You’re obviously thinking of buying property in Florida and undoubtedly you want to make your dream come true while avoiding costly mistakes. Our aim is to give you some of the basic facts of buying Florida real estate (and in case you’re interested, there are pages for owning, selling and renting too!) to help you find your perfect place in the Sunshine State.
If you’re the type of person that likes to see more details in a chart format, please click on the following links to learn how we can help you to find the right property and what happens when you’ve done that:
In addition, this Buying Property In Florida link will take you to a web page with examples of some of the communities where you might want to take a look at the homes currently for sale.
But first of all, let’s think about some of the “differences” as a way to understand things. As you notice when you first arrive in Florida from, oh, let’s say that you are coming in from the UK, lots of things are different in the USA. For example, the “English” language is not quite the same one we’re used to, cars drive on the “wrong” side of the road and, above all else, the sun is shining and it is HOT! So it’s no real surprise that with all of those differences, buying a home in Florida is different than in the UK too – but in a lot of ways, it can be more enjoyable. Let’s face it – it’s far nicer looking at houses in the sunshine than when it’s cold and pouring down with rain!
So where do you start? In our experience, the most successful UK buyers are those who make sure they learn about the main differences at the beginning, some of the key ones being:
- Not all properties may be suitable for your plans.
For example, if you want a holiday home that you can use once or twice a year and rent out for the rest of the time, you need to buy in a “short-term” rental area. A lot of places don’t allow short-term rentals and you need to know where these are.
- You don’t have to go it alone – free & independent advice is available.
Buyers often use a Realtor to act for them as “Buyer’s Agent”. Realtors are State licensed and regulated and can advise on all aspects of the purchase (e.g. the contract and the price). And their advice is free free for the Buyer: for a new home, the Builder pays the Buyer’s Agent fee and in the case of a re-sale home, strange as it may seem, the Seller pays the cost of expenses of a Buyers’s Agent.
- Finding properties to view and buy is easier.
In each major city and region (e.g. Central Florida), Realtors (Estate Agents) enter the properties they have for sale onto a common computer system (the Multiple Listing System or “MLS”). This means that there is no need to contact lots of different Realtors – your Buyer’s Agent can show you around other Realtors’ houses. There is no need to spend time chasing lots of Realtors and this gives you the freedom to build a relationship with one person you can trust.
- You sign a legally binding contract when you agree the selling price.
The English process of waiting weeks and months for an “Exchange of Contracts” does not happen. A deposit is required from the buyer when the contract is signed.
These are just a few brief points about buying Florida property and you will find more information on other pages on the website by following the links on the right hand sidebar in page, plus the main sections under the “Welcome” message of the Home Page. Click here: Florida Property Questions to find just a few of the things that you might need answers to.