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Buying a house in Florida

Check insurability before you check affordability. In most states the question is whether you can afford the payment. In Florida there is a prior question — whether the house can be insured at all, and at what price — and it turns on the roof, the electrical panel and the plumbing rather than on your finances.

Inside the periods you keep the deposit. Outside them you usually do not.

The mistake that costs Florida buyers most

Waiting until after the inspection period to get an insurance quote. By then the deposit is at risk and the leverage is gone. A house with a 19-year-old roof and a Federal Pacific panel can be structurally sound, correctly priced, and effectively uninsurable — and none of that shows up in a mortgage pre-approval.

The order that actually protects you

Get a real insurance quote during the inspection period, on the specific address — not a generic estimate. Ask the age of the roof before you write the offer.
Inspect properly. A general home inspection, plus the Florida-specific ones your insurer will ask for anyway.
Read the disclosures, including flood history and any association documents.
Model the true carrying cost — mortgage, insurance, and property tax at the reset assessment, not the seller’s capped one.
Then negotiate, with the inspection findings and the insurance quote in hand.

The inspections that decide insurability

These exist because carriers demand them, not because the law does. A $75–$150^† inspection can determine whether the house is insurable at all, which makes it the cheapest decision-grade information in the whole transaction.

How to hire a home inspectorWhat the general inspection covers, and what it deliberately does not.4-point inspectionRoof, electrical, plumbing, HVAC — and what fails it.Wind mitigation inspectionNot a hurdle — a discount, worth roughly 20–30%.Federal Pacific panelA deal-breaker hiding in plain sight in older homes.Cast iron drain linesCommon in pre-1975 Florida homes, and expensive.

What it costs to close

Two of the biggest line items are set by the state rather than by whoever is billing you. Documentary stamp tax on the deed is $0.70 per $100^†, and title insurance is a promulgated rate at $5.75 per $1,000^† on the first $100,000 — identical at every agency in Florida.

The inspection periodWhat to do, in what order — and why insurance comes first.Title insuranceWho pays, what the lender’s policy leaves uncovered.Condo or houseThe old comparison changed when reserves stopped being waivable.Buying at auctionNo inspection, no title policy, and the lien position decides everything.Buying vacant landFor sale is not the same as buildable.Reading the association documentsThe estoppel says what is owed; the reserves say what is coming.How a Florida closing worksStep by step, and what belongs inside the inspection period.Choosing a lenderThe rate is the least distinctive thing they sell — the escrow estimate is not.First-time buyer assistanceDeferred second mortgages, not grants — and the funding runs out.New constructionThe contract is the negotiation, and the tax bill in year two is not year one.Manufactured and mobile homesTwo dates decide insurability, and the land question decides everything else.55+ communitiesThe 80% rule, and why a younger spouse is usually fine.If the seller did not disclose somethingThe three-part test, and the evidence that actually proves knowledge.Florida closing costs in fullEvery line item, who customarily pays, and the county that reverses the rules.

The tax bill you inherit is not the seller’s

This catches nearly every buyer moving from out of state. The seller’s property tax figure may reflect an assessment capped at 3% or CPI, whichever is lower^† a year for a decade. The sale resets it to market. Budgeting from the listing’s stated tax figure is how people end up several thousand dollars a year short on a house they have already bought.

How Florida property tax worksMarket, assessed and taxable value — and why they differ.Bringing your cap with youIf you already own in Florida, this is worth real money.

Insurance is the budget item, not a formality

Get the quote early and get it on the address. Documenting wind resistance is worth around 20–30% of the total premium^† off a premium, and on a marginal house that difference can decide whether the numbers work.

Florida homeowners insuranceWhat drives a premium here.Flood insuranceSeparate policy, 30-day wait, every policy excludes it.CitizensWhen it is your only option, and what that means.

Lovely suburban houses with blue garage doors under cloudy sky, surrounded by greenery.Photograph: Thomas P / Pexels

Common questions

What should I check first when buying a house in Florida?

Insurability. Get a real insurance quote on the specific address during the inspection period, and ask the roof age before writing an offer. A sound, fairly priced house can still be effectively uninsurable.

What inspections do I need to buy a house in Florida?

A general home inspection, plus the Florida-specific ones carriers require: a 4-point on older homes and a wind mitigation inspection, which earns a discount rather than posing a hurdle. Add WDO and an elevation certificate where relevant.

Will my property tax be the same as the seller’s?

No. The sale resets the assessment to market value, while the seller may have held a Save Our Homes cap for years. Budgeting from the listing’s tax figure routinely leaves buyers thousands short each year.

How much are closing costs in Florida?

Documentary stamp tax is $0.70 per $100 of price on the deed and $0.35 per $100 of loan on the note, plus 0.2% intangible tax on the mortgage and promulgated title insurance. Prepaid insurance and escrow reserves are usually the item out-of-state buyers underestimate.

General information about buying in Florida. Contract terms, county custom and carrier underwriting all vary — confirm specifics with your own closing agent and a licensed insurance agent before relying on them.