Market Pulse

A new Brickell pre-construction project is bundling 2026 FIFA World Cup tickets with unit purchases. It is not the first time developers have used high-profile event perks to sweeten deals, but this one signals something bigger: the Miami condo market is shifting toward experience-driven incentives rather than traditional price cuts.

For buyers, this is worth paying attention to. When developers start competing on perks instead of lowering prices, it tells you the underlying pricing structure is holding firm. The real question is whether these incentives become the norm as World Cup fever heats up through the summer.

My take: if you are shopping in Brickell right now, use these creative offers as leverage. Developers who package extras are often more flexible on closing terms, upgrade allowances, and deposit structures. That is where the real value sits.

The latest Fed guidance confirms what many of us expected: mortgage rates will stay above 6% for the remainder of 2026. The 30-year fixed is hovering near 6.8%, and there is no meaningful relief on the horizon. For traditional resale buyers, this tightens affordability across the board.

But here is what most people miss about pre-construction. When you lock in a unit today at a 50% deposit structure with no mortgage needed until delivery in 2028 or 2029, you are essentially betting that rates will be lower by the time you close. That is a two-to-three year runway, and historically, rates do cycle down.

My take: pre-construction has never looked more strategic relative to resale. You get price certainty, a structured deposit schedule, and the optionality of refinancing at closing when conditions improve. If you are waiting for 5% rates before buying, you may be waiting while prices move further out of reach.