Buying a home in Orlando when you already live here

If you've been paying rent in Orlando for more than two years, you've probably already run this in your head and heard from someone that “it can't be done”. It depends. Five things decide whether it can — and four of them have nothing to do with your salary.

1. The down payment isn't what you were told

“You need 20%” is the most repeated piece of wrong information in the community. The 20% exists to avoid mortgage insurance (PMI), not to qualify you for the mortgage. There are conventional low-down programmes, FHA, and state and county first-time buyer assistance that most people don't know exists.

What I doI get you on a call with a lender and we find the real number for your situation in one conversation, before you look at a single house.

2. Credit score decides more than income

In the United States, someone who earns well with no credit file buys worse than someone who earns less with a clean one. If your score isn't where it needs to be, it's usually fixable in months, not years — and it's the cheapest conversation we can have.

3. Closing costs: the money beyond the down payment

Title, title insurance, lender fees, prorated tax, appraisal, and the first year of homeowners insurance. In Greater Orlando a buyer typically adds up to 2% to 5% of the price. That covers the state stamps — 0.35% on the note and 0.20% intangible tax — plus title, appraisal and the first year of homeowners insurance. And a local quirk: in Central Florida the seller customarily pays the buyer's title insurance, the opposite of Miami. That's an order of magnitude, not a quote — in your conversation we run the numbers on the house you actually pick.

4. Florida homeowners insurance is the item nobody warns you about

This is where most of the surprises live. Roof age, plumbing type and electrical panel change the premium — and in some cases change whether a carrier accepts the house at all. A house ten thousand dollars cheaper with a 2009 roof can be the most expensive house you ever buy.

What I doI pull an insurance quote before your inspection period closes, not after.

5. HOA and CDD

HOA is the association fee — and what matters isn't only the number: it's what it covers, whether a special assessment is coming, and what the covenants prohibit (leasing in the first months, a pickup in the driveway, paint colour). CDD is a Florida thing almost nobody explains: an assessment attached to your property tax bill that funds the development's infrastructure, and it can run for decades.

What I doI read the association documents with you, in your language, inside the inspection period.

What if I have an ITIN and no Social Security?

You can buy. The path is different and the down payment is usually larger. It doesn't stop you from anything and it's nothing to be embarrassed about — it's just a different path, and I know both.

A fifteen-minute conversation, no obligation

Nothing on this page is legal or tax advice. Programmes, rates and insurance rules change. In your conversation I run the numbers as they stand and introduce whoever needs to confirm each part.