South Florida has lengthy been a favourite vacation spot for rich Colombian actual property traders, however worsening political and financial volatility at house has sharpened their focal point at the Sunshine State.
Even if Miami has traditionally been their liked location, Colombian traders also are increasing their footprint into different Florida markets, from Hollywood to Orlando, as they search to park their capital in U.S. actual property to safe a solid monetary protection web.
“They are able to make investments truly any place else, however they focal point right here as a result of they already know the marketplace,” 2026 Miami Realtors residential president-elect Ruben Sanchez tells Realtor.com®. “We talk their language, at first, and they are pleased with it as a result of they are continuously right here. And if they are now not right here, they’ve a relative that is already right here.”
The most recent Realtor.com global call for document inspecting out of the country perspectives of on-line listings confirms the oversized function of Colombian customers in Florida’s housing marketplace. It presentations that Miami is the highest U.S. marketplace for overseas homebuyer hobby.
Originally of the yr, greater than 55% of global call for from Colombians went to Florida. Miami has maintained its standing as essentially the most sought-after metro amongst Colombian customers, commanding just about 32% of perspectives, up from kind of 29% a yr in the past.
Orlando got here in 2nd, accounting for about 7% of global call for from Colombia.
“It isn’t a surprise that Miami ranks as the preferred marketplace for Colombians to shop for houses,” says Realtor.com economist Jiayi Xu. “Town sits only a three-hour flight from Bogotá. Its deeply rooted Latin tradition and big Colombian group make the transition really feel seamless.”
Colombian elections supercharge call for
Alejandra O’Connor, senior gross sales govt at Nexo Apartments, a luxurious apartment building in North Miami Seashore, says that whilst call for from Colombian patrons has been persistently excessive for years, it has intensified over the last few months because of the rising geopolitical uncertainty within the South American country of just about 54 million folks.
The marketing campaign main as much as first-round vote casting within the nation’s presidential election, scheduled for Would possibly 31, has been overshadowed by means of violence, together with the assassination of a presidential candidate and a chain of bombings.
“They are indubitably citing that that is likely one of the explanation why they are making an investment, to more or less have as a Plan B, it doesn’t matter what occurs,” O’Connor tells Realtor.com.
Sanchez says that according to the affiliation’s fresh housing information research, Colombia is the No. 1 international purchaser marketplace for South Florida actual property, accounting for 15% of all global purchases.
Miami is the best choice for 59% of Colombian patrons, anchored by means of established communities in enclaves akin to Kendall, Doral, and South Miami.
What Colombian traders are purchasing
For Sanchez and O’Connor, Miami’s attraction is apparent: Town is only a brief four-hour flight from Bogotá, is house to a big Colombian group, and gives a fascinating way of life and local weather.
Prosperous Colombian traders are specifically interested in new, turnkey luxurious condos with waterfront perspectives.
At Nexo Apartments, located alongside Biscayne Side road, the place costs vary from $600,000 to $1.8 million, O’Connor notes that Colombian traders desire two- to three-bedroom devices sufficiently big to house prolonged households. Social facilities akin to rooftop terraces, pool decks, outside film theaters, and summer season kitchens are primary promoting issues.
“They truly experience anything else like that social,” she says.
Miami affiliation’s information additional unearths that almost 3 out of four Colombian patrons plan to make use of their homes as leases, holiday houses, or each, letting them generate source of revenue in U.S. greenbacks as a hedge towards financial instability of their house nation.
“They indubitably see it as a safe funding as a result of although you do not are living right here, you might be nonetheless in a position to possess assets right here and hire it out and get that cash in Colombia,” says O’Connor.
Actual property as a monetary protection web
Sanchez and O’Connor agree that the majority of Colombian traders don’t purchase condos in South Florida as a result of they plan to in an instant relocate to the U.S. Quite, they search to ascertain a foothold as a part of a long-term technique.
Sanchez, an actual property agent with twenty years of enjoy focusing on luxurious homes, says that lots of his rich Colombian shoppers are interested in pre-construction devices, which they acquire at present costs, expectantly including fairness over the three- to four-year construct cycle.
In that luxurious tier of $3 million-plus, Sanchez says patrons’ must-haves come with balconies overlooking the water, get right of entry to to athletic amenities akin to pickleball courts, and walkable neighborhoods.
Whilst Colombia’s political volatility ceaselessly serves as a catalyst for the moneyed set to put money into Florida actual property, professionals argue that those patrons are most commonly unfazed by means of uncertainty within the U.S.
“It doesn’t matter what occurs in america, in our personal executive and our personal instability, they’re nonetheless having their cash right here than over there,” says O’Connor. “Within the long-term image, most of the people remember the fact that this nation goes to be extra solid than theirs, regardless of if we are going thru our personal factor right here.”
Sanchez provides that for traders throughout Latin The usa, now not simply Colombia, the U.S. buck stays a formidable financial anchor. They persistently glance to carry their capital to the U.S. to protect it from regional turmoil.
“They indubitably see it as a safe funding,” he says.
Wealth mobility in motion
The brand new global call for document from Realtor.com signifies that within the first 3 months of 2026, Miami used to be the highest U.S. vacation spot for general international customers, drawing 10.3% of on-line perspectives from out of the country.
New York Town used to be in 2nd position (4.7%), adopted by means of Los Angeles (4.6%), which has been dropping attraction with this overseas purchaser demographic since 2020.
Ana Bozovic, a Miami-based actual property agent and founder of Analytics Miami and Miami Deal Sheet, says that what is taking place with Colombian patrons flocking to Miami and different portions of South Florida displays a broader pattern she calls “international wealth mobility in motion.”
“Prosperous people are more and more diversifying clear of jurisdictions perceived as much less predictable from a fiscal or political point of view and towards markets seen as extra solid, business-friendly, and favorable to capital preservation,” Bozovic tells Realtor.com.
As Colombia strikes deeper into its 2026 presidential election cycle, wealth taxation and financial reforms below incumbent President Gustavo Petro have emerged as a part of the nationwide dialog. Ongoing finances pressures are contributing to considerations amongst excessive web value Colombians and enterprise house owners that further taxation measures may nonetheless be at the horizon.
“Simply as we’ve got observed excessive earners migrate regionally from high-tax U.S. states like New York and California into Florida, we’re seeing a an identical dynamic play out in Colombia,” says Bozovic. “Prosperous Colombian households are in quest of diversification and safeguards towards rising long-term uncertainty and fears of hostilities towards capital.”
