Homes For Sale In Florida - The First Questions To Ask

When you begin to look for homes for sale in Florida, there are several key questions that you should ask yourself right at the beginning, including:

1. Why are you buying?

Perhaps this is the most basic question, because it influences the answers to almost all of the other ones. If you’re already in Florida and just moving house, or if you already have family contacts here, you will already have some appreciation of where to get information, who can help and maybe even where to look.

But if you’re retiring from a colder climate in the USA, say New York or New Jersey, then Florida may be a very different place to the one you’re used to – and although all parts of Florida are hot, some are hotter and more humid than others!

If you’re buying a second home, you’ll need to know those locations that welcome such residents (and those that penalize them).

If you’re buying for investment purposes, focus on the places that are expected to recover most strongly from the current downturn.

2. What type of property?

Large or small, single family home or condo, ocean front or inland, money-no-object or as cheap as possible – there are enormous choices and each will help to focus your search.

For most people, budget constraints will dictate what type of property and will narrow down the locations available. Take account also of the latest loan finance programs that are available (if you’re not buying free and clear). You may need to get pre-approved for financing before going too far, because more and more sellers are insisting on that before taking any buyer seriously.

3. Where in Florida do you want to live?

Each area has different characteristics. For example, Miami is a large, sprawling city with lots of nightlife, multi-cultural populations and easy access to the Florida Keys. The South West e.g. Naples is a relatively expensive area with a high proportion of retirees – it has traditionally been a favorite of German buyers.

Further north, the Gulf Coast area around Tampa is less expensive (generally!) with a beautiful coast line and a great climate. Central Florida is dominated by theme parks and is a tourist favorite, with a concentration of single-family vacation homes and condos to the South West of Orlando.

Equally, areas further north such as Daytona, Jacksonville and Tallahassee have their own characteristics, plusses and minuses – and it’s for you to decide exactly what you need or want, of course. But until you do, you have a vast area to explore!

4. Who do you need help from?

Information is available everywhere - web sites; newspapers, referrals from friends or relatives, magazines in gas stations and supermarkets, Realtors, and so on and so on. Only you can decide whether you want to go it alone or get some professional help before you spend the big sum of money that homes for sale in Florida require.

If you're experienced at buying property, you may find the home buying process enjoyable. At the very least, you could try some Internet research to see how far you get first (and a recent report indicated that 70% of buyers now do that).

5. When can you visit to look around?

Technology is great and the Internet provides a fantastic preview of what’s available. Virtual tours can tell you a lot about a property. Ultimately, though, you can only get a true appreciation of whether that dream house is really what you want by paying a visit in person. If you need to move quickly, scheduling a visit is essential of course. If you can only move after you've sold your existing home or retired or sorted out other personal issues, you can be more relaxed. Whatever your circumstances, though, please make sure that you plan a personal visit before making any commitment. Hard though it is to believe, some buyers have purchased without this basic safeguard - and found out the hard way!


For more information on these and other questions, please check out more pages on this website.

Is Now The Right Time For Buying Florida Property?

It's a fascinating, challenging and exciting time if you're thinking of buying Florida property - especially if you're in the market for a holiday home. But with turmoil in the economy, especially with all the bad news we're hearing about real estate, banking and job prospects, it is not a purchase to take lightly!

Just a few short years ago the situation was very different: there were more buyers than sellers, builders held waiting lists for properties in the most popular new communities and many out-of-State and UK buyers simply took the view "how soon can I buy and where do I sign".

How times change! Instead of sunshine and relaxation springing to mind, the first topic for many people when the subject of buying Florida property is discussed now is "foreclosure", followed by an intense debate on how things might go in the next few years. How much of a faraway dream a holiday home has become and how quickly.

Looking back, and it's easy to see now, the late 90s and the first part of the 21st century were a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence as far as buying Florida property is concerned. Before that, most people buying a holiday home in Florida were careful to look at realistic expectations of income and expenses before deciding whether to go ahead. Even if they took a rose-tinted view of their plans, finance companies applied sane criteria in an attempt to rein in over-ambitious borrowers and safeguard their loans.

Then came the boom years. Financial prudence went out of the window and a level of hysteria took over. Loan restrictions were eased. Stories about buyers "flipping" properties for an instant profit were commonplace and fired up a whole new wave of investors. And some less-than-honest sales people were able to get away with wild stories about likely rental income because property price increases more than covered any shortfall.

Eventually the game came to an end, as it was always going to. Property price increases were unsustainable. Reality has re-emerged: buyers need to take a realistic approach and recognize that a return to the normal rules of business has happened: don't buy what you can't afford to "carry" in the event of a downturn, take a pragmatic view of income and expenses and realize that prices can occasionally go down as well as up. Buy for the medium to long term and expect some "bumps" along the way. Equally important: don't believe the salesman's claims without extensive checking.

It's a major purchase you're planning, so make sure you avoid the pitfalls and try this website for lots more information: Buying Florida Property.

Good luck and happy buying!

Buying Florida Property

Welcome to Buying Florida Property.

This site provides information and help for anyone who is considering buying Florida property for use as a vacation or holiday home. If you have questions not covered in here, please feel free to use the contact form at Buying Florida Property