A South Florida woman fulfilled a lifelong dream when she bought her waterfront condominium last year. She even came up with thousands of dollars at the last minute to cover a special assessment to get the deal done. When she learned there were more assessments to come, she called Help Me Howard with Brandon Beyer.

Laura Bustamante worked her whole life to hopefully afford a South Florida view like this.

Laura Bustamante: “My dream since I was a little girl was seeing some water far away with some boats.” So when a condo in her price range overlooking the water became available — she jumped on it. Laura Bustamante: “And I made an offer that day.” She took one look out over this balcony and made up her mind. Laura Bustamante: “It was meant for me. When things are meant for you, they’re meant for you and this was meant for me.” Like so many South Florida condos, her future home was coming with special assessments.

Laura Bustamante: “They would approve me if I paid up the special assessment for impact windows up front in the amount of $17,523.10.”

And Laura thought that was it.

Laura Bustamante: “I had peace of mind. I said, ‘I have paid my windows, I don’t have to worry about that.'”

But just a few months later, she was told she was still responsible for the upcoming special assessment.

Laura Bustamante: “It means that I would have to be paying for 13 years, starting in May 2026, a total amount of $53,800.”

Laura was heartbroken.

Laura Bustamante: “I never thought this would happen; this hit me like a rock.”

Howard, how do you avoid something like this?

Howard Finkelstein: “When buying a condo – especially in the present time in South Florida – you need to make sure what special assessments have already been imposed and what’s coming down the pipeline. And consider having a lawyer to help you out – because the terminology can be hard to understand. It might be worth the money when you consider special assessments can easily climb into the tens of thousands of dollars.”

We reached out to Laura’s association.

They told us Laura had been given “a conditional approval by prepaying a portion of the upcoming special assessment.” They told us the funds would be held onto for one year.

Then – “after one year, those funds will go towards their monthly maintenance fees.”

It’s not the outcome Laura was hoping for.

Laura Bustamante: “I don’t have high blood pressure and right now I’m getting high blood pressure.”

She’s got her beautiful view – it’s just more expensive than she dreamed.

Laura Bustamante: “I work very hard for my money. I never in my wildest dreams thought that I would be here.”

Howard says for many people buying a house is the biggest investment you’ll make in your life. And condominiums – with their associations – can be tricky to navigate. He says do your due diligence so you don’t miss anything.