Can a second home in Florida qualify for the homestead exemption?

No. The homestead exemption and the Save Our Homes cap apply only to a home that is the owner’s permanent residence on January 1. A second home is taxed as non-homestead property. Which home should be your primary residence, and your domicile, is a question for your CPA or tax advisor.

What is a vacancy clause in a homeowners policy?

It is a policy provision that limits or excludes coverage for certain losses once a home has been empty for a stated period. Part-time owners should read that clause, ask whether a seasonal or secondary-residence policy fits better, and keep a record of the periodic checks an insurer may require.

Can a South Florida second home be rented out when the owner is away?

Often, subject to association rules, local short-term rental registration where it applies, and the transient rental tax Florida charges on short stays. BreakThru Realty checks those rules before you buy and, if you decide to lease, can manage the tenant placement and the tenancy in-house.

Is a condo or a house easier to own from out of state?

A condominium is usually simpler to leave, because staff and the association look after the building and grounds, but it brings fees, assessments and board rules. A house offers more privacy and control, and more responsibility for maintenance and storm preparation while you are away.

Who prepares an empty second home when a hurricane is coming?

Whoever is responsible for the home under a written arrangement: the owner’s manager, a caretaker or the building staff. Homes with impact glass and a permanent generator need less last-minute work. BreakThru Realty agrees the storm steps with you in writing as part of managing a home.

Do property taxes on a second home rise faster than on a homestead?

They can. Florida’s Save Our Homes cap limits annual increases in assessed value on a homestead, while non-homestead property has its own, looser cap, so its assessed value can climb faster in a rising market. Your tax advisor can estimate the effect for a particular home.

Private Client · Second Homes

Second Homes in South Florida for Professional Athletes

An offseason base that looks after itself while you are away

Plenty of athletes who play for clubs elsewhere spend the offseason training in South Florida, and many coaches and executives keep a place here for the winter. A second home earns its keep only if it runs without you: sealed against storms, watched while empty, insured for the way it is really used, and ready the day you land. BreakThru Realty helps you choose that kind of property and, through its in-house management team, can look after it afterward.

BreakThru Realty · Founder and Broker of Record: Tyson E. Sam, Florida License 3565210

Find an Offseason Home · Our privacy standard

Choosing Around Your Offseason

The right second home is decided by how you will spend the months you are here. A player who trains through the offseason wants quick access to gyms, fields, pools and recovery clinics, and a location that suits the trainers who come to them. A family who arrives for winter holidays wants beach or marina access and a short run from the airport. The flight matters more than it seems: Fort Lauderdale Executive and Boca Raton airports serve private aircraft close to the coast, and Palm Beach International serves both private and commercial flights further north. We shortlist areas around those needs first, then homes within them.

What Makes a Home Lock-and-Leave

A second home spends most of the year empty, and in South Florida an empty home is exposed to humidity, leaks and storms. The features that reduce that exposure are concrete: impact-rated windows and doors so nobody has to put shutters up before a storm, a permanently installed generator, air conditioning with remote controls and humidity sensors, water-leak sensors tied to an automatic shutoff valve, cameras and access control you can check from a phone, and landscaping that survives a month without attention. Full-service condominium buildings add staff who sign for deliveries and watch the entrance. When we tour a candidate property, we score it against that list as well as against the view.

Homestead Belongs to Your Primary Residence

Florida’s homestead exemption and the Save Our Homes cap on assessed value increases apply only to a home that is the owner’s permanent residence on January 1, and the owner must apply to the property appraiser no later than March 1. A second home is taxed as non-homestead property, which has its own cap on annual assessment increases, but a looser one, so its tax bill can rise faster. Claiming homestead on a home that is not your permanent residence carries back taxes and penalties when discovered. Where your domicile should be, and which of your homes can carry homestead, is a question for your CPA or tax advisor before you buy.

Insurance for a Home You Are Not In

Standard homeowners policies assume someone lives in the home. A part-time residence may need a policy written for secondary or seasonal occupancy, and many policies restrict coverage for certain losses once a home has been vacant for a stated period, so read that clause before leaving for the season. Insurers may also ask for periodic inspections while you are away and a written hurricane plan. Flood insurance is a separate policy, either through the federal program or a private carrier, and is worth pricing even outside a high-risk zone. Bind coverage well before closing, because insurers pause new policies whenever a named storm threatens, and hurricane season runs June through November.

Who Looks After the Home While You Are Away

An empty house in South Florida needs someone who notices things. BreakThru Realty manages property in-house, so the same brokerage that finds the home can look after it: arranging maintenance and repairs, managing the vendors who service the pool, the air conditioning and the generator, and reporting to you or your business manager on what was done. The scope for a home you occupy part-time, including how often someone checks it and what happens before a storm, is agreed in writing before you leave. If you decide to rent the home out, the same team handles tenant placement, rent collection, renewals and reporting, so the arrangement can change without changing who holds the keys.

