is a major reason monthly dues have risen in many buildings.

3. More disclosure to buyers

Associations must keep milestone inspection reports and reserve studies as official records, and buyers of units are now entitled to receive more information about the building’s condition and funding status as part of a resale. That transparency is good for the market long term, but in the near term it means buyers see exactly how much work a building needs — and some walk away.

You can read the statute directly on the Florida Legislature’s Chapter 718 page. Nothing here is legal advice; please consult a Florida attorney about your building’s specific situation.

Why Special Assessments and Rising Dues Lead Owners to Sell

When a milestone inspection uncovers structural repairs and reserves are thin, the association has limited options: levy a special assessment, borrow money and repay it through higher dues, or some combination. For owners, that can mean a one-time bill that’s a meaningful percentage of the unit’s value, followed by permanently higher monthly payments. Many owners — particularly retirees on fixed incomes and seasonal residents who use the unit a few months a year — decide that selling makes more sense than funding a multi-year restoration project.

Who pays an assessment when a unit sells?

That depends on how and when the assessment is levied and on what the buyer and seller agree. An assessment that’s already been adopted is typically shown on the association’s estoppel certificate and is usually paid by the seller at closing or credited to the buyer, though parties can negotiate otherwise. Proposed but not-yet-adopted assessments are a gray area that often kills retail deals. With us, it’s straightforward: we review the documents, account for adopted and likely future assessments in our offer, and agree in writing who pays what.

Insurance-driven dues increases

Condo associations carry the master property policy for the building, and Florida’s insurance market pressures have pushed many master policy premiums sharply higher. That cost flows directly into dues. Unit owners also carry their own HO-6 policy for interior finishes, contents and liability. After Hurricane Ian and the 2024 storms, some coastal associations also faced deductibles and uninsured losses that turned into assessments of their own.

Financing and Insurance Hurdles for Condo Buyers

Even an attractive, well-priced unit can be hard to sell if buyers can’t borrow. Conventional lenders that sell loans to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac must confirm that the condominium project meets eligibility guidelines. Buildings with significant deferred maintenance, unfunded critical repairs, or certain types of special assessments for safety-related work may be treated as ineligible until the issues are resolved. Other common reasons a project is considered “non-warrantable” include a high share of units owned by one entity, a high percentage of investor-owned units, a large amount of commercial space, pending litigation involving the association, and hotel-style rental operations. FHA and VA loans require separate project approvals that many older buildings don’t have.

The practical effect: in some buildings, the only realistic buyers are those paying cash or using portfolio lenders at higher rates and larger down payments. That narrows demand and lengthens time on market. Because we buy with cash, project eligibility doesn’t affect our ability to close — although the same issues do affect what the unit is worth, and our offer reflects that honestly.

Association approvals and restrictions

• Buyer approval: many Florida condos require an application and approval before a sale closes, and some have a right of first refusal.
• Rental restrictions: minimum lease terms, limits on the number of leases per year, or waiting periods before a new owner may rent.
• Age restrictions: 55+ communities require that a minimum share of units be occupied by at least one person 55 or older.
• Estoppel certificates: the association’s statement of amounts owed, required by the title company before closing.

We plan around each of these in our timeline so they don’t become last-minute surprises.

Townhomes: Condo Form or Fee Simple?

“Townhome” describes a building style — attached homes sharing walls — not a form of ownership. In Florida, a townhome may be a condominium unit governed by Chapter 718, where the association typically owns and insures the structure, or a fee-simple lot within an HOA governed by Chapter 720, where you own the land beneath your unit and are usually responsible for your own roof and exterior insurance. The distinction affects your insurance, maintenance responsibilities, whether condo safety rules apply, and how a lender views the property. Check your deed and declaration, or simply tell us the community name and we’ll confirm it during our review. Townhome communities in Southwest Florida are frequently newer, two-story buildings, which generally fall below the three-story threshold for milestone inspections and SIRS — but older or taller townhome condos can be included.

How Do We Value a Condo or Townhome?

