For her and the balance sheet

Santa Maria on Brickell | Photo by Nadia Bouzid

She’s coming to Miami. For school. For work. Maybe because she’s ambitious. Maybe because she’s ready. Med school. Law school. Consulting. Startups. The kind of path that doesn’t leave much room for guesswork. You won’t be close. So you want to make sure the decisions that hold her up, hold.

You could rent. People do. But three years in a solid Brickell building, that’s $180,000 to $234,000 gone. Not invested. Not recoverable. Just gone. A two-bedroom here leases for $5,000 to $6,500 a month. And by the end, she has no equity, no asset, nothing she could hold onto if she decides to stay. Nothing you could use if you visit. Nothing she could lease, inherit, or borrow against if life pivots. And it will.

So you look to buy. Not because it’s glamorous, but because it makes sense.

This city has towers, plenty of them. Rooftop pools. Mirror-glass views. Amenity decks that photograph well. But you’re not buying the view. You’re buying the systems. The bones. The way the building runs when no one’s watching. When it rains. When she locks herself out. When it’s 10pm and a package is missing. You’re buying a structure that doesn’t add friction to her life.

There’s a short list of buildings that still do what they’re supposed to. Where the HOA has reserves. Where the board acts like they’ve seen a spreadsheet before. Where the front desk doesn’t change every quarter. Where short-term rentals are rare, insurance is still attainable, and move-ins don’t take six elevator attempts. Buildings like Santa Maria, Bristol Tower, Skyline, Reach and Rise. Not always the flashiest. But consistent. Owner-occupied. Quiet in the ways that matter.

Buying a condo for my daughter in Brickell

Inside the unit, the logic should hold, too. Not all two-bedrooms are created equal. Some have real walls. Some don’t. Some have airflow, orientation, separation, enough that she can rest, study, live. Some units have been maintained. Others just repainted. You’ll want to know the difference. Look past the staging. Test the doors. Ask what the FPL bill looks like in August. It’s not about micromanaging, it’s about understanding how the place has been lived in.

Sound matters. You’ll want her to feel like she can move through the space, even in heels on marble, without wondering who’s listening. Privacy isn’t just about the door lock. It’s what’s built into the walls. And it’s not always disclosed.

Avoid units over valets or under gyms. Listen near stairwells. Understand how the trash shoots move. These things don’t always show up in the listing. But they do show up in your daughter’s day.

Maybe this apartment becomes her second home one day. Maybe it’s her first real asset. Maybe she outgrows it, or maybe it’s what you stay in when you visit, long after she’s gone. Or maybe it simply sits, quietly, on her balance sheet. Something she doesn’t have to think about. Something no one has to rescue her from. That’s worth something.

This isn’t about spoiling her. This is about making sure her life here has structure. That her foundation holds. That if she falls in love, fails a class, changes her mind, none of that gets harder because the building made it so. You’re not buying her a dream. You’re buying her time. Autonomy. Margin. And that kind of stability, in this city, at this moment, is a competitive advantage.

Bristol Tower | Photo by Nadia Bouzid

And the numbers should reflect:
– Lease comps: $5,000–$6,500/month = $180,000–$234,000 over three years
– HOA dues in well-run Brickell buildings: typically $1.00–$1.40 per sq ft/month
– Appreciation: historically 4–6% annually (pre-tax, excluding rental income)
– Rental velocity: strong 2-bedrooms in A-grade buildings lease in <30 days
– Short-term rentals prohibited in buildings with stable, owner-heavy HOAs
– Title structure should match your long-term plan (LLC, trust, or direct title)
– Closing costs average 5–6% (including title, escrow, insurance, and transfer taxes)
– In the $1.8M–$2.5M range: expect 1,300–1,800 sq ft, 2BR/2.5BA, parking, balcony, and resale velocity

It won’t be the most dramatic decision. There won’t be a ribbon-cutting. But she’ll wake up there, every day, with fewer things to worry about and more space to become who she’s meant to be.

Because done right, it keeps giving, even when she’s moved on.

Rise at Brickell City Center | Photo by Nadia Bouzid

Santa Maria on Brickell | Photo by Nadia Bouzid

Skyline on Brickell | Photo by Nadia Bouzid