Thinking about a move in Port St Lucie?

How a Port St Lucie transaction actually runs

A first meeting about a Port St Lucie property costs nothing and commits neither of us to anything. I will look at what you are considering, tell you what I would want checked before you go any further, and be straightforward about the parts that are not mine to answer — an inspector, a surveyor, a lender and an attorney each know things I do not. If the honest answer is that you do not need an agent yet, that is the answer you will get.

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.

Practical things, in order of how often they bite

Title work exists to find the things nobody mentioned. An old lien, an unreleased mortgage from a refinance, an estate that was never fully administered, a signature missing from a deed two owners back. Most of it is curable given time and unrecoverable given none, which is why the search should be opened at the beginning of a contract rather than in its final fortnight.

Other cities in Florida

• Delray Beach
• Daytona Beach
• Tamarac
• Ocala
• Fort Pierce
• Wellington
• North Miami
• Margate
• All of Florida