Lakewood is outside my licence — here is the useful part

First, the limitation

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 Colorado 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

The limits, stated outright

I will not take a payment from you, and could not lawfully do so if I wanted to. A Florida sales associate may be compensated only through his registered broker, so any fee here is paid by the receiving brokerage to The Keyes Company out of a commission earned only if a transaction closes. There is no invoice at the end of this and no version of it in which you are billed for an introduction.

Things that surprise people moving out of Florida

• Real estate licensing is state by state. An agent licensed in Florida cannot represent you in Colorado, and a Colorado licensee cannot represent you in Florida.
• Colorado 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.
• Closings in Colorado 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.
• Florida’s homestead exemption and its Save Our Homes assessment cap do not follow you. Colorado has its own property tax treatment, its own exemptions, and its own rules on how fast an assessment may rise. Confirm the specifics with the local taxing authority.

If Florida is the other half of this move

The referral is what I can do for Lakewood. The Florida sale is what I can do for you. When a move involves both, treat them as one project — the closing dates have to talk to each other, and the cost of them not talking is usually a rent-back or a bridge loan nobody budgeted for.

The questions that tell you who you are dealing with

• What is the local practice on possession — do I get the keys at closing, or do sellers here commonly stay on for a period afterwards, and how is that documented?
• Have you worked with buyers who were selling in another state at the same time? Ask for the mechanics of how they handled it rather than for a reassurance that they have.
• How many transactions have you closed in Lakewood in the last twelve months, and how many were on the side of the table I am on?
• Who actually answers the phone — you, or someone on your team? Ask early; the answer changes the whole relationship.

Other cities in Colorado

• Arvada
• Longmont
• Parker
• Thornton
• Greeley
• Commerce City
• Fort Collins
• Boulder
• All of Colorado