Home Loans in Miami-Dade County, FL

About Miami-Dade County

Miami-Dade County lies at the southeastern end of the Florida peninsula, with Biscayne Bay and the Atlantic on its east side and Everglades marsh to the west. Miami is the county seat, and the county has 34 incorporated municipalities, from barrier-island and bay communities such as Miami Beach, Sunny Isles Beach and Key Biscayne to inland cities such as Hialeah, Doral and Miami Gardens and southern cities such as Homestead and Florida City. A large unincorporated area, served directly by the county, includes places the Census treats as separate communities, such as Kendall, The Hammocks and Westchester.

Biscayne National Park and part of Everglades National Park lie within the county, and both have entrances at Homestead. Farmland in the south grows vegetables, nursery stock, snap beans and avocados, according to the USDA farm census. The National Hurricane Center concluded that most of southeastern Florida had at least Category 1 hurricane conditions from Wilma in October 2005. NOAA records Hurricane Andrew coming ashore near Homestead on August 24, 1992.

Condominium and cooperative buildings are a central part of the housing mix, and the county has required structural recertification of older buildings since 1975. Buyers also compare municipalities, because each city's building official handles permits, inspections and recertifications inside its boundaries.

Quick facts

County seat: Miami
Region: Southeast Florida
Population: 2,814,927; 2025 · University of Florida BEBR, Florida Estimates of Population 2025
2026 conforming loan limit: $832,750; One-unit home · FHFA
2026 FHA loan limit: $667,000; One-unit home · HUD
Geography: Biscayne National Park, which includes the northernmost Florida Keys
Part of Everglades National Park, with an entrance at Homestead
Everglades water conservation areas along the western side of the county
Farmland and nursery land in the south of the county
Housing types: High-rise and mid-rise condominium buildings
Single-family neighborhoods in cities and unincorporated areas
Barrier-island and bayfront homes
Farmland and acreage in the south
Major industries: Vegetables, nursery stock, snap beans and avocados lead crops by acres in USDA's 2022 Census of Agriculture profile

Figures show their source and year. Confirm details with the county offices.

Housing in Miami-Dade County

Miami-Dade's housing is more varied than its skyline suggests. The county's recertification rules cover most building types except single-family homes, duplexes and very small buildings, so a condominium or cooperative buyer should ask about a building's status. Condominium and cooperative buildings sit alongside single-family neighborhoods in cities such as Coral Gables, Pinecrest and Palmetto Bay and in large unincorporated areas such as Kendall. Each municipality's building official still handles permits and inspections inside its boundaries.

Waterfront homes on Biscayne Bay and the barrier islands raise flood and wind questions that inland homes may not, and the farm and nursery land around Homestead and Florida City is a different kind of purchase again, with acreage and agricultural zoning to check. Investors comparing buildings should ask about recertification status, special assessments and the association's leasing rules, because each can change a property's carrying cost.

Financing in Miami-Dade County

FHA loans

HUD lists FHA-approved condominium projects on a public search page, and VA reviews projects separately, so a building's status can limit which loan types fit. Lenders also tend to look at reserves, open repair items and pending special assessments in the association's budget and recent reports. VA eligibility depends on the borrower's service, not the address. A loan officer can check a building's status before an offer, which matters where condominiums are so common.

Jumbo loans

Miami-Dade's 2026 conforming and FHA limits appear in this guide's quick facts. Some waterfront homes and high-rise units may need a loan above the conforming limit, which makes it a jumbo loan, and jumbo reviews often ask for more documented assets and larger reserves. For 2026, Miami-Dade's conforming limit equals FHFA's national baseline, so there is no high-balance conforming tier here; comparing conforming and jumbo routes before settling on a search range helps a buyer avoid shopping outside a workable loan type.

Condominiums

Miami-Dade has required recertification since 1975, revised in 2022. Single-family homes, duplexes and very small buildings are exempt; the year built sets the schedule. Buildings from 1982 or earlier that were already recertified keep their cycle. Condominium and cooperative buildings of three stories or more within three miles of the coast were due by December 31, 2024 if built from 1983 to 1997, and are due at 25 years if built later. Other buildings from 1983 to 1992 were due by that date, and newer ones at 30 years. Repeats come every 10 years; owners get 90 days to file. Ask the association which schedule applies and what it found.

