Real Estate TodaySouth Florida Property Intelligence
Search RET
Menu

Market Intelligence · RET Frameworks

The RET Exit Test

Ten checks before you buy: what future buyers could choose instead, what the home costs to own, and which access rights come with it.

Updated · The periods covered by the figures are shown separately.

The Question

Would a future buyer choose this home over others at the same total budget? The regional report records 407 sales of $10M or more through September 2026; 86% were paid in cash. Buyers are active at that price level, but there are far fewer of them than in the wider housing market. Your home still needs a clear reason to stand out.

What changed?

RET Exit Test - evidence, measurement and decision rule
FactorRecorded fact or exampleWhat it means for the buyer
Scarcity56 Rivage homes versus 138 Ritz West Palm Beach homesCount the homes a buyer could realistically choose instead. Different locations make residence counts alone a poor way to compare privacy or space.
Could another home offer the same thing?200 ft of Rivage shoreline; Viceroy advertises a 500-ft city towerSeparate land-and-access attributes from finishes that another building can reproduce.
Future supplyBoca report: 1,202 approved units at 2025-12-31Classify use, approvals and delivery stage before counting resale competitors.
Who might buy it later86% cash share in reported $10M+ sales through September 2026A cash-heavy tier is less mortgage-sensitive, but 407 transactions are not 407 future buyers for one home.
Carrying costIllustrated $10M scenario below: $347,000/year before debtFund a longer sale period without depending on a closing date.
A layout that may age poorlyRitz 2606: 3,244 interior sq ft; Perigon 606: 3,808Test room layout, elevator access and usable terraces; square footage alone is not equally usable space.
A hard-to-replace settingDirect beach at Rivage versus Flagler Drive frontage at RitzCompare actual access rights; an Intracoastal view does not confer beach ownership.
View protectionBoca has approved projects on named downtown parcelsMap bearing and permitted building size and height; open space in a rendering is not a recorded easement.
Usable water accessSE 17th Street: 55 ft nominal closed clearance at mean high waterFor taller vessels, opening schedules are a purchase constraint, not a lifestyle detail.
Brand dependenceMandarin North: 70 private residences; South: 228Check which services come with the home and what they cost. The name alone does not answer either question.

What it means for you

Condo buyers generally have more choice than house buyers in Broward. September inventory would take 10.2 months to sell at the recent condo sales pace, versus 4.2 months for houses. Even a small condo building competes with that wider choice. Check both what makes the unit special and how long a resale might take.

Who Should Care

A buyer planning a three- to five-year hold should focus on deliveries that could overlap the exit: Perigon and Rivage market 2027, while Mandarin Miami estimates 2030. An owner needing an early sale should place more weight on carrying capacity and competing completed homes than on a long-run scarcity story.

What RET would do next

Buy only when the home compares well with the alternatives and you can afford a slower resale. In the $10M example, nine extra months of the $347,000 annual running costs adds $260,250 before loan payments or selling costs. Any saving on the purchase price needs to cover that risk. Do not rely on future price growth to pay the bills.

Worth Knowing

Palm Beach County recorded 21 sales of $30M or more through September 2026, matching all of 2025. That shows activity at the very top of the market. It does not mean every home asking $20M has a buyer waiting. Look at completed sales separately from homes for sale and new-project reservations.

What to Compare

The October sheet offered Ritz 2606 at $8,362,900 for 3,244 interior sq ft. The May sheet offered Perigon 606 at $12,545,000 for 3,808. The dates, beach access and services differ. Get current written quotes and annual budgets to see whether the extra price buys something you will use.

Sources and dates

Research reviewed October 23, 2026. Periods, geography and property type follow each source; asking prices are not closing prices, medians are not repeat-sale appreciation, and illustrated costs are assumptions. RET analysis is not an appraisal or a forecast. Property documents and current written quotes govern a transaction.

Share by email

Bring the evidence into your decision.

Request a deeper RET review

Ask RET uses dated published evidence and approved property readers. Availability inquiries remain a separate request.

Real Estate Today

Ask RET

Ask about a property, neighborhood, new development or the South Florida market.

RET uses its property research, Market Intelligence, New Development Select and available approved listing data to help you compare options and ask better questions.

Add a property or page (optional)

Dated public research and approved selections. No live provider search or automated valuation. Questions and relevant published evidence are sent to OpenAI to compose the answer. RET does not store question text; only anonymous outcome totals and API token/cost totals are retained. Do not enter private identity, payment or financial details.