Clearwater, Florida — licensed statewide

Practical things, in order of how often they bite

In the end the calendar decides. A Florida contract runs on dates — inspection, financing, association approval, closing — and each of them has a consequence attached to it that most people only read about afterwards. My job on that is unglamorous: know which date is next, know who has to act, and tell you a week early rather than a day late.

What the work actually consists of

Much of this site is written for people leaving Florida. This page is the opposite case: Clearwater is in Florida, so the licensing question does not arise at all, and the only live issue is a practical one about distance and presence. Distance is not always a problem — a great deal of this work now happens by telephone, email and document portal — but it is a fact, and you are better off holding it before you decide rather than after.

The Florida-specific list

• Windstorm and flood are underwritten separately from the main policy across much of Florida. Price them on the specific address before you are under contract, not after.
• For condominium buildings of three storeys or more at the relevant age, Florida requires milestone structural inspections and a structural integrity reserve study. Both change assessments and financeability. Read them before waiving anything.
• The homestead exemption reduces taxable value on a Florida primary residence, and the Save Our Homes cap limits how fast the assessed value rises afterwards. Portability may carry a benefit from a prior Florida homestead. Your county property appraiser is the authority, not your agent.
• Title in Florida is customarily handled through a title company rather than an attorney as a matter of course, which changes who you call when a question arises mid-contract.

Other cities in Florida

• Tamarac
• Ocala
• Fort Pierce
• Wellington
• North Miami
• Margate
• Coconut Creek
• Sanford
• All of Florida