1. Define how you will use the condo
Start with personal use, timing and the features you need. A full-time home, a seasonal residence and a property with intended rental use can require different layouts, storage and approvals. Identify your essential needs before comparing finishes.
Write down the number of vehicles, equipment you need to store, accessibility needs, guest arrangements and any pet or leasing questions. These practical details help eliminate unsuitable units early and focus the document review on what matters to you.
2. Tour the residence and the route through the community
Visit the exact unit. Look at orientation, light, balcony, outlook, laundry, storage and the path from your vehicle to the front door. Compare stairs and elevator access, and consider how groceries, beach equipment and visitors would move through the property.
Walk to the amenities and beach entrance you intend to use. Ask which parking, storage and access rights attach to the residence, which arrangements are shared and which require separate permission or payment. A community map is useful; the actual route and documents provide a more complete picture.
3. Read the current association package
Ask for the declaration, bylaws, current rules, budget, financial information, insurance details, reserve information, applicable inspection reports, project records and assessment notices. Review relevant meeting records and ask what changes or work are under discussion.
Have the appropriate professionals explain legal, financial, engineering, insurance or lending issues. May can help organize real estate questions, but an attractive unit or a general community description should not substitute for reviewing the association and building.
4. Distinguish building inspections from reserve planning
Florida DBPR explains milestone inspections as structural reviews and structural integrity reserve studies as planning for major building components and their funding. These are different documents. Ask the association and relevant professionals which requirements apply to the building and obtain the available reports.
Ask what the findings mean for this property: recommended work, its current status, the planned funding and any obligations a buyer may take on. Confirm completion and interpretation with the responsible professionals rather than treating the existence of a report as proof that every issue is resolved.
Official background: Florida DBPR: inspections and reserve studies.
5. Build a complete ownership-cost worksheet
Separate loan payments, taxes, association charges, insurance, utilities, unit maintenance and any other costs. Ask what the association fee covers and which costs remain yours. Establish whether more than one association, a club membership or a separate parking or marine arrangement applies.
Review known assessments and work, then consider how the property fits your budget and holding period. Ask an insurer and lender for property-specific information before assuming two units with similar asking prices will cost the same to own.
6. Verify rental and guest-use plans
Identify the local jurisdiction and the exact association. Ask about minimum stays, approvals, guest use, leasing limits and other requirements that affect your plan. Distinguish an owner’s rights from a rental operator’s advertised services and obtain current confirmation.
If rental use is permitted, make a separate operating plan for your personal-use dates, management, cleaning, utilities, repairs and other expenses. Historical rental records are evidence about a past period, not a guarantee of future income or permission for a new owner’s use.
7. Compare the alternatives with May
Bring two or three listings and the questions that matter most. May can help organize the comparison around actual differences in location, layout, access, condition and association obligations. Keep unresolved questions visible before deciding which property deserves a deeper review.
For any offer, discuss the appropriate inspection and document-review process with May and the relevant professionals. Confirm timing, requirements and responsibilities for the transaction you are considering; a website checklist does not establish contractual deadlines.