Flood zones and flood insurance

Miami-Dade Emergency Management links a Storm Surge Planning Zones map, and its Prepare for a Flood page links a separate flood zone map. One covers surge ahead of a storm and the other mapped flood risk, and neither replaces FEMA's Map Service Center. Where a federally regulated or insured lender holds the mortgage and the building sits in a mapped high-risk area, flood insurance is mandatory, while ordinary homeowners policies exclude flood damage. Ask for an elevation certificate when one exists. For a building inside the Biscayne Bay System Unit (see the CBRS Mapper), federal law bars FHA, VA and USDA loans, though a conventional loan may still be possible.

Homeowners insurance

Ask an insurance agent for both wind and flood quotes before an offer on a coastal or older property, since roof age, window protection and construction year can all shape what an insurer offers. My Safe Florida Home, a state program, has provided wind-mitigation inspections and upgrade grants to eligible homeowners, subject to funding. A flood policy bought apart from a mortgage usually carries a 30-day wait.

Homestead exemption

The Miami-Dade County Property Appraiser takes homestead applications. A buyer who owns the home and makes it a permanent residence by January 1 files by March 1, and the exemption lowers taxable value. A sale resets the Save Our Homes assessment limit, so expect reassessment at just value the following January 1 instead of the seller's capped figure. Someone moving from another Florida homestead may be able to transfer all or part of that benefit if the new homestead is established within three years of January 1 of the year the old one was abandoned.

Local homebuyer assistance

Housing and Community Development runs SHIP under a Local Housing Assistance Plan covering 2025 to 2028. Florida Housing requires homebuyer education for SHIP buyers, and the county lists agencies that recently received county funding to offer free sessions to income-eligible buyers. Hialeah, Homestead, Miami, Miami Beach, Miami Gardens and North Miami have their own SHIP plans on Florida Housing's list, so contact the city office first for addresses there. Funds are limited.

Short-term rentals

Short-term rental rules are set city by city. Miami Beach says vacation rentals of less than six months and one day are prohibited in all single-family homes and in many multi-family buildings in certain zoning districts, and permitted rentals need a Business Tax Receipt and a Resort Tax account. A buyer counting on rental income should check the city's zoning map, the building's own rules and how a lender treats that income before making an offer.

Cities, towns and communities

MiamiCityCounty seatCounty seat, incorporated in 1896; Florida Housing lists a separate city SHIP plan.
HialeahCityInland city incorporated in 1925, with its own SHIP plan on Florida Housing's list.
Miami GardensCityNorthern Miami-Dade city incorporated in 2003, with its own SHIP plan.
HomesteadCitySouthern city incorporated in 1913 with entrances to both Biscayne and Everglades national parks; it has its own SHIP plan.
DoralCityNorthwest Miami-Dade city incorporated in 2003.
Miami BeachCityBarrier-island city on the Atlantic, incorporated in 1915, with its own SHIP plan and published short-term rental rules.
North MiamiCityNorthern city incorporated in 1926, with its own SHIP plan.
Coral GablesCityCity incorporated in 1925, southwest of downtown Miami.
North Miami BeachCityCity in northern Miami-Dade; the county lists 1931 as its incorporation date, when it took the name North Miami Beach.
AventuraCityNortheast coast city incorporated in 1995, next to Hallandale Beach in Broward County.
Hialeah GardensCityCity incorporated in 1948 in northwest Miami-Dade, next to Hialeah.
Sunny Isles BeachCityOceanfront city on the northeast coast, incorporated in 1997.

