Orlando, Florida — this is my market

What I watch for on a Florida contract

In the end the calendar decides. A Florida contract runs on dates — inspection, financing, association approval, closing — and each of them has a consequence attached to it that most people only read about afterwards. My job on that is unglamorous: know which date is next, know who has to act, and tell you a week early rather than a day late.

The Florida-specific list

• 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.

How I approach a Orlando transaction

The useful thing about a transaction in your own market is that the answers arrive faster. I can look at a Orlando property, form a view, and tell you what I actually think rather than relaying someone else's read. That is the difference between this page and the ones on this site written for other states.

Other cities in Florida

• Melbourne
• Winter Haven
• Niceville
• Wellington
• St. Petersburg
• New Smyrna Beach
• Bonita Springs
• Clearwater
• All of Florida