Tired of shoveling snow? Paying an arm and a leg in taxes? Can’t take those bleak grey winter sky’s any longer? Well come on down to the Sunshine State! Around 1,000 people a day move to Florida. If you’re one of those perspective buyers, here is some pertinent information.

#1 – Get Preapproved

You’d think it would be common sense that people would want to get preapproved for a mortgage before they start looking around and shopping for homes. However, you’d be surprised at how many people leave this step until after they have won a contract with a seller. Big mistake! What is the point of looking at homes if you don’t know whether you qualify for them? Save yourself time, money, and heartache by getting preapproved by a local mortgage broker. We at Chissell Mortgage group are mortgage experts! We are more than happy to help you get preapproved to find that beautiful Florida home. FYI, a false preapproval is just as bad (possibly even worse) than not being preapproved at all!

#2 – Plans for Your Current Home

One of if not the most important thing to consider when thinking about moving is what are you going to do with your current home? You have some options here. If your debt-to-income ratio (DTI) can carry both mortgage payments, you can keep the home up north and purchase your new primary residence/second home/investment property in Florida. If you’re unable to carry both payments, you have the possibility of selling the home up north first and using the proceeds of the sale to purchase your new home. It all depends on your situation and what your goals are for the new property, so this is where getting on the phone for a few minutes helps to point everyone in the right direction.

#3 - Employment

What are your plans for your current employment? If you plan to keep your primary residence and use the new home as a vacation home, lining up employment isn’t a big concern. But for those who plan to make this new home in Florida their primary residence, you have some more questions to answer. Do you work remotely? Are you self-employed? Can you transfer to another location in the area that you are moving? All of these are questions we want to have answers for. If you cannot find local employment and want to purchase the home as your primary residence, we may need to find a different solution.

#4 - Working with A Local Realtor

Florida is an extremely competitive market, as demand is exponentially higher than supply. Working with a local realtor is a must for you to get a home under contract, since they have the area knowledge, connections, and experience necessary to win the offer! If you need any recommendations on local real estate experts to work with, we at Chissell Mortgage Group have a vast network of area experts to help guide you on your homebuying journey.

All of these topics are imperative to have answered to have a smooth, boring transaction.

Tell us a little more about your situation and we can tell you specifically, what YOU can do to buy a home in Florida.