Show all 34

SweetwaterCityCity in western Miami-Dade incorporated in 1941.
Florida CityCityCity at the southern edge of the mainland county, incorporated in 1914.
Opa-lockaCityCity incorporated in 1926 in northern Miami-Dade.
Miami SpringsCityCity incorporated in 1926 near Miami International Airport.
North Bay VillageCityCity on islands in Biscayne Bay, incorporated in 1945.
South MiamiCityCity in the central part of the county, incorporated in 1927.
West MiamiCitySmall city incorporated in 1947, west of Coral Gables.
Cutler BayTownSouthern Miami-Dade town incorporated in 2005.
Miami LakesTownTown in northwest Miami-Dade incorporated in 2000.
Bay Harbor IslandsTownTown on islands in Biscayne Bay, incorporated in 1947.
Golden BeachTownOceanfront town at the county's northeast corner, incorporated in 1929.
MedleyTownTown in northwest Miami-Dade incorporated in 1949.
SurfsideTownOceanfront town on the northeast coast.
Palmetto BayVillageVillage on Biscayne Bay in southern Miami-Dade, incorporated in 2002.
PinecrestVillageVillage incorporated in 1996 in the south-central part of the county.
Key BiscayneVillageIsland village in Biscayne Bay, incorporated in 1991.
Bal HarbourVillageOceanfront village on the northeast coast, incorporated in 1947.
Biscayne ParkVillageVillage in northern Miami-Dade incorporated in 1933.
El PortalVillageVillage in northern Miami-Dade incorporated in 1937.
Indian CreekVillageIsland village in Biscayne Bay, incorporated in 1939.
Miami ShoresVillageVillage in northern Miami-Dade incorporated in 1932.
Virginia GardensVillageSmall village incorporated in 1947, near Miami Springs.

Official local resources

Links go to government offices, not to Mortgage by Ruben.

Miami-Dade County: common questions

6 questions

How does Miami-Dade's building recertification program affect buying an older condo?

The county has required recertification reports from a Florida-registered engineer or architect since 1975, and it changed the program in 2022 after the state's condo inspection law. Owners get a notice and have 90 days to file. The year a building was built decides which schedule applies. Single-family homes, duplexes and very small buildings are not covered. Ask the association whether a report was filed and what it found.

Where do I find my storm surge planning zone and my flood zone in Miami-Dade?

The county's Emergency Management page links a Storm Surge Planning Zones map, and its Prepare for a Flood page links a flood zone map. They answer different questions: one is about surge during a storm, the other is about mapped flood risk. Check both, plus FEMA's Map Service Center, for any address.

Do I need homebuyer education to use Miami-Dade SHIP help?

The county's SHIP page says Florida Housing requires homebuyers who want SHIP funding to attend Homebuyer Education and Counseling. It lists agencies that recently received county funding to offer free sessions to income-eligible buyers. Ask your loan officer how the course fits into your timeline.

My condo is inside a city such as Miami Beach or Coral Gables. Which office handles its recertification?

The county says each municipality's building official has jurisdiction over permitting, inspections and recertifications inside the city. The county's own recertification portal serves unincorporated Miami-Dade, where the folio number begins with 30. Ask the association which office sent its notice, and check that office's current schedule.

Can I count on short-term rental income from a Miami Beach condo?

Not without checking. Miami Beach says vacation rentals of less than six months and one day are prohibited in all single-family homes and in many multi-family buildings in certain zoning districts, and permitted units need a Business Tax Receipt and a Resort Tax account. The city's zoning map and the building's own rules both matter.

I am buying in Hialeah, Homestead or Miami Gardens. Does the county SHIP plan cover that address?

Florida Housing's list shows separate SHIP plans for Hialeah, Homestead, Miami, Miami Beach, Miami Gardens and North Miami, and tells applicants to try the city contact first. For addresses elsewhere, the county's Housing and Community Development department runs SHIP. Funds open and close, so ask which strategies are available before planning around them.

Loan programs to explore

Condotel and Non-Warrantable Condo LoansFor condos and condo-hotels outside Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac project rules.
Short-Term Rental LoansFinance vacation rentals using short-term rental income.
Jumbo LoansFor loan amounts above the conforming limit.
Down Payment Assistance ProgramsGrants and second loans that help with funds to close.
First-Time Homebuyer OptionsOptions and assistance programs for your first home.

Not sure which program fits? Try the program finder or run your own numbers in the calculators.

Browse all loan programs

Neighboring counties

All 67 counties

Local information on this page is general, comes from public sources and can change. Loan programs and eligibility do not depend on the county alone, and this page does not determine them. For current facts about a property, check official sources such as the county property appraiser or assessor and FEMA flood maps. This is not a commitment to lend, and program availability varies by lender.