As temperatures begin to rise and beaches continue to swell with tourists and locals alike, the Fort Lauderdale condo market along the beach and downtown has cooked up quite a buying frenzy in the past six months.

At the end of 2010, only 160 new units remained unsold out of the 5,100 units created in downtown Fort Lauderdale and the beach since 2003, according to a recent article published in The Miami Herald. This number excludes the 298-unit condo-hotel project previously known as Trump International Hotel & Tower. Sales for these new units have not yet begun. In February, a bulk buyer purchased 68 units in the Village East condominium complex near the 17th Street Causeway.

Surrounded by Sunrise Boulevard south to State Road 84 (Southeast 24th Street) and the Atlantic Ocean west to Northwest 7th (Southwest 4th avenues), this area has a significantly low number of unsold homes compared to other coastal cities, such as Greater Downtown Miami. Developers in this area have close to 3,600 unsold condo units, according to the article.

In the past six months, buyers purchased 62 units per month for a total of 372 units in the downtown Fort Lauderdale and beach markets. At this rate, some experts believe the downtown Fort Lauderdale and beach condo markets have less than a 10-month supply of available product.  6-8 months is considered to be a normal balanced market.

Peter Zalewski, a principal with Condo Vultures, a Bal Harbour-based real estate consultancy reports anti-development opposition as a major reason behind the under supply. Former Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jim Naugle and commission members opposed multiple new construction projects proposed during the boom. This resulted in many of the condo developments in downtown Fort Lauderdale and the beach being approved, constructed and then sold out before the South Florida real estate crashed in 2007.

Prices for new condos in the downtown Fort Lauderdale and the beach markets have fluctuated significantly since the real estate boom. According to Zalewski, the average price per square foot for a new condo rose from $235 in 2003 to $309 in 2004 to $339 in 2005 to $372 in 2006, just before peaking at $499 in 2007.

In 2008, Fort Lauderdale condo prices per square foot dropped to approximately $356 in 2008 and 2009, and later sunk to $185 in 2010. Some believe prices could fall even more, considering the Village East bulk deal sold at $121 per square foot.

Even with an under supply of new condos, resales are always a possibility. Today, 550 condos are available for resale in downtown Fort Lauderdale and the beach markets, according to the Florida Realtors Association. An extra 162 units are currently under contract waiting to transact.

For more information about buying or selling homes and condos in Fort Lauderdale, contact John Sabia today at 954.850.2397.

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