Real estate in Kissimmee, Florida

Where I actually add something

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.

The details that move a closing date

The appraisal decides what the lender will lend against, not what the property is worth to you, and the two are not obliged to agree. What matters is what the contract says happens when they do not — who may walk away, who may make up a difference, and by when a decision has to be made. Read that clause before you need it rather than on the day it becomes relevant.

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.

Other cities in Florida

• Pahokee
• Clewiston
• Immokalee
• Lehigh Acres
• North Cape Coral
• Punta Gorda
• Port Charlotte
• Englewood
• All of Florida