Buy, Sell, Hold Miami Real Estate Podcast For Week Of Oct. 3, 2025

Welcome to Buy, Sell, Hold Miami weekly podcast for a no-nonsense perspective on South Florida real estate from a pair of locals with differing opinions.

Each week, real estate advisor Daniel Hernandez of Compass Real Estate and longtime analyst Peter Zalewski of the Miami Condo Investing Club™ break down the housing market headlines, unpack policy changes and provide unfiltered analysis on everything from condo terminations to Vintage unit fire sales, luxury speculative homes to developer strategies.

Episode Overview

In this episode of Buy, Sell, Hold Miami podcast, Hernandez and Zalewski provide a thorough analysis of the financial and cultural shifts impacting South Florida.

The episode opened with a discussion on the recent U.S. government shutdown and its severe ripple-effects across the real estate industry.

The hosts highlighted how the lack of key economic data - such as the monthly jobs report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics - creates an immediate void.

This data void leaves critical decision-makers - primarily the Federal Reserve - in a difficult position when setting interest rates.

Without reliable labor numbers, the Fed’s dual-mandate to maximize employment and contain inflation becomes a guessing-game.

Hernandez and Zalewski debated whether the Fed should attempt to act or simply hold steady.

The conversation shifted to the disconnect between the Federal Funds rate and mortgage rates.

Even when the Fed cuts official rates, mortgage rates can rise due to other powerful market forces, such as the 10-year Treasury yield.

The hosts noted that despite recent rate cuts, many South Florida buyers are still facing mortgage rates of about 6.34 percent, adding another layer of complexity to the tricounty market.

Stagflation - a scenario where jobs are scarce and prices are high - entered the chat as a primary threat.

Meanwhile, Wall Street celebrates cost-cutting measures while Main Street residents feel a persistent financial pinch.

Consumer debt and credit scores became a focal point as the hosts dissected the rise of “buy now, pay later” services.

They noted this new debt carries hidden risks for market stability.

The podcast discussed the growing use of alternative credit scoring models, such as VantageScore.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s acceptance of this model could significantly shake up the mortgage approval process for renters and first-time buyers.

Money laundering and the history of Miami’s skyline come under scrutiny.

The hosts recounted how preconstruction condos have been used to move large sums of money, referencing both past scandals and ongoing regulatory efforts to track cash buyers that began in Miami-Dade County and Manhattan.

The government shutdown’s effect on the National Flood Insurance Program is a hot topic.

In a city where flood risk is ever-present, the lapse in federal insurance threatens to stall closings and force buyers into expensive private policies, potentially derailing deals and cooling the market.

This lapse forces buyers into expensive private policies, potentially derailing deals in the high-stakes Miami market.

They stressed how delays in insurance or paperwork can kill deals, reminding listeners that in Miami, time truly is money.

The South Florida development scene was spotlighted with a discussion of the controversial giveaway of prime land in Greater Downtown Miami for a potential Trump Presidential Library.

The hosts questioned the economic logic of gifting land worth hundreds of millions.

The discussion took a detour to Virginia Key and the Miami Seaquarium, where a Coconut Grove developer is poised to take over a massive waterfront site.

Herandez and Zalewski concluded the podcast with a discussion about how billionaire Ken Griffin of the hedge fund Citadel failed to launch construction of his long-proposed $1 billion Miami office tower in Q3 2025 as he had announced.