Case Study: Major Code Violations on NW 37th Avenue in Miami Gardens.

The Challenge: A Home Drowning in City Fines

When we first met Ms. Eleanor Vance at her property on NW 37th Avenue in Miami Gardens, the stress was palpable. She had inherited the classic 1968 block construction home from her parents, a staple of the Carol City area. Years ago, her son, in an attempt to add value, had converted the single-car garage into an extra bedroom and bathroom without the necessary permits. While well-intentioned, this unpermitted work eventually caught the vigilant eye of the City of Miami Gardens Code Enforcement.

We walked into a living room with a stack of intimidating red and white letters from the City, each detailing escalating fines and demands for immediate remediation. The property also suffered from a musty smell of neglect, a result of a patched-up roof that had seen better decades and was now causing minor leaks. The original electrical panel was outdated, and the cast-iron plumbing, a common feature in homes of this era in Miami Gardens, was showing its age with slow drains and the threat of more serious issues.

Ms. Vance, a retiree living on a fixed income, was overwhelmed. The thought of hiring contractors to undo the unpermitted work, then get new permits, replace the roof, and deal with the plumbing, all while the city fines accumulated daily, was a nightmare. She needed a way out, and she needed it fast, before the situation spiraled into liens and legal action against her family's long-held home in Miami Gardens.

The Solution: A Transparent, All-Cash Offer with Speed

Our approach at FL Home Buyers is always about providing a clear, empathetic solution, especially in complex situations like Ms. Vance's. The key differentiator was simple: we didn't ask her to fix a single code violation. Nor did we require her to make any repairs to the roof, plumbing, or electrical system.

Upon our initial walkthrough, our project lead, Max Cohen, performed a rapid, detailed assessment. We meticulously calculated the estimated costs to revert the unpermitted garage conversion, bring the electrical system up to current code, and replace the failing cast-iron plumbing. Critically, we also factored in the existing city fines and any potential fees for outstanding violations that would need to be addressed post-closing.

Transparency was paramount. We presented Ms. Vance with a straightforward, all-cash offer. Max sat with her, explaining exactly how we arrived at our number, detailing the repair estimates and the costs associated with clearing the Miami Gardens code violations. There were no hidden fees, no last-minute renegotiations, just a clear path forward.

Our goal was to remove all the burden from Ms. Vance's shoulders. We offered a flexible closing timeline that worked for her, ensuring she had ample time to move her belongings without feeling rushed. This meant she could avoid further fines, costly repairs, and the emotional toll of dealing with contractors and city inspectors.