WATERFRONT INVESTMENT ADVISORY · SOUTH FLORIDA
Waterfront is not a real estate category. It is an asset class.
The buyers who understand South Florida waterfront as an investable asset — not a lifestyle purchase — are the ones who compound the right acquisitions over time. Benjamin works with investors, family offices, and private buyers who approach the dock the same way they approach a balance sheet.
ACQUISITION CATEGORIES
What we work on.
Single-Family Waterfront Hold
The most liquid category in South Florida waterfront. Buy the right dock, hold it, and the scarcity premium does the work. The acquisition criteria: deep water access, seawall condition that avoids a $150K–$400K liability in year 3, waterway that qualified boater buyers will compete for at resale.
Multi-Family Waterfront
Duplex and triplex inventory with dock access in Palm Beach and Broward Counties. Rare. When it surfaces, it is gone quickly. Cap rates in the 4–6% range on gross rents; the real return is in the land value appreciation. These transactions require speed and pre-existing knowledge of the inventory.
Commercial Waterfront / Marina-Adjacent
Marine industrial, boat storage, waterfront commercial, and marina-adjacent commercial assets. Benjamin coordinates with commercial brokers and CoStar data for these acquisitions. The analysis covers NOI, cap rate benchmarking against comparable South Florida waterfront assets, and long-term hold thesis.
1031 Exchange Acquisition
Time-pressured acquisitions inside an active 1031 exchange. 45-day identification window. The replacement property analysis happens before the clock starts. If you are planning an exchange, the conversation starts during the listing of your relinquished property — not after Day 30.
HOW BENJAMIN EVALUATES A WATERFRONT ACQUISITION
What a serious buyer looks at.
Dock Configuration
Type (fixed, floating, covered), age, length, beam, lift capacity. A dock that cannot accommodate your target vessel or your eventual resale buyer is a liability, not an asset.
Seawall Condition
Age, material, visible deflection or cracking. A failing seawall is a $150K–$450K repair on an unpleasant timeline. Every acquisition gets a seawall assessment before the offer is submitted.
Navigable Depth
Charted depth at MLW at the dock. Bridge clearances on the route to open water. Distance to the inlet. These are not assumptions — they are verified against NOAA charts and county records.
Waterway Type
Intracoastal, canal, river, direct ocean. Each has a different buyer pool at resale. Direct Intracoastal with no fixed bridges commands a premium that a canal with a 15-foot fixed bridge does not.
Flood Zone and Insurance
Zone AE vs. VE. Elevation certificate. Current flood insurance premium. What a new buyer's lender will require. Properties that look attractive on a cap rate analysis can be neutralized by a $40,000/year insurance obligation.
Permit and Title History
Dock permits pulled and closed. Any open code violations. Riparian rights confirmed. Seawall permit history. These are the items that surface in due diligence and kill deals that should not have gotten this far.
HOW TO WORK WITH US
The first conversation is a 20-minute call.
Benjamin keeps a limited client roster by design. Investment advisory engagements start with a short call — your acquisition criteria, target price range, hold thesis, and timeline. If the fit is right, he begins pulling inventory and presenting opportunities. He does not work with clients whose criteria he cannot serve well. If the inventory does not exist in the price range or dock specification requested, he says so before you retain him.
TO ENGAGE
(561) 676-6659 · benjamin@saltwaterestates.com
Begin Buyer Intake →Barefoot Realty & Investments LLC · FL BK3222885 · Benjamin Hoadley. Investment advisory services are provided as part of real estate brokerage representation. This page does not constitute financial, tax, or legal advice. Cap rates and valuations are estimates for discussion purposes. Consult qualified advisors. Equal Housing Opportunity.