Renting It Out in the Months You Are Not Using It

Renting a second home when you are not there can offset its costs, but the rules decide what is possible. Many condominium associations set a minimum lease term, limit the number of leases per year or bar leasing in the first year of ownership, and some municipalities require short-term rentals to be registered and inspected. Any stay of up to six months counts as a transient rental, so the rent carries Florida sales tax plus the county’s tourist tax. A tenant during the winter season also means the home is not available to you then, so the months you want to use it and the months renters want it need to be compared honestly. The rental income has tax consequences your CPA should review.

Condominium or Single-Family Home

For an owner who is away for months, a condominium does much of the work: staff at the door, the association maintaining the building exterior and grounds, and shared security. The costs are association fees, possible special assessments, screening for any tenant, and the obligations Florida now places on condominium buildings of three stories or more to complete milestone structural inspections and fund structural reserves, which a buyer should read before signing. A single-family home offers more privacy, a yard, a pool of your own and freedom from a board, but every roof leak, landscaping bill and storm preparation is yours to arrange. Townhomes and villas in managed communities sit between the two.

Places That Suit an Offseason Base

Along the coast, the choice usually comes down to the kind of day you want. Fort Lauderdale and Lighthouse Point suit boat owners, with canal and Intracoastal homes and nearby marinas. Boca Raton and Delray Beach combine beach access with a short drive to a private airport. Jupiter and Palm Beach Gardens offer golf, marinas and room for larger lots, and sit near the spring training complexes. Miami Beach, Sunny Isles Beach and Bal Harbour are built around full-service oceanfront condominiums. We take you through the areas that fit your training and travel, describing the properties and the places rather than who happens to own nearby.

Our Privacy Standard

A confidentiality agreement before the first conversation: Ask and a mutual non-disclosure agreement comes to you or your representative before any detail is shared, and it covers everyone at the brokerage who works on the file.
Your name stays out of our marketing: BreakThru Realty does not use a client’s name, likeness, team or transaction in its advertising, social media, website or press, before or after closing, unless the client asks for it in writing.
Showings by appointment with verified buyers only: When you sell, your home is shown only to buyers whose identity and proof of funds or pre-approval have been checked, by appointment, with personal items and photographs put away beforehand.
Address withheld from internet display where the MLS allows: A seller can ask for a listing’s address to be kept off consumer websites within the rules of the multiple listing service, and for interior photographs to leave out anything personal.
One point of contact: A single named contact at the brokerage runs the file, so your details are not passed around an office.
We work through your people: If you would rather we deal with your agent, manager, business manager, attorney or family office, that is the channel we use, and nothing is sent anywhere else.
Documents by secure link, wires confirmed by phone: Files are shared by secure link rather than as open email attachments, and wiring instructions are always confirmed by a phone call to a known number before any money moves.

Find an Offseason Home

Tell us what you need, the timing, and how you would like to be contacted: directly, or through your agent, manager, business manager or attorney. You do not need to give a client’s name to start, and a confidentiality agreement can come before any detail is shared.

Direct and confidential: (786) 914-1017 · sales@breakthrurealty.com

Questions We Are Asked

Can a second home in Florida qualify for the homestead exemption?: No. The homestead exemption and the Save Our Homes cap apply only to a home that is the owner’s permanent residence on January 1. A second home is taxed as non-homestead property. Which home should be your primary residence, and your domicile, is a question for your CPA or tax advisor.
What is a vacancy clause in a homeowners policy?: It is a policy provision that limits or excludes coverage for certain losses once a home has been empty for a stated period. Part-time owners should read that clause, ask whether a seasonal or secondary-residence policy fits better, and keep a record of the periodic checks an insurer may require.
Can a South Florida second home be rented out when the owner is away?: Often, subject to association rules, local short-term rental registration where it applies, and the transient rental tax Florida charges on short stays. BreakThru Realty checks those rules before you buy and, if you decide to lease, can manage the tenant placement and the tenancy in-house.
Is a condo or a house easier to own from out of state?: A condominium is usually simpler to leave, because staff and the association look after the building and grounds, but it brings fees, assessments and board rules. A house offers more privacy and control, and more responsibility for maintenance and storm preparation while you are away.
Who prepares an empty second home when a hurricane is coming?: Whoever is responsible for the home under a written arrangement: the owner’s manager, a caretaker or the building staff. Homes with impact glass and a permanent generator need less last-minute work. BreakThru Realty agrees the storm steps with you in writing as part of managing a home.
Do property taxes on a second home rise faster than on a homestead?: They can. Florida’s Save Our Homes cap limits annual increases in assessed value on a homestead, while non-homestead property has its own, looser cap, so its assessed value can climb faster in a rising market. Your tax advisor can estimate the effect for a particular home.

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