We start with recent sales of comparable units — ideally in the same building or community, with similar floor level, view, square footage and condition. Then we adjust for the factors specific to condominium ownership:

• Adopted and likely special assessments, based on the budget, SIRS, milestone inspection reports and board minutes.
• Monthly dues and their direction, since higher carrying costs reduce what any investor or end user can pay.
• Financing eligibility, which affects how many buyers we could eventually sell to and at what price.
• Rental rules, which determine whether a unit can be held as an annual or seasonal rental.
• Unit condition, including interior renovation needs, water damage, and items like windows or AC units that the owner, not the association, must replace.
• Flood exposure, particularly for ground-floor units and buildings with parking and mechanical rooms at grade.

We share the comps and the adjustments with you. If you think we’ve missed something — a recent renovation, a pending insurance recovery that will offset an assessment — tell us. For a side-by-side on net proceeds, see our cash offer vs. listing comparison.

Deal Structures and Common Situations

• Assessment handled at closing: adopted assessments paid from proceeds or credited, documented clearly in the contract.
• Delayed closing: sign now, close after season, or after you’ve moved into your next home.
• Tenant-occupied purchase: annual or seasonal leases assigned to us at closing.
• Estate sales: many Florida condos are inherited by out-of-state family; we coordinate with the personal representative and probate attorney. See inherited and probate property.
• Association liens and foreclosure: unpaid dues can lead to a lien and foreclosure by the association. We can often close before a sale date and pay the balance from proceeds. See pre-foreclosure help and back taxes and liens.
• Storm-damaged units: ground-floor units on Fort Myers Beach, Sanibel and other coastal areas took on water during Ian and the 2024 storms. See hurricane and flood damage.

Where Condos and Townhomes Are Common in Southwest Florida

Condominiums are spread throughout Southwest Florida, but the older coastal mid-rise and high-rise stock — the buildings most affected by the new safety rules — is concentrated in a handful of places:

• Naples — beachfront and bayfront towers along the Gulf, plus low-rise condos and coach homes inland.
• Marco Island — a large stock of Gulf-front high-rises, many dating from the 1970s and 1980s.
• Fort Myers Beach and Sanibel — island condos and vacation rental complexes, many rebuilt or under repair after Ian.
• Fort Myers — downtown riverfront high-rises and extensive garden-style complexes along the main corridors.
• Bonita Springs and Estero — golf community villas, coach homes and newer towers.
• Punta Gorda and Venice — waterfront and 55+ condominium communities.

Cash Sale vs. Listing a Condo: Typical Costs

How to Sell Your Condo or Townhome to Us

1. Send the unit details. Building name, unit number, condition, dues, and any assessments you know about. If you have the latest budget or inspection report, share it.
2. We review the association documents. We look at reserves, SIRS and milestone status, minutes and rules, then walk through the unit.
3. Get a written cash offer. Typically within 24–48 hours of having what we need, with assessment handling spelled out.
4. Close at a Florida title company. The title company orders the estoppel; we complete any association application. See how it works.

Other property types we buy

Selling more than a condo? We also buy single-family homes, multifamily buildings and mixed-use properties, and our sell my house fast page covers residential sales generally.

What to Gather Before You Call

You don’t need a binder of documents to get an offer, but having a few items handy lets us move faster and reduces guesswork in our number:

• The association’s contact: management company name or the board member who handles records.
• Your most recent dues statement and any notices about assessments, loans or upcoming votes.
• The current budget and reserve schedule, plus any SIRS or milestone inspection report you’ve received.
• Recent meeting minutes, which often reveal planned projects before any assessment is formally adopted.
• Lease and deposit details if the unit is rented, including seasonal booking commitments.
• Insurance information for your HO-6 policy and any open claims for water or storm damage.

If you’re out of state — common for Florida condo owners and heirs — we can do the walkthrough with a property manager, neighbor or lockbox, and the closing can be handled by mail or remote online notarization through the title company. Many sellers never return to Florida for the sale at all.

Frequently Asked Questions about Selling a Condo or Townhome for Cash