How Do Condo Fees, Assessments, Building Age Now Factor Into South Florida Unit Pricing?

In this episode of Condo Capitalism™, state-certified general real estate appraiser Katherine Lavin discusses South Florida condo valuations in the aftermath of the Surfside condo collapse.Condo Capitalism™ is the weekly podcast hosted by Peter Zalewski of the Miami Condo Investing Club™ that provides data-driven analysis on distressed real estate—foreclosures, shortsales and bank-owned REOs—in the tricounty South Florida region of Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach.The program dissects players and trends, focusing on the escalating Florida Condo Association Financial Cliff, which is now fully underway as cash-strapped unit owners face rising maintenance fees, hefty special assessments and pricey insurance.On the show, experts analyze how the national “two-sided risk”—rising inflation and falling employment—magnifies the growing crisis in Florida, revealing where high post-Surfside condo fees clash with a softening resale market to expose the potential for a capitulation by unit owners who can no longer afford condo living.Join Peter Zalewski live every weekday at 4 pm (Miami time) on MiamiCondo.Club for the full schedule: Miami Condo Mondays™ (market overview), Miami Condo Exchange™ (data discussion) on Tuesdays, The Peter Zalewski Show™ (interview) on Wednesdays, Condo Capitalism™ (distressed market) on Thursdays, and Buy, Sell, Hold Miami™ (debate) on Fridays. On-demand recordings of all shows are available here.Episode OverviewIn the Dec. 4, 2025, episode of the Condo Capitalism podcast, host Peter Zalewski interviewed Katherine Lavin, a state-certified general real estate appraiser who works with Expert Valuation Services in Miami, about accurately pricing South Florida condos in a changing or increasingly distressed market.In a world of nonstop promotion, conspiracy theories and fake news claims, Lavin—a self-described “homeaholic” who attended Harvard University— is responsible for figuring out reality when it comes to pricing for all forms of South Florida real estate, whether it is distressed condo projects, boutique hotels or Class A office towers.Often times, the properties that Lavin appraises are unique, have no comparable sales or may have been damaged. Yet, she is tasked to come up with a value that can be defended in court if there is a lawsuit.It is against this backdrop that Zalewski interviewed Lavin about how to most accurately assess South Florida condo prices in a market when resale supply is growing, unit transactions are falling and Vintage projects that are at least 30 years are facing a financial cliff in the post-Surfside condo collapse era.The discussion quickly established that in this environment, relying on hearsay from neighbors, Zillow or government tax assessments is insufficient, as these metrics either lag market activity or have no relation to actual sales price.To cut through the market noise, Lavin detailed the core objective approaches she utilizes: market analysis, cost analysis and investment value.The cost approach, for instance, requires access to the approved Cotality (formerly CoreLogic) Construction Pricing Database, which can be used to calculate replacement costs by zip code, a crucial tool often used for insurance valuations.This commitment to objective data forms the foundation of her expertise, separating her output from less credible sources.