The whole thing, mapped out.
Buying, selling, financing, and Florida taxes, each drawn out step by step so you can see exactly where you are and what comes next. No jargon, no surprises.
Where are you headed?
Real estate feels complicated because nobody draws it for you. Here it is, four common journeys, plain and visual. Jump to yours, and reach out any time a step raises a question.
Buying a home, start to keys.
Get pre-approved
Talk to a lender first. They check your credit, income, and savings and hand you a real budget plus a pre-approval letter that sellers take seriously. I can introduce you to one who knows Brevard programs cold.
Know your real number
National calculators lowball Florida taxes and insurance. Run the What Can I Afford tool to see the true all-in monthly for a Conventional, FHA, VA, or USDA loan, then shop a price you can actually carry.
Tour homes with a plan
We line up showings that fit your budget and your must-haves, and skip the ones that do not. No wasted Saturdays, and honest read-outs on each place, including the ones I would walk away from.
Make an offer
Price is only part of it. I structure the offer with the financing strength, contingencies, and timing that actually win the home without overpaying for it.
Under contract
The home inspection, the appraisal, and your loan all move at once, each with a deadline. This is where deals wobble; keeping every date on track is my job, not yours.
Closing day
You sign, you wire your cash to close, and you get the keys. Want the cash-to-close number ahead of time? The closing-cost calculator itemizes every Florida line item.
File your homestead
By March 1, file for the homestead exemption. It trims your taxable value and starts your 3% Save Our Homes cap. See exactly why it matters in the property-tax tool.
Selling a home, list to net.
Get a real valuation
Not a generic online estimate. A real look at recent comparable sales and your actual home, finished with local judgment. Request your free valuation in about 30 seconds.
Prep and price
The short list of fixes and staging moves that actually change your sale price, and permission to skip the rest. Then we price from evidence, not wishful thinking.
List with aerial marketing
Drone video, professional photography, and a listing built to stop the scroll. Your home looks like the one buyers drive across town to see, on every portal at once.
Field the offers
Offers laid side by side, price, financing strength, and contingencies, so you pick the one that actually closes, not just the biggest headline number.
Under contract
The buyer's inspection, appraisal, and financing all run their course. I keep every deadline and negotiation on track through to the finish line.
Close and pocket your net
Your sale price is not your check. See your true walk-away after payoff, commission, and Florida seller costs with the net-proceeds calculator. Selling to buy again? Do not forget to port your tax savings.
Getting a loan, demystified.
Pre-approval
A lender verifies your credit, income, and assets and gives you a real borrowing limit plus a letter. This is your green light to shop, and it costs nothing.
Pick your loan type
Conventional, FHA, VA, and USDA each fit a different buyer, with different down payments and mortgage insurance. The affordability tool lets you compare all four side by side.
Lock your rate
Once you are under contract, you lock your interest rate for a set window so a market move does not change your payment before closing.
Processing and underwriting
The lender verifies every document and orders the appraisal. Answer their requests quickly, that speed is the single biggest thing that keeps a closing on schedule.
Appraisal
An independent appraiser confirms the home is worth what you are borrowing against. If it comes in low, that is a negotiation, and I have handled plenty.
Clear to close
Final approval. By law you get your Closing Disclosure, the exact final numbers, at least 3 business days before you sign, so there are no surprises at the table.
Fund and record
The money moves, the deed records at the county, and the loan is officially yours. First mortgage payment is usually about a month later.
Florida property taxes, the full year.
You buy
At closing the home is yours. The seller's low, capped tax bill was theirs, yours is about to be recalculated. Do not budget off the listing's tax line.
Your assessed value resets
The January after you buy, the county resets your assessed value to roughly what you paid. The property-tax tool shows what your real first-year bill looks like.
File your homestead
Apply with the county for the homestead exemption. It cuts $51,411 of taxable value (2026 figure) and, just as importantly, starts your Save Our Homes assessment cap. Miss the deadline and you pay a full year without it.
Save Our Homes cap kicks in
From then on your assessed value can rise no more than 3% a year, even as the market climbs. Year after year, that gap between market value and your capped value becomes real savings.
Your TRIM notice arrives
Every August the county mails your proposed value and estimated taxes (the TRIM notice). Read it. If the value looks wrong, there is a short window to question it before it is final.
The tax bill
Florida bills in arrears: the bill arrives in November for the year that is ending. Pay early and you get a discount, up to 4% off if you pay in November.
Move later? Take it with you
When you sell and buy another Florida home, you can carry your accrued Save Our Homes savings to the new one, up to $500K. The portability tool shows how much, and it is money most people leave behind.
Still have a question?
That is what I am here for. Wherever you are in the process, ask me anything, no pressure and no obligation to keep going.