How to Buy a $5M+ New Construction Home in Miami While Living Out of State
Quick Summary
- $5M+ remote Miami buying made simple
- Choose condo service or private estate
- Rely on a trusted Miami advisory team
- Use tech and pre construction safeguards
Buying a $5M+ New Construction Home in Miami From Out of State
For many affluent buyers, Miami has shifted from a sunny getaway to a strategic lifestyle and wealth hub. Yet your time is finite and your primary base may be in New York, London, Sao Paulo or beyond. The idea of flying in repeatedly just to tour construction sites and sign paperwork can feel impractical. The good news is that a $5M+ acquisition here can now be structured almost entirely as a remote, white glove experience, with your local team orchestrating every detail while you stay focused on business and family.
In this segment of the market, you are not simply buying a floor plan. You are securing architecture, service and brand equity that must stand the test of time. The key is approaching the purchase with the same discipline you apply to any significant Investment: understanding Miami’s New-construction pipeline, choosing the right product type for how you live, and installing trusted professionals between you and the day to day complexity of the transaction.
Miami’s New-Construction Luxury Landscape
Miami’s skyline is being redefined by glass towers and ultra modern villas designed for a global clientele that expects hotel level service at home. The city’s most coveted New-construction addresses combine long water views, private resident amenities and the cachet of international names in hospitality, automotive and design. Instead of a simple apartment building, you are buying into a fully serviced lifestyle ecosystem that can function seamlessly even when you are thousands of miles away.
On the urban bayfront, St. Regis® Residences Brickell exemplifies how a heritage hotel brand translates into residential living. Set in Brickell, Miami’s financial district, it pairs classic architecture and elevated interiors with dedicated concierge, spa, dining and chauffeur style services that feel familiar if you are used to staying in marquee hotels. For an out of state owner, this kind of environment means you can arrive to a residence that is secure, serviced and ready, without needing a large household staff of your own.
Further north, the shoreline of Sunny Isles has evolved into a vertical collection of Oceanfront statement properties. Bentley Residences Sunny Isles is conceived for collectors who want their car culture and design sensibility reflected at home, while The Perigon Miami Beach offers a more intimate oceanfront tower with a focus on architecture and barefoot privacy in the Miami-beach corridor. Across these and similar projects, you will see a common thread: branded services, generous amenity decks, in house wellness and dining, and a building culture that assumes many owners live elsewhere and come and go on flexible schedules.
Choosing Between a Sky-High Residence and a Waterfront Estate
One of the first strategic decisions is whether your Miami base should be a condominium in a flagship tower or a freestanding home. For many out of state buyers, a condo in a building like St. Regis® Residences Brickell or Bentley Residences Sunny Isles is the most elegant solution. The association handles security, maintenance of common areas, valet, pools and spa operations. You lock the door when you leave, and the building continues to run without intervention, which is ideal if you are using the property intermittently or for extended but seasonal stays.
A single family home, by contrast, offers total privacy and the ability to control every aspect of the experience, from a private dock for your yacht to a custom gym or wellness pavilion. It can be the right choice if you plan to host large family gatherings or want separation from neighbors. The trade off is operational. A $5M+ waterfront estate typically requires a property manager, landscape and pool crews, security monitoring and a clear hurricane readiness plan. Those functions can certainly be outsourced, but they do introduce more moving parts to oversee from afar.
The right answer often lies in your usage pattern. If you want a primarily lock and leave residence with a high level of service, a top tier condo is usually the more practical option. If you envision eventually spending most of the year in Miami, entertaining extensively and perhaps basing a boat here, a home may better justify the extra complexity. Some buyers ultimately hold both: a primary estate plus a smaller pied a terre in Brickell so they can enjoy the city at night without a commute.
Assembling Your Miami Team and Buying Remotely
Remote purchases at this level always begin with the people you place on the ground. A seasoned buyer’s agent who focuses on Miami luxury and New-construction should act as your strategic lead. Their role is not just to forward listings, but to filter projects based on your risk tolerance, timeline and design preferences, and to surface opportunities that may not yet be broadly marketed. They can preview residences, send you detailed videos from specific stacks and exposures, and advise on where the real value sits within a tower or neighborhood.
Equally important is a Florida real estate attorney experienced in high end transactions. They will review reservation agreements, purchase contracts and condominium documents, explain local nuances, and coordinate with the title company so you can complete everything remotely. Florida permits fully digital notarization and closing for many transactions, so with the right setup you can sign, notarize and fund your purchase from your office, rather than flying in for a one hour signing.
