Key West, Florida — this is my market

How I approach a Key West transaction

What I can offer in Key West is availability and continuity: the person who took your first call is the person at the inspection, on the telephone to the lender, and at the closing table. There is nothing clever about that. It simply removes the most common failure in this business, which is a handoff to somebody you were never introduced to and cannot reach.

Where Florida transactions get complicated

Lender conditions are the quiet killer. A commitment letter is not the end of underwriting, and the conditions attached to it have dates on them that somebody has to actually read. Most of the closings I have seen slip did so because a condition sat unopened for a fortnight, not because the loan was ever in doubt. I read them when they arrive and I chase the parts that are ours to satisfy.

The parts people underestimate

• 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

• Port Orange
• Jupiter
• Fort Lauderdale
• Oviedo
• Ocala
• Sebring
• Fort Walton Beach
• Lauderhill
• All of Florida