That said, there's a lot of condo news this week, which — yawn — I know, but it's getting a little Melrose Placey around here with the first deadlines coming due on the new Surfside laws.

Boynton Beach brawl over $8 million condominium safety project

A concrete restoration project at the Seagate of Gulfstream has got everyone's panties in a bunch because, well, it's $8 million and not everyone's happy with how the repairs are going down such as projects that were supposed to take a few days have actually left people unable to use their lanais for months! Quelle horreur! Seriously though, that kind of sucks.

So now there's an LLC called "The Concerned Owners of Seagate of Gulfstream," and it's hired an attorney, and there's a slew of claims about a lack of transparency and money owed to the board and bylaw violations and maybe it's OK after all to live next door to the black and white house where there's no HOA.

The market is flush with condos for sale. Wonder why?

It's a buyer's market for Palm Beach County townhomes and condominiums, with November's inventory nearly double what it was in 2023 and median prices idling at about $310,000.

Construction and renovations continue on condominium buildings at Seagate of Gulfstream, a 55+ Community in Boynton Beach, Fla., on December 19, 2024.


Why? See post above. And Realtors say more inventory is coming as condominium owners start getting the bills for pricey repairs meant to keep their lanais and the rest of the building from crumbling. But there's good news! Condo vultures Developers are waiting in the wings to take those units off your hands, raze the building and build family friendly units for the low, low price of $1.8 to $4 million each.

Are South Florida's coastal high-rises sinking?

University of Miami researchers used satellite imagery to deduce that coastal structures in Miami-Dade County are sinking more than they would have expected. Is it something to worry about? Heck no! At least that's what the researchers assured me. If there was anything serious, they would have alerted the authorities, of course.

  

But, in the wake of the Surfside collapse, it's an unsettling thought and one that the scientists said needs further study. They also mentioned that Palm Beach County buildings showed similar sinkage but didn't have enough proof yet to say which ones or how much. Alrighty then. Well, you get back to us on that one. Like, soon. OK? Thanks.

Landmarked house in Palm Beach sells for $19.5 million

A mangy old home in the Town of Palm Beach got a glamour shot-worthy makeover after some tussle over restoration and sold this month for $19.5 million. I know you will not be able to sleep tonight without knowing who bought the house (even after that 4-pack of White Claw). Alas, the buyer is a secret for now because was a Delaware-registered limited liability company, which means the identity is hidden deeper than — say it with me now — the lost treasure of Oak Island.

Regardless, the 1920 home is a stunner and possibly designed by Palm Beach society architect Addison Mizner, who also enjoyed a White Claw or two, or three. Not really though.

Live lightly.

Originally built in the 1920s, this landmarked Palm Beach house at 323 Chilean Ave. was extensively renovated by real estate investor Richard C. True, who just sold it for a recorded $19.5 million after using it as his family home.