This one is mine

Working in Plantation, Broward County

The Florida side of this site, where the answer is yes rather than an introduction.

Direct representation

The practical version

Most of what makes a Plantation listing go smoothly happens before it goes live: the survey, the permit history, association documents where they apply, the insurance record on the property, and anything that is going to surface in an inspection anyway. Found two weeks early, those are administration. Found the day before closing, they are a renegotiation. That unglamorous part is a good share of what I am actually for.

The parts that go wrong, and when

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.

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

Questions people actually ask

What are the four-point and wind mitigation inspections?

Insurance documents rather than buyer protections. Insurers commonly ask for a four-point report on an older property — roof, electrical, plumbing, heating and cooling — before they will quote at all, and a wind mitigation report records construction features that can reduce a premium. Neither replaces a full home inspection. Order them early enough that a refusal to quote is not what you discover a week before closing.

What happens if work on the house was never permitted?

It surfaces, usually at the least convenient moment. Open or missing permits attach to the property rather than to the person who did the work, and they can hold up a closing, an insurance quote, or a sale years later. The city or county building department is the place to check, asking costs nothing, and the answer is far more useful while your contingency periods are still running.

What relationship will we have — are you my agent?

In Florida the presumption is a transaction broker relationship unless something else is agreed in writing, as Section 475.278, Florida Statutes contemplates. That carries a defined set of duties, including dealing honestly and fairly, skill and care, and limited confidentiality. I will tell you plainly and in writing which relationship applies before you rely on me, and none exists until it is agreed.

How long does a Florida closing usually take?

It depends on the financing far more than on the property. A cash purchase can run in weeks; a financed one is governed by the lender’s conditions and the appraisal. Where an association is involved, add time for approval and for the estoppel. I will give you a working calendar early and tell you which dates are firm and which are hopeful, because the gap between those two is where people get hurt.

Can I speak to other agents as well?

Of course, and you should. Nothing about a first conversation requires exclusivity, and no brokerage relationship exists until something is agreed in writing. If you interview three people and pick one of the others, that is a good process working properly. I would rather lose the work than have you commit to somebody because it felt awkward not to.

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Jacob Campbell · Florida Real Estate Sales Associate, license 3623732 · The Keyes Company · 561.301.7130