Commercial real estate consulting in Miami

How a consulting engagement runs

Consulting work is useful only when it ends in a decision. We set up every Miami engagement around the question you need answered, the date you need the answer, and the format that will help you or your partners decide.

1. Scope letter. One page stating the question, what we will deliver, the timeline and the fee.
2. Data request. Leases, operating statements, surveys, budgets, headcount plans or whatever the question requires. We keep the list as short as possible.
3. Fieldwork. Site visits, building tours, zoning research, conversations with landlords, lenders, contractors and brokers, and current proposals or quotes where relevant.
4. Analysis. Financial models, comparisons and risk review, built so you can change the assumptions and see the effect.
5. Draft and discussion. We walk you through findings before finalizing, because the questions you ask often sharpen the answer.
6. Final memo. A clear recommendation, the reasoning, the numbers and the key risks, written so a board, partner or lender can follow it.

Relocating a company to Miami

Companies moving from New York and other cities usually come with a short list of neighborhoods and a lot of assumptions. Our job is to test those assumptions against the people who will actually work in the office and the clients who will visit it.

We start with where current and future employees live or are likely to live, then map commutes by car, Metrorail, Metromover, Brightline and the expressways during real rush hours. Miami traffic can make a few miles feel very long, so an office that looks central on a map may not work for a team spread between Broward and South Dade. We compare total occupancy cost (rent, expenses, parking, build-out and moving), the kind of buildings available in each area, and what the address says to the clients you want to attract.

Florida has no state personal income tax, which is often part of why companies look at Miami, but the full tax and cost picture is something your CPA should confirm for your business. For the leasing side, see Miami tenant representation.

Lease or buy for owner-occupiers

Businesses that plan to stay in Miami for many years often ask whether they should own their building. There is no universal answer. Owning builds equity and gives control, but it ties up capital, exposes you to insurance and repair costs and makes moving harder. Leasing keeps capital in the business and gives flexibility, but rent and expenses can rise at each renewal.

We model both paths over the same period: down payment and financing on the buy side, including programs designed for owner-occupied commercial property, against rent, expenses and expected renewals on the lease side. We include insurance, real estate taxes, maintenance reserves and what the building might be worth at the end. Then we look at the softer factors, such as how certain your space needs are and whether your business would rather put its money into growth. Financing terms and tax effects should be confirmed with your lender and CPA.

Lease audits and expense reviews

Many Miami tenants pay operating expense and insurance pass-throughs every year without checking them. Errors are common, and in a market where insurance costs have risen sharply, the amounts at stake can be meaningful.

• Is your pro rata share calculated on the correct square footage?
• Are expenses grossed up properly if the building was not fully occupied?
• Are capital improvements being charged as operating expenses when the lease does not allow it?
• Is the management or administrative fee within the lease limit?
• Is insurance allocated fairly between retail, office and residential portions of a mixed-use building?

Most leases set a short window after the annual reconciliation to request backup or dispute charges. We calendar those dates and review the reconciliation as soon as it arrives. If a formal audit is warranted, we coordinate with an accountant and your attorney.

Hold, refinance or sell: the questions we answer

Owners of Miami investment property face a recurring decision, often prompted by a loan maturity, an insurance renewal or an unsolicited offer. We frame it as a set of specific questions, each answered with numbers.

We present the paths side by side with the key assumptions spelled out. Tax consequences of a sale or exchange are for your CPA; we coordinate with them and, if you sell, our investment sales team can run the process. Exchange planning is covered on our 1031 exchange page.

Resilience and insurance risk review

For buyers and lenders, the physical risk of a Miami property has become a financial question. A building’s flood zone, elevation, roof condition and window ratings all show up in insurance costs, and insurance costs show up in value. We help clients understand that risk before they commit.

• Flood zone and elevation relative to the street and to current requirements.
• Roof age, type and documentation, which insurers weigh heavily.
• Whether windows, doors and storefronts are impact-rated or protected.
• Wind mitigation inspection results, which can affect premiums.
• History of water intrusion, flooding or storm damage.
• Backup power and how the building operated after past storms.

With a contractor’s eye, we can also estimate what it would cost to reduce the risk, such as a new roof, impact openings or flood barriers, and whether that spend would pay back through lower insurance or higher value. Your insurance broker should provide actual quotes.

Multi-location strategy across South Florida

Companies with several locations in Miami-Dade and Broward, such as clinics, retail stores, service businesses or offices, often end up with a scattered portfolio of leases signed at different times on different terms. We build a single view: every location, its cost, its lease dates and options, and how it performs for the business.

From there, we can recommend which leases to renew, which to relocate and where to consolidate or add sites. We align expirations so the company has leverage, and we plan moves so operations are not disrupted. When expansion makes sense, we compare submarkets such as Doral, Coral Gables and the Fort Lauderdale area, using the same scoring each time. Our Fort Lauderdale consulting page covers the Broward side.

A hypothetical example: a family office and a Wynwood building

The following is hypothetical and for illustration only. A family office owns a two-story building in Wynwood with restaurant and office tenants. A developer has made an offer, the insurance premium has jumped, and a major lease expires in two years.

