Ocala, Florida — licensed statewide

How I approach a Ocala transaction

A Florida real estate licence is issued by the state, not by a county, so nothing prevents me from working a transaction in Ocala. What I will not do is imply I am there every week. I am based in Boynton Beach, and my day-to-day markets are South and Central Florida, the Keys, Southwest Florida, the Treasure Coast and Volusia County. For Ocala I will tell you plainly whether I am the right person or whether a The Keyes Company agent who works Marion County daily will serve you better.

Practical things, in order of how often they bite

Unpermitted work attaches to the property, not to the person who did it. Open permits, work that was never inspected, a converted garage or an enclosed patio with no paperwork behind it — these surface at the least convenient moment and they can hold up a closing, an insurance quote or a resale years later. The building department will tell you what is on record, it costs nothing to ask, and the answer is worth having while contingencies are still running.

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

• Bradenton
• Pensacola
• Pensacola Beach
• Sarasota
• Bonita Springs
• Apopka
• Titusville
• North Port
• All of Florida