Florida Homes & Loans Inc. - Real Estate and Mortgage Services

09/25/2026

“I don’t care about the HOA.”

Until the HOA says the boat can’t live in the driveway.

Then suddenly we care very, very much.

Before buying in an HOA community, check the rules for the things that actually matter to your lifestyle:

Boats. RVs. Trailers. Pets. Fences. Work vehicles. Rentals. Parking.

The house may be perfect. The rules still need to work for you.

09/24/2026

Think you need 20% down to buy a home in Florida? You may not.

Certain eligible conventional mortgage programs may allow qualified buyers to purchase a primary residence with as little as 3% down.

That could look like:

• $9,000 down on a $300,000 home
• $12,000 down on a $400,000 home
• $15,000 down on a $500,000 home

But the down payment is only part of the picture. You also need to consider closing costs, prepaid expenses, insurance, mortgage insurance, and how much money you want left in savings after closing.

Sometimes 3% down makes sense. Sometimes 5%, 10% or 20% creates a better overall mortgage.

Our latest blog explains how low-down-payment financing works, who may qualify, how PMI affects the payment, and whether waiting until you have 20% down is really necessary.

Read the full blog:

Home Buyers Coming Soon Homes For Sale Open Houses Mortgage Calculator Sellers Home Valuation List With Us Mortgage Join Our Team ContactGet Pre-Approved Down Payments & Home Buying Can You Buy a Home With 3% Down in Florida? By Gemma Peterson | Florida Homes & Loans Inc. | Updated September 2026 Le...

09/23/2026

Waiting for the perfect rate can sometimes mean paying more for the house later. The better question is whether the payment works for you now — and whether refinancing later makes sense.

09/22/2026

“But my neighbor sold for $700,000…”

Yes. And we absolutely want to look at that sale.

We also need to look at whether your neighbor had:
A newer roof.
A pool.
An updated kitchen.
A better lot.
More square footage.
And perhaps fewer remnants from the 1998 decorating catalog.

Comparable does not mean identical.

Pricing a home correctly means looking at the whole picture—not just the highest sale in the neighborhood.

09/21/2026

FHA or Conventional — which one is actually better?

There isn’t one right answer for every buyer.

FHA can be a great fit if you need more flexible credit guidelines, a lower down payment, or a little more room with debt-to-income ratios.

Conventional financing may be the better option if you have stronger credit, want potentially lower mortgage insurance, or are thinking more about long-term cost.

A few things to compare before choosing:

• Down payment
• Credit requirements
• Mortgage insurance
• Monthly payment
• Cash needed to close
• Property type
• Long-term cost

And no — FHA is not only for first-time home buyers.

We broke down the differences in our latest blog so you can see how FHA and conventional financing compare for Florida buyers.

Read the full blog here:

Home Buyers Coming Soon Homes For Sale Open Houses Mortgage Calculator Sellers Home Valuation List With Us Mortgage Join Our Team ContactGet Pre-Approved Mortgage Options Is an FHA Loan or Conventional Loan Better for a Florida Buyer? By Gemma Peterson | Florida Homes & Loans Inc. | Updated Septem

09/20/2026

One of the largest oceanfront estates in Florida! Located on Hutchinson Island, it features a 21k square foot main house and an 11k square foot guest house. Yes, the guest house is nearly 5x bigger than the average American house 👀

( 📸 Satellite View via Google Maps)

09/19/2026

Central Florida Market Update — Buyers Have More Breathing Room

The Orlando-area market continued to cool into August, but that does not mean prices have fallen off a cliff.

Median price: $400,676
Average days on market: 64 days
Available inventory: 12,144 homes
Months of supply: 4.9 months
August closed sales: 2,478

The interesting part? Inventory increased slightly while sales fell 8.9% from July. That means, buyers generally have more time to look, compare homes and negotiate than they did in the frenzy years.

Sellers? The days of throwing a price at the wall and seeing if someone pays it are largely behind us. Pricing and presentation matter.

These figures are ORRA's August 2026 Orlando-area residential statistics.

09/18/2026

“We only want to see 3 houses.”
Famous words.

One has the perfect kitchen but no yard.
One has the yard but backs up to a road.
One is perfect online and somehow smells like wet dog and regret in person.

Then suddenly… house #47.

That’s okay. Buying a home is a big decision. We’d rather help you find the right one than rush you into the wrong one.

09/17/2026

What is a 2-1 mortgage buydown—and could it actually save you money when buying a home?

A 2-1 buydown temporarily lowers your mortgage payment during the first two years of the loan.

For example, if your permanent mortgage rate were 6.75%:

Year 1: payment based on approximately 4.75%
Year 2: payment based on approximately 5.75%
Year 3+: payment returns to the full 6.75% note rate

The important part? In some transactions, the seller or builder may be able to fund the buydown as part of the negotiated concessions.

That means instead of simply negotiating a lower purchase price, it may be worth comparing:

• A 2-1 temporary buydown
• A permanent rate buydown
• Seller-paid closing costs
• A purchase price reduction

The option that sounds best is not always the one that saves you the most money.

We break down how 2-1 buydowns work, who can pay for them, what happens in year three, and when they may make sense for Florida home buyers in our latest blog.

Read the full article:
https://www.floridahomesandloans.com/d8r5nhdy

mortgage payments for the first 2 years can sound like a permanent rate cut—but a 2-1 buydown works differently. 🏡

09/16/2026

🚨 The Fed raised rates today… so let’s put this into normal terms because I know the headlines can be confusing!

Today, the Federal Reserve increased its rate by 0.25%, bringing the federal funds target range to 3.75%–4.00%.

Why? Inflation is still higher than the Fed wants it to be. Raising rates is basically their way of trying to slow spending and borrowing, which in turn is supposed to help bring prices/inflation back down.

Now here’s the important part if you’re buying a house:

The Fed does NOT directly control mortgage rates.

And mortgage rates had actually already been moving UP before today’s announcement.

According to Mortgage News Daily, the average 30-year fixed rate was:

🏡 Sept. 9 — 6.97%
🏡 Sept. 10 — 7.07%
🏡 Sept. 14 — 7.17%
🏡 Sept. 15 — 7.22%
🏡 Today — 7.19%

So interestingly enough, after the Fed announcement today, the daily average actually finished slightly LOWER, not 0.25% higher.

Why did mortgage rates climb so much over the last week?

In simple terms: inflation.

Mortgage rates follow the bond market much more closely than they follow the Fed’s rate. When investors become concerned that inflation is going to stick around, bonds react and mortgage rates tend to move higher.

Think of it this way:

Fed rate = what the Fed controls.
Mortgage rate = what the financial markets are willing to lend money at.

They’re connected, but they’re NOT the same thing.

The latest Freddie Mac weekly survey has the average 30-year fixed at 6.76%, while today’s Mortgage News Daily average is 7.19%. Those numbers are different because they’re calculated differently and Freddie Mac’s number is a weekly survey that hasn’t yet captured all of this week’s movement.

And remember — these are NATIONAL AVERAGES. They are not necessarily the rate YOU will receive.

Your rate depends on your credit, down payment, loan type, property, occupancy and overall scenario. As a mortgage broker, we also have access to multiple lenders and programs, so shopping the loan can make a big difference.