Technology has made the selection process far more efficient for out of state buyers. Expect your advisor and the development sales teams to provide 3D virtual tours, narrated video walk throughs, high resolution photography and detailed floor plans so that you can compare views, ceiling heights and layouts on your own time. For pre delivery properties, you may tour a finished model residence or sales gallery via video. Serious buyers are often given access to construction progress footage and live views from the exact floor where their future residence will sit.
With pre construction, it is crucial to understand the financial and legal framework before you commit. Most luxury towers require a series of staged deposits during the build, commonly totaling around 20 to 30 percent of the purchase price before closing, held in escrow under regulated structures. Your attorney should review how and when deposits can be used, what protections you have if the developer does not deliver on time, your rights to assign the contract and the standards for finishes and fixtures on delivery. You will also want a clear picture of projected monthly association fees, reserve funding and rules around leasing should you ever choose to rent your residence.
If you plan to finance, your private bank or jumbo lender should be brought into the conversation early, especially for a condo that is still under construction. Lenders will look not only at your profile, but also at the building itself, including the level of pre sales and the strength of the development team. Parallel to this, speak with your tax advisor about how ownership fits into your broader structure. Florida’s lack of state income tax is attractive if you eventually establish primary residency, while second home owners focus more on property taxes, insurance and cross border considerations.
Once you are in contract, your local team becomes your operating arm. They will monitor construction milestones, schedule and attend inspections, and prepare a detailed punch list as the home nears completion. A final walk through, often done with you on video, allows you to confirm that what was promised on paper actually exists in the residence. After closing, a property manager or the building’s resident services team can oversee everything from smart home setup and regular systems checks to stocking the refrigerator before your arrival. The goal is a true lock and leave experience where Miami feels fully ready for you each time you land.
To curate and coordinate this entire journey, many buyers engage a specialist brokerage such as MILLION Luxury early, allowing a single point of contact to manage shortlists, negotiations and handover, and to ensure that the residence you buy today remains an asset you enjoy and are proud to own over the long term.
FAQs
Can I really buy a $5M+ home in Miami without visiting in person?
Yes, it is possible, particularly in serviced luxury buildings designed for global owners. Your agent, attorney and the development teams can provide exhaustive digital materials and video tours, and Florida law allows remote signing and closing. Many buyers still choose to make one focused visit at a key decision point, but it is no longer a requirement.
Is a Miami condo or single family home better for an out of state buyer?
For most out of state owners who value low friction and predictable service, a condo in a prime building is easier to manage than a standalone house. A private estate may make sense if you expect to spend much of the year in Miami, need extensive outdoor space or docking, and are comfortable hiring a property manager and support teams.
How much should I expect to pay in deposits on a pre construction purchase?
Every project is different, but a common structure for luxury condominiums is to place an initial reservation amount, then staged deposits that bring you to roughly 20 to 30 percent of the price by the time the building tops off. The balance is usually due at closing. Your attorney will outline the exact schedule for any project you consider.
What is the best way to structure ownership for privacy and planning?
High net worth buyers frequently use trusts or limited liability companies to hold title for privacy, liability management and estate planning reasons. The optimal structure depends on your jurisdiction, family plans and banking relationships, so it should be coordinated between your attorney, tax advisor and private banker before you sign a contract.
When should I involve MILLION Luxury in the process?
Ideally, you should bring MILLION Luxury in at the very beginning, before reaching out to individual sales galleries. That allows your advisor to map the full universe of suitable options, pre screen New-construction projects, introduce you to vetted legal and financial partners, and then manage the entire remote acquisition as a single, discreet, highly personalized engagement.
Million Luxury
Million Luxury
Welcome to MILLION, an exclusive luxury real estate boutique nestled in the heart of South Florida’s most desirable locations. Specializing in high-end properties, we provide a sanctuary for discerning clients including top Fortune 500 executives, affluent families, celebrities, and professional athletes from across the globe. At MILLION, we understand the unique demands of our elite clientele and offer a seamless blend of confidentiality and personalized attention. Our commitment to privacy is unwavering; we ensure that every transaction and interaction is handled with the utmost discretion and according to stringent confidentiality protocols. Our concierge service embodies the pinnacle of white-glove care, offering tailored assistance that transcends traditional real estate support.
