What are a couple of property types to watch out for in 2025 if you happen to be buying a home?

My name’s Evan Kaufman, your VA loan originator. We work with a lot of folks buying all different types of properties—that could be a single-family home, a multifamily like a duplex, triplex, quad, a condo, a townhome, or even a ranch. There are multiple different types of homes out there.

But there are two types of properties that I would be very cautious of now here in 2025—and really for the short term going forward.

1. Condos

You want to watch out for condos. What I’ve seen over the last 1 to 2 years is a lot of shifts in how condo associations are handled.

Because one thing you’ve got to understand: condos have a condo association, and they usually dictate some part of the property you’re buying. The whole point of a condo is, “Hey, we’re buying this property along with all these other same or similar ones next to it.” They could be connected or separate—there are a couple of different ways to do it. But the point is, you’re all banding together, and the condo association takes care of certain things for the condo you own.

That’s generally things like:

• The roof

• Common areas

• The siding

• Or other shared components

But the key is this: you’re reliant on your neighbors—the people in the condo association—to help make sure the condo is well run.

In 2025 (and we really started seeing this in 2024 and even 2023), condo associations have run into a lot of issues. That’s heavily because costs have changed dramatically over just the past couple of years.

A Big Example: Insurance

Condos have to have a master insurance policy, and insurance has changed drastically due to weather-related events—hurricanes in the Carolinas, wildfires in California, and more. These issues have caused insurance costs to increase significantly.

Sometimes condo associations are slow to adjust. And if they’re slow to adjust or fail to meet higher standards, you might be buying a condo that gets hit with a sudden insurance increase after you close.

That’s why you want to pay particular attention to any potential future assessments on the condo.

If a condo has a change:

• You could be assessed for a major repair

• Or your monthly condo fees could increase

Ask your real estate agent to get:

• The condo association documents

• The declaration pages

• A copy of the insurance policy itself

You might even want to go a step further and review:

• Meeting minutes from recent condo association board meetings

• Whether they’re actively meeting

• Whether any discussions of future assessments are recorded

Because here’s the thing: you could be told there are no current assessments, but the association could change that within months—and they don’t have to notify you until the change is official.

More Challenges Ahead

In states like Florida, structural insurance requirements have changed. Where associations used to need structural reviews every 10+ years, they now need them more frequently. Roof age is becoming a bigger issue—what used to be okay at 15–20 years may now require replacement after 10 years. That could lead to big assessments suddenly coming due.

So while condos have their place, and can be good in the right situations, you need to be cautious. You’re becoming dependent on other people—and when you’re not in control of costs, that’s risky.

2. New Builds

The second property type to be cautious of is new construction homes.

One positive: the timeframe to build has come down compared to the COVID era. Back then, it could take 12–18 months to build a home. Today, it’s better.

However, the number of building permits has decreased, and demand has softened. That’s caused some builders to:

• Cut corners

• Use cheaper materials

• Or rush construction to preserve their profit margins

This is just my opinion—coming from someone who grew up in a family of builders—but some builders right now are starting to cut back on quality.

Real-World Signs

I’ve walked through a few recently where I’d question the construction quality. There are even inspectors and agents posting about some of the issues they’re seeing.

That’s not to say there aren’t still wonderful quality builders—there absolutely are! But again, like with condos, you need to research.

How to Vet a Builder

If you’re building a home:

• Go see previous homes that builder has completed

• Don’t go alone—bring an inspector with you

• Look for weird or concerning trends across their builds

That way, you don’t:

• Sign a contract too early

• Get locked into a build

• Discover problems after it’s already underway

Because once you’re under contract, it’s harder to change course. The builder may not be required to meet your desired quality level—and now you’re stuck, possibly negotiating mid-build.

The Bottom Line

Whether it’s a condo or a new build, the key issue is this: you are dependent on someone else.

When someone else controls your home, your quality, or your monthly cost, you need to scrutinize it more closely. Both property types can work, but in 2025, I recommend extra due diligence because of:

• Insurance volatility

• Structural inspection changes

• Shifts in builder behavior and demand

Work with:

• A real estate agent who knows how to dig into these issues

• A lender who can help explain the costs and risks

If we’ve worked with you before, you’ve probably had a conversation like this with us. If not—we’d be more than happy to help you if you’re looking to buy a home in the near future.

Again, my name is Evan Kaufman. I help folks in just about every state—especially our military families moving to major military installations.

Hope this helped you. We’ll talk to you later. Take care.