Moving out of Florida? Start with the introduction.

Read this part before the rest

People sometimes ask me what they should offer in Fitchburg, and I will not answer. Not because the question is difficult, but because answering it is the advisory half of brokerage, and doing that where I hold no licence is the precise thing this page says I do not do. It is also a protection for you. A number from someone who has not stood in the property and does not work the area is worth nothing, however confidently it is delivered.

Three steps, and what each one commits you to

What this page is not offering

I will not treat the introduction as the end of my involvement when that suits me and the beginning of it when that suits me better. What I owe you afterwards is honesty and a returned telephone call. What I cannot offer is supervision of another brokerage’s agent, because I have no authority over them at all. I would rather draw that line now than have you rely on something I am unable to deliver.

Structural differences worth knowing before you go

• Real estate licensing is state by state. An agent licensed in Florida cannot represent you in Wisconsin, and a Wisconsin licensee cannot represent you in Florida.
• Wisconsin levies a tax on income; Florida does not. It is a change worth modelling against the housing cost before you commit to a price range, and it is a question for your own tax adviser rather than for any real estate agent.
• Title works differently for married couples in Wisconsin, which is a community property state. It affects how you may hold the property and what happens to cost basis on a first death. That is a conversation for an attorney in Wisconsin, and it is better had before closing than after.
• Closings in Wisconsin are generally handled through a title or escrow company rather than by an attorney as a matter of course, which is closer to the Florida pattern than not.
• Florida’s homestead exemption and its Save Our Homes assessment cap do not follow you. Wisconsin has its own property tax treatment, its own exemptions, and its own rules on how fast an assessment may rise. Confirm the specifics with the local taxing authority.

What I can do directly, without an introduction

There are two possible orders and they carry different risks. Sell first and you know your number but may need somewhere to live; buy first and you have somewhere to live but two sets of carrying costs until the Florida property closes. Which suits you is a conversation for you, your lender and me, and it is far better had before you are emotionally attached to a particular house in Fitchburg than after.

Questions worth asking on that first call

• How do closing costs divide by local custom, which of those items are genuinely negotiable, and which are simply the way it is done here?
• Can I sign remotely — electronically, or by post — or does something have to happen in person? If I am still in Florida on the day, what does that change?
• If my timeline slips by six weeks, what happens to the agreement I am about to sign with you, and what happens to any money already committed?
• What is the local practice on possession — do I get the keys at closing, or do sellers here commonly stay on for a period afterwards, and how is that documented?

Other cities in Wisconsin

• La Crosse
• New Berlin
• Sun Prairie
• Kenosha
• Eau Claire
• Sheboygan
• Menomonee Falls
• Milwaukee
• All of Wisconsin