We would value the building as it stands, estimate land value under the special district zoning, test what a renewal or re-leasing of the large space could look like, and price near-term capital needs. We would then show three paths, keep and re-lease, sell now to the developer or to the market, and partner on redevelopment, with the range of outcomes for each. The family would get a clear recommendation and the numbers to support whatever they decide.

Development feasibility before you buy

Developers and investors considering a Miami site often want an independent check before going under contract or before releasing a deposit. A feasibility review answers a narrow question: can this project be built here, for this budget, in this time, and still make money?

We review the zoning and the governing code, check flood elevation, utilities and environmental history, test the unit or square foot yield, and price construction with a builder’s understanding of what the site will demand. Then we run the pro forma with sensitivity to the variables that matter most in Miami: construction cost, insurance, interest rates and exit values. The goal is to find the reasons a project might fail while it is still cheap to walk away. For land transactions themselves, see Miami development sites.

Comparing Miami submarkets for a specific use

The question is rarely which neighborhood is best. It is which neighborhood is best for this use, this budget and these people. A few patterns we see when advising clients:

• Financial and professional firms weigh Brickell against Downtown and Coral Gables, trading image and walkability against parking and cost.
• Creative companies and consumer brands often look at Wynwood and the Design District, where the street and the neighbors are part of the brand.
• Hospitality and retail concepts on Miami Beach trade high visibility for stricter local rules and higher operating costs.
• Logistics, trade and distribution users look at Doral and the airport area for highway and cargo access.

We put the candidate areas through the same scoring framework so the decision is consistent and documented.

What our deliverables look like

We keep reports short and usable. Most engagements produce a memo with an executive summary on the first page, followed by the analysis, supporting tables and appendices. Financial models are delivered in a spreadsheet you can work with, with inputs clearly marked so you can test your own assumptions. When a decision involves a board, investment committee or lender, we can present findings in person or by video and answer questions directly.

We do not pad reports with general market commentary. Everything in the memo connects to the question you asked.

What consulting is not

We are licensed real estate brokers and a licensed contractor, not attorneys, accountants or appraisers. When a question needs a legal opinion, a tax analysis or a certified appraisal, we say so and work with the right professional. Our role is to bring market knowledge and construction experience to the decision and to make sure those other advisors get the information they need.

Fees and getting started

Most consulting work is quoted as a fixed fee for a defined scope, with hourly or retainer arrangements for ongoing advisory work. Fees are agreed in writing before we start. If the work leads to a transaction we might handle, we discuss how that relationship would work at the outset.

To begin, tell us the decision you are facing and when you need to make it. Call or text 239-256-5005, email info@diberealestate.com, or reach us through the contact page. You can also read our general consulting and advisory page or browse the Miami market overview.

Capital plan and construction budget reviews

Owners and associations in Miami are often handed large repair or improvement budgets with little way to judge them: a roof replacement, a facade and balcony repair program, an HVAC overhaul, a parking garage restoration. Lenders and buyers are handed the same numbers during due diligence.

Because our principal is a Florida Certified General Contractor and licensed plumbing contractor, we can review these budgets with a builder’s understanding of scope and pricing. We check whether the scope matches the engineer’s findings, whether quantities and unit prices are reasonable, what is missing (permits, testing, temporary protection, contingency), and how the work should be phased. The result is a plain-language opinion on whether the number is credible and what questions to ask before approving it. If the project goes ahead, our owner’s representation team can oversee it.

When a property is under pressure

Some of the most useful consulting work happens when something has gone wrong: a loan maturing at a higher rate than the property can carry, a large tenant leaving, an insurance renewal that wipes out cash flow, or partners who no longer agree. These situations reward speed and clear thinking.

We assess the property’s real value and options quickly, from re-leasing and cost cutting to a refinance, a recapitalization or a sale. We help owners prepare the information lenders and buyers will want, so conversations start from facts. Legal strategy, including any discussions with a lender about loan terms, belongs with your attorney; we support that work with market and property analysis.

Bring these to a first conversation

• The decision you need to make, in one or two sentences.
• The deadline driving it, such as a lease notice date, loan maturity or contract deadline.
• Who else is involved in the decision, such as partners, a board or a lender.
• Key documents you already have: leases, operating statements, loan terms, surveys, engineering reports.
• Any options you have already ruled in or out, and why.

With that, we can usually tell you in one call whether we can help, what the work would involve and roughly what it would cost.

Advice that spans Florida and New York

Many Miami decisions are really two-city decisions. A company opening in Brickell may be shrinking in Midtown Manhattan. An investor selling a Brooklyn building may be buying in Miami-Dade. A family may own property in both places and want one strategy across them. We are licensed as brokers in both Florida and New York, so we can look at both sides of the move together instead of handing half of the question to someone else.

In practice, that means one model covering both markets, with the differences spelled out: how leases are typically structured, how property taxes and insurance behave, how closings work and how long approvals take. For a New York company, we can line up the timing of a Manhattan lease exit with a Miami lease start so there is no long stretch of paying for two offices. For an investor, we can compare what a dollar of equity earns in each market after realistic expenses. See our Manhattan consulting and Brooklyn consulting pages for the New York side of this work.

Why timing matters on advisory work

Most real estate decisions have a deadline buried in a document: a renewal notice date, a loan maturity, a feasibility period, an option window. Advice that arrives after that date is worth far less. When you call, we start by finding that date and planning the work backward from it, so you have time to act on what we find.