Case Study: The Code Violations on SW 10th Street in Miami

The Challenge: A Legacy of Unpermitted Changes

When we first connected with Sofia M., she was overwhelmed. She had recently inherited her great-aunt's home on SW 10th Street in Miami's Little Havana neighborhood. What should have been a bittersweet inheritance had quickly turned into a significant source of stress.

The house, originally built in 1948, was a modest concrete block structure. However, over decades, her great-aunt, in an effort to accommodate growing family needs or perhaps generate extra income, had made numerous "improvements" without permits. We're talking about a garage conversion into an additional bedroom, a makeshift kitchen and bathroom added to the back, and internal partitions that created several small, non-compliant spaces. The wiring was a tangle of old and new, some areas looking genuinely hazardous, and the plumbing was a haphazard mix of ancient galvanized pipes and improperly connected PVC.

The City of Miami's Code Enforcement Department had, understandably, taken notice. Sofia had inherited not just the house, but a stack of official notices, violation stickers on the windows, and the specter of mounting fines for unsafe structures and illegal electrical work. The faint, lingering smell of old construction materials mixed with mildew gave a sensory confirmation of the issues. As an out-of-state owner living in Orlando, Sofia simply didn't have the time, resources, or local expertise to navigate the complex permitting process, hire contractors, or deal with the City of Miami bureaucracy. The financial burden of repairs, coupled with the potential demolition liens, felt like a ticking time bomb.

The Solution: Transparency and a Straightforward Path

Sofia reached out to FL Home Buyers looking for a way out. Unlike traditional real estate agents who would insist on her fixing all the violations before listing, we approached the situation differently. Our team immediately understood the scope of the problem in Miami and focused on providing a direct, no-hassle solution.

We conducted a thorough assessment of the property, not to create a repair list for Sofia, but to calculate our own comprehensive rehab costs. This included:

• Demolition and removal of all unpermitted structures.
• Full re-wiring to meet current Miami-Dade electrical codes.
• Significant plumbing overhaul to replace galvanized pipes and ensure code compliance.
• Permit fees and the often-lengthy process of bringing the property up to City of Miami standards.
• Costs associated with potential fines and legal navigation.

Our offer reflected these realities but ensured Sofia received a fair cash price without having to spend a single dollar or a minute of her time on repairs, permits, or dealing with code enforcement. We presented a transparent breakdown, explaining exactly how we arrived at our cash offer, outlining our projected costs and the risks we were assuming. Sofia didn't have to clean out her great-aunt's belongings, worry about contractors, or even make a single phone call to the city. We handled everything.

The Result: A Stress-Free Closing in Miami

For Sofia, the relief was palpable. After accepting our transparent cash offer, we moved quickly. We handled all the necessary paperwork and coordinated directly with her, keeping her informed at every step.

We closed at Capital Title & Escrow in Coral Gables on Sofia's preferred timeline, just 21 days after our initial offer. The funds were wired directly to her, allowing her to put the stress of the Miami property behind her and focus on other priorities. She received a fair cash amount for a property that would have been unsellable through traditional channels, especially with the looming threat of city action.

"Max made this easy. We were drowning in fines and didn't know where to turn with my great-aunt's Miami house. FL Home Buyers took all the stress away. The offer was fair, and the process was so quick. I couldn't be more grateful." — Sofia M., Former Owner, Miami

This case on SW 10th Street is a prime example of how FL Home Buyers steps in to solve complex real estate problems in Miami, offering clarity and a guaranteed cash sale when traditional methods simply won't work.