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Moving to the Sunshine State: Your Guide to Buying a House In Florida
Around 1,000 people a day move to the state of Florida. If you’re one of those people who is considering making a move to the Sunshine State, you might not be sure where to start your journey.
Relocating to Florida and purchasing a house doesn’t have to be a complicated process.
Here’s everything you need to know about buying a house in Florida.
Find the Right Florida Real Estate Agent
Finding the right realtor for your specific needs is incredibly important.
A good realtor will be able to help and guide you through every step of the home buying process from the initial search to closing the deal. They should be able to answer any of your concerns and questions and provide helpful tips on how to proceed.
This will take this possibly tricky and confusing process and make it smooth and understandable.
It’s best to find an agent who specializes and who is an expert in your local real estate market like this helpful realtor. This way, they’ll better understand and have knowledge of the local market and be able to find you the perfect home for you and our family.
Florida is a large state with many different areas and communities, so this finding a local real estate agent is crucial to find precisely what you’re looking for.
Financing Your Mortgage
Before you start working with your agent to find potential homes in Florida for you, consider getting a mortgage pre-approval if you aren’t paying in full with cash.
Having a pre-approval for your mortgage will increase your chances of actually being a valid contender for the home you want. Without approval, the seller will have no way of knowing if you can afford the house and go through with the sale.
An approval happens when your lender goes through and analyzes your financial situation thoroughly. This means they’ll look at your debt-to-income ratio and will check your credit score.
You also have the chance to get a pre-qualification. A pre-qualification is different than a pre-approval because the pre-qualification is an estimation of the amount of house you can afford based off of your family’s income and other possible financial commitments.
This will help you get a better idea of which areas and communities in Florida will work best for you.
Consider a Deed Protected Community
Florida is a state that has many deed protected communities. These communities are run by an active homeowner’s association that creates rules and regulations for the properties within.
This might be the perfect fit for you and your family. You’ll find that these communities usually have amenities like dog parks, community centers, pools, and planned community activities.
Some communities even offer security like gates, call boxes, or security guards.
Most homeowner’s associations will require a monthly fee. This will most likely go to help fund things like maintenance for all community areas.
Deciding if this type of living is for you will help you narrow down your home search.
Your Home Search
Your real estate agent will have access to all the MLS listings in your area. MLS stands for the Multiple Listings Service.
The MLS will have all active listings for the area you’re looking to move to.
Sit down with your real estate agent and compile a list of criteria with the specific wants and needs for your new home. This can be things like having a large backyard, a pool, proximity to the beach, or being in the school district that you want.
Make sure to note any lifestyle preferences that could affect the type of house your real estate agent might show you. This way, you aren’t wasting time viewing homes that don’t work for you and your family.
Another aspect of your search when moving houses will be your budget. You’ll find that maybe the dream neighborhood that you want to live in might not exactly fit within your budget.
This is when it’s best to listen to your realtor’s expertise of your area. They’ll be able to help you find an alternative location for you to look in.
Your agent will be able to set up showings by coordinating with the listing agent. You can also opt to go to public open houses of houses you would like to see.
If there isn’t any way that you can make it physically to the state of Florida to make showings, don’t worry. Here’s when having a knowledgeable and trustworthy real estate agent is extremely helpful.
Talk to your agent about going through the homes themselves and reporting back to you with all the relevant information and specs on the house. You can work with them to decide which house works best for you that way.
Your realtor will also be able to help you negotiating an offer, writing up the contracts, and closing on the home.
Think About Insurance When Buying a House in Florida
Florida is a state where there’s a chance you might experience different natural disasters like hurricanes and flooding while living here.
You’ll need to take into account these things when going to purchase a home in Florida. The house should be strong enough to endure the hurricane force winds that come with the storm.
The age of the home will often determine how up-to-code the build was.
You can also prepare in advance of any storms by investing in quality insurance monthly. Make sure to factor in the amount of money you’ll need every month for your mortgage and decide how much you can afford for disaster insurance.
One tip is to get in contact with a local insurance provider in your area. They’ll be able to help you get a better understanding of what each of your perspective homes will need as far as insurance coverage goes.
You can then compare the homes and make the best decision for you.
A Unique Market
As you can see, there are a few unique aspects when it comes to buying a house in Florida. You now know that finding the right local realtor with a good level of knowledge and expertise from the beginning of your search will help you navigate any of your concerns as they arise.
Sky Five Properties specializes in providing real estate services to those who are looking to live in the glamorous communities of the South Florida area and beyond.
Continue reading through our blog for more real estate ideas, tips, and information.
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Kaya Wittenburg
Kaya Wittenburg is the Founder and CEO of Sky Five Properties. Since the age of 10, real estate has been deeply ingrained into his thoughts. With world-class negotiation and deal-making skills, he brings a highly impactful presence into every transaction that he touches.
He is here to help you use real estate as a vehicle to develop your own personal empire and feel deeply satisfied along the way. If you have an interest in buying, selling or renting property in South Florida, contact Kaya today.
