Can I work in Venice? Yes. Should I? Let us talk.

What working together looks like

The question worth asking is not whether I may work in Venice — I may, because the licence is issued by the state — but whether your transaction needs somebody who is physically there this week. Sometimes it does: a listing that needs showings at short notice, or a purchase where somebody has to stand in the property tomorrow morning. Sometimes it does not: an estate sale, an investment purchase, a relocation where the real work is paperwork and a calendar. I will tell you which of those I think yours is, and I have no reason to get that wrong, because the alternative is a colleague at The Keyes Company rather than a stranger.

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.

Other cities in Florida

• Pensacola Beach
• Boynton Beach
• Gainesville
• Haines City
• Pahokee
• Crestview
• Coral Gables
• Ocala
• All of Florida