Buying in Hollywood, Broward County

How I approach a Hollywood transaction

Worth knowing before we speak. Florida presumes a transaction broker relationship between a licensee and a buyer or seller unless something else is agreed in writing, as Section 475.278, Florida Statutes contemplates. That phrase describes a defined set of duties and it is not identical to the agency arrangement most people assume they are getting. I will tell you in writing which relationship applies before you rely on me for anything, and until that is signed no brokerage relationship exists at all.

What tends to decide a Florida closing

• 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.

The details that move a closing date

Title work exists to find the things nobody mentioned. An old lien, an unreleased mortgage from a refinance, an estate that was never fully administered, a signature missing from a deed two owners back. Most of it is curable given time and unrecoverable given none, which is why the search should be opened at the beginning of a contract rather than in its final fortnight.

Other cities in Florida

• North Miami
• Margate
• Coconut Creek
• Sanford
• Jupiter
• Doral
• Bradenton
• Pensacola
• All of Florida