Florida is my licence. West Covina is a referral.

Why you are reading this

Most of what goes wrong in a long-distance move goes wrong at the handoff: nobody owns the introduction, so you end up cold-calling names off a search results page. I would rather own it. I cannot be your California agent, but I can be the person who found them and who you can call when you want a second read.

What I do once you call

What changes when you leave Florida

• Licensing in this industry is granted state by state, not federally. A Florida licence carries no authority in California, and a California licence carries none in Florida — which is why an introduction, rather than representation, is the only honest offer on this page.
• California levies a tax on income; Florida does not. It is a change worth modelling against the housing cost before you commit to a price range, and it is a question for your own tax adviser rather than for any real estate agent.
• California is a community property state. How a married couple may take title, and what happens to cost basis on the first death, follow different rules than in Florida. Raise it with your attorney before closing, not after.
• Closings in California generally run through a title or escrow company rather than requiring an attorney as a matter of course — structurally closer to what you are used to in Florida than not.
• Neither the homestead exemption nor the Save Our Homes cap travels with you out of Florida. California sets its own assessment rules, its own exemptions and its own limit on how fast a bill can rise — confirm the specifics with the local taxing authority rather than assuming a Florida analogue exists.

Where I stop, on purpose

I will not answer a legal, tax, insurance or appraisal question in any state, including my own. I am a sales associate, not an attorney, a CPA, a lender, an appraiser or an inspector, and an honest version of this job includes knowing where its edges are. What I can usually do is tell you which of those people you actually need, which is a cheaper question to get right early than late.

Questions I would put to them myself

• What disclosures is a seller in California required to make, and what are they entitled to stay silent about?
• What is on the survey or title work here that a Florida buyer would not think to look for?
• What goes into an offer here besides the price, and what do sellers in California expect to see attached to it? Local custom on this varies more than people moving between states tend to assume.
• If the property is listed by your own brokerage, what happens to my representation, what does California law permit in that situation, and what exactly would you be asking me to sign?

The Florida side of a two-state move

If what you are leaving is a condominium or a house inside an association, the Florida side has a queue attached to it. Estoppel letters, association approval, and the building’s inspection and reserve documents where those apply — none of it moves at the speed of a buyer who wants to close in thirty days. Starting that paperwork while you are still deciding about West Covina is the cheapest thing you can do for your own timeline.

Other cities in California

• Capistrano Beach
• San Juan Capistrano
• Laguna Beach
• Newport Coast
• Corona Del Mar
• Balboa
• Los Angeles
• San Diego
• All of California