South Florida Ultra-Luxury Home Development Forum
Thu Oct 08, 2026
South Florida Ultra-Luxury Home Development Forum
The Builders, Brokers, and Architects Defining the Next Chapter of Miami, Broward & Palm Beach's Trophy Home Market
To Be Held In Miami
$123.00
Registration Questions?
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Speakers and Panels
Manny Angelo Varas
Rich Bell
Jordan Karp
Why Attend Bisnow's Inaugural Ultra-Luxury Home Development Forum
For the first time, Bisnow is entering the residential space and we're starting at the top!
From luxury condos to master-planned communities, we've watched South Florida's residential market evolve into one of the most dynamic in the world. Now we're seizing the moment to convene the builders, brokers, architects, and capital behind the story that's capturing global attention: the unprecedented influx of wealth pouring into South Florida's ultra-luxury home market and the record-breaking development boom it's unleashing.
South Florida's ultra-luxury home market is operating at a level the rest of the country can't touch and Miami is where the global standard is being set. 361 homes sold at $10M or above in 2025, the second-highest total on record, and the pipeline of spec mansions on Star Island, Indian Creek, and Palm Island keeps coming because the math keeps working. But the market is more nuanced than the headlines suggest. Land is disappearing on the barrier islands, construction costs and insurance premiums are reshaping what pencils, and the buyer walking through the door in 2026 is wealthier, more international, and more demanding than ever and wants something fundamentally different from what sold three years ago. The builders, brokers, and architects who understand that shift are the ones closing at record prices. The ones who don't are sitting on inventory.
This event brings together the most active players in South Florida's ultra-luxury residential ecosystem, spec developers, custom builders, architects, luxury brokers, private capital, and the designers and vendors who serve them for an unfiltered conversation about where the market is, where it's going, and what it takes to win at the highest price points in American real estate. From the land acquisition strategies that lock in barrier island sites before they ever hit the market, to the design decisions that command a $10M premium, to the Latin American and European buyer pipelines that are sustaining demand, this is the intelligence that doesn't show up in a market report.
If you are building, selling, designing, or financing ultra-luxury homes in South Florida, this is the room you need to be in. The people closing the biggest deals in the market will be on stage and in the audience. The conversations that happen here don't happen anywhere else!
What You Will Take Away:
- A current, market-by-market read on which South Florida submarkets and price points are still generating strong returns for spec developers and which are showing early signs of softness
- A firsthand account of what the 2026 ultra-luxury buyer actually wants, where they're coming from, and what design decisions are driving the biggest price premiums right now
- The land acquisition, permitting, and construction strategies the most active spec builders are using to deliver faster, cheaper, and better than their competition
- A clear picture of the international buyer pipeline
- Which Latin American and European markets are most active, what those buyers need from a transaction, and how to build the relationships that bring them to your listings
- Intelligence on where the next ultra-luxury land plays are emerging, the submarkets and streets that are quietly repricing before the broader market catches on
- A direct line into the design, staging, and marketing strategies that are moving $20M–$100M homes
- What decisions are being made before a listing goes live that determine whether it sells in weeks or sits for years
For questions regarding content and speaking, please email our Event Producer, Elizabeth Herrgott, at elizabeth.herrgott@bisnow.com. Want to get involved? Contact Jordan.Hinsch@bisnow.com to get information on sponsorship, pricing and availability at this event. To request disability-related accommodations, please contact ariel.fromm@bisnow.com no later than seven business days prior to the event.
Venue
Intercontinental
100 Chopin Plaza
Miami, FL 33131
Ballroom: Biscayne & Mezzanine East
Floor: Mezzanine
Parking Information:
Discounted valet parking is available at $22 per vehicle
Agenda
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
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8:00 AM 9:00 AM |
Registration, Breakfast & Networking
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9:00 AM 9:45 AM |
The Deal: Land, Capital, and the Business of Building at the Top of the Market
The spec mansion business at the $20M–$100M tier is less a real estate play and more a high-stakes bet on taste, timing, and relationships. This panel puts the builders and developers actively closing that bet in one room. The people who are buying barrier island lots before they hit the market, making design and finish decisions on faith that the right buyer exists, and pricing trophy inventory in a market where comps are thin and the difference between a quick close and a year on the market is often one decision made at framing. Panelists will break down how they find and underwrite land in a supply-constrained market, how construction costs and insurance are reshaping project budgets, how they think about the spec vs. custom calculus, and where they see the next wave of ultra-luxury development emerging beyond the established barrier islands.
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9:45 AM 10:00 AM |
Networking Break
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10:00 AM 10:45 AM |
The Product: Design, Buyers, and What It Takes to Build a Home Worth $10M +
At the ultra-luxury tier, the product is the pitch. This panel brings together the architects, interior designers, and luxury brokers who are closest to the buyer. The people who know what a Latin American family office wants that a domestic buyer doesn't, what wellness and privacy amenities have moved from differentiator to baseline expectation, and what the difference looks like between a home that sells at ask and one that lingers. Panelists will get specific about the design decisions that generate the biggest premiums, how South Florida's coastal constraints and hurricane codes are being turned into design opportunities rather than limitations, how staging and presentation strategy has become as important as the build itself, and what the next generation of ultra-wealthy buyers is going to demand from the homes they buy in this market.
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10:45 AM 11:30 AM |
Beyond the Closing Table: Managing Risk and Reputation After the Sale
The finish level that wins a $20M+ buyer today comes with a tradeoff: more complexity, and more that can go wrong after closing. This panel looks at how builders, developers, and architects are managing warranty exposure, callback risk, and serviceability as luxury finishes get more complex. Panelists will unpack why post-sale support is now something sophisticated buyers evaluate before making an offer, not an afterthought once the deal closes. In a referral-driven market, how a builder handles the first year after closing can matter as much as how the home was built.
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11:30 AM 12:00 PM |
Post-Event Networking
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Sponsors
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