The fix & flip technical checklist for Miami-Dade Fix & flip, Jun 2026, 6 MIN.
Most flips don't lose money on the renovation. They lose money on what nobody checked before the offer went in: a roof past its insurable age, an electrical panel that won't pass inspection, or a permit history that turns a two-week cosmetic job into a six-month code-compliance fight. In Miami-Dade specifically, the county's permitting rules and hurricane-zone requirements make this checklist longer than in most markets. Here's what we actually walk through before a client signs.
Pull the permit history before you pull the tape measure Miami-Dade's permit records are public and searchable through the county's online portal. Before anyone walks the property, we pull the full permit history: what was ever filed, what was closed, and, critically, what was opened and never finaled. An open, expired permit doesn't just sit quietly in the file. It attaches to the property, and a buyer inherits it. If a previous owner pulled a permit for a kitchen remodel or a room addition and never called for final inspection, the county considers that work unpermitted until someone closes it out, which usually means exposing the work again for inspection.
This single step catches more deal-killers than the physical walkthrough does. We've seen otherwise clean-looking renovations sitting on top of three or four open permits going back a decade.
Structure: what's actually load-bearing, and what shape is it in For anything pre-1994 in Miami-Dade, we're specifically looking at how the structure was built relative to the county's post-Hurricane Andrew building code overhaul, the dividing line for a lot of what you'll find in older housing stock. We check roof-to-wall connections, whether the structure has any hurricane straps or clips at all, and whether prior additions were tied into the original structure correctly or just bolted on.
For concrete block construction specifically, we're checking for cracking patterns that indicate settlement versus cosmetic stucco cracking, and for wood-frame additions, we're checking connection detailing at every point where new framing meets old. This is a walk-through item, not a full structural survey, but it tells us within the first hour whether we're looking at a cosmetic flip or a structural one, which changes the entire budget.
Roof: age, wind rating, and what the insurer will actually accept In Miami-Dade's High-Velocity Hurricane Zone (HVHZ), roofing materials need product approval: a Notice of Acceptance (NOA) specific to hurricane-zone wind loads. A roof that's technically "fine" by general Florida standards can still fail to meet HVHZ requirements, and more practically, can make the property uninsurable or dramatically raise premiums regardless of code compliance.
We check the roof's age against typical insurable life (this varies by material, but shingle roofs over 15-20 years are where most insurers start asking questions), look for evidence of prior repairs versus a full re-roof, and check whether the last re-roof pulled a permit at all. An unpermitted roof job is one of the most common open items we find in older Miami-Dade properties.
Electrical panel: capacity, age, and known problem brands Panel condition affects both the renovation budget and the insurance conversation. We check panel age and manufacturer: certain older panel brands are flagged by most Florida insurers regardless of whether the panel is functioning correctly, which means an insurance company can decline coverage or require replacement even on a panel that's technically working fine.
We also check capacity against what the renovated property will actually need: adding a second HVAC zone, an EV charger, or an expanded kitchen load can all push an older 100-amp panel past what it can safely handle, and that's a cost worth knowing before closing, not after.
Zoning and setbacks, especially for any addition If the flip plan includes any addition or footprint change, we verify current zoning against what's actually built. Miami-Dade and its municipalities update setback and lot coverage rules periodically, and a property that was built to code decades ago can be legally non-conforming today, which usually still lets you keep what exists, but can block you from expanding without a variance.
