Florida Licence · Florida Market

Buying or selling in Fort Myers?

Ask the awkward questions on the first call. I would rather answer them then than at the inspection.

Direct representation

Practical things, in order of how often they bite

Where there is an association, the association sets part of the calendar and nobody can hurry it. Approval processes, estoppel letters and the fee that comes with them are all statutory or contractual, all predictable, and all capable of adding weeks when nobody orders them at the start. I order them at the start. It is not clever, it is just the difference between a closing that moves and one that waits.

What the work actually consists of

There are things I will not do here either. I will not tell you a property is worth more than the evidence supports in order to win a listing, I will not agree a closing date the paperwork cannot support, and I will not answer a legal, tax or insurance question that belongs to somebody qualified to answer it. I am a sales associate of The Keyes Company — not an attorney, an appraiser or an inspector — and that distinction matters most at the moment you would rather it did not.

Florida practicalities

  • 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

Questions people actually ask

What are the four-point and wind mitigation inspections?

Insurance documents rather than buyer protections. Insurers commonly ask for a four-point report on an older property — roof, electrical, plumbing, heating and cooling — before they will quote at all, and a wind mitigation report records construction features that can reduce a premium. Neither replaces a full home inspection. Order them early enough that a refusal to quote is not what you discover a week before closing.

What happens if work on the house was never permitted?

It surfaces, usually at the least convenient moment. Open or missing permits attach to the property rather than to the person who did the work, and they can hold up a closing, an insurance quote, or a sale years later. The city or county building department is the place to check, asking costs nothing, and the answer is far more useful while your contingency periods are still running.

What relationship will we have — are you my agent?

In Florida the presumption is a transaction broker relationship unless something else is agreed in writing, as Section 475.278, Florida Statutes contemplates. That carries a defined set of duties, including dealing honestly and fairly, skill and care, and limited confidentiality. I will tell you plainly and in writing which relationship applies before you rely on me, and none exists until it is agreed.

How long does a Florida closing usually take?

It depends on the financing far more than on the property. A cash purchase can run in weeks; a financed one is governed by the lender’s conditions and the appraisal. Where an association is involved, add time for approval and for the estoppel. I will give you a working calendar early and tell you which dates are firm and which are hopeful, because the gap between those two is where people get hurt.

Can I speak to other agents as well?

Of course, and you should. Nothing about a first conversation requires exclusivity, and no brokerage relationship exists until something is agreed in writing. If you interview three people and pick one of the others, that is a good process working properly. I would rather lose the work than have you commit to somebody because it felt awkward not to.

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Jacob Campbell · Florida Real Estate Sales Associate, license 3623732 · The Keyes Company · 561.301.7130