A REALTOR® who is also a licensed general contractor, representing buyers in Boca Raton. Call (561) 779-3213 to talk it through.
Boca Raton homes range from Mediterranean Revival houses in the oldest neighborhoods to waterfront condominiums and large gated communities built around golf and clubs, and the risk in each is different. This page lists no homes and no prices. It explains how a purchase works here and what a builder sees that a showing usually hides.
Randolph Scott Bell holds Florida real estate sales associate licence SL3247858, brokered via LoKation, and is a REALTOR®. He is also a Certified General Contractor (CGC1528750) and Certified Roofing Contractor (CCC1332751), and the only Palm Beach County contractor who is also a certified energy engineer. Representation is under a written agreement with you; this is general information, not legal, lending or engineering advice.
Permits. Boca Raton is an incorporated city with its own building department, separate from the Palm Beach County office. Pull the permit history for the house and for every roof, window, pool, addition and shed. Unpermitted work becomes the buyer's problem at closing.
Wind. All of the county sits in the Wind-Borne Debris Region. The design wind speed varies by parcel, so check the county's published maps for the address. Ask for the roof permit date and a wind-mitigation report: they drive the insurance quote.
Flood. The FEMA zone is set by parcel and is re-mapped from time to time. Waterfront and canal-side homes deserve the closest look. Get a bound flood quote and a wind quote before the inspection period ends, not after.
Once you have a house in mind, the next question is usually the work it needs: see our construction division for remodels and our roofing division when the roof is the issue. For condominiums, start with the Palm Beach County condo buying guide, and if you are buying from overseas, read the international buyers guide.
Boca Raton is an incorporated city with its own building department, separate from the Palm Beach County Building Division that covers unincorporated areas such as Loxahatchee. A buyer cares because the permit history for the roof, windows, pool and any addition sits with the city. Ask for it before your inspection period ends, and confirm the address is inside city limits, since some mailing addresses that say Boca Raton are in unincorporated county.
Yes. Many Boca Raton homes sit inside an association, from gated country-club neighborhoods to waterfront condominiums. Read the declaration, the budget, the reserve schedule and recent board minutes, and ask about any special assessment. Randolph is also a licensed Community Association Manager (CAM34850), so he reads those documents the way an association operator does. Our Palm Beach County condo guide covers the Florida-specific documents and deadlines.
Yes. Boca Raton includes 55+ communities alongside all-ages neighborhoods, and the age rule is written into each association's governing documents, not the listing. Ask for the documents early, because the age restriction, rental rules and approval process can decide whether a purchase works for you.
All of Palm Beach County, including Boca Raton, is inside the Florida Building Code's Wind-Borne Debris Region, so replacement openings must be impact-rated or shutter-protected. The exact design wind speed depends on the parcel, so check the county's published wind maps for the address rather than trusting a figure from a neighbor. Ask for the roof permit date and a wind-mitigation report, because they drive the insurance quote.
Flood zones are set parcel by parcel on FEMA's maps and are re-mapped from time to time, so a street-level guess is not enough. Homes near the Intracoastal Waterway, the coast and the canals deserve the closest look, but a quote is the only real answer. Look up the address, ask the seller for any elevation certificate, and get a flood quote and a wind quote before your inspection period ends.
On many Boca Raton homes the risk is in the building, not the paperwork. Randolph Scott Bell is a Florida real estate sales associate (SL3247858, brokered via LoKation) and a REALTOR®, and also a Certified General Contractor (CGC1528750) and Certified Roofing Contractor (CCC1332751). On a showing he reads the roof, the openings and the permit trail as a builder would. Call (561) 779-3213.