About This Site and Who Runs It
Program and regulatory figures verified September 19, 2026. Details change; confirm your scenario with us.
A lender's site about a Florida problem that is half financing and half property tax, and usually written about as if it were neither.
Why the site is shaped this way
Most writing about buying before selling comes from the real estate side and focuses on the offer. That is their expertise. What usually decides whether a Florida move-up buyer can act is the financing, and here it is entangled with homestead and Save Our Homes rules that generic national advice does not capture at all.
A Florida owner who mistimes the portability window can end up with a permanently higher assessed value on the next house. Since property tax sits inside the payment we underwrite, that is not a tax footnote to us. It is the approval.
What we deliberately do not do
We do not advise on purchase contracts, contingencies or offer terms. We are lenders, not licensed real estate agents or attorneys. We also do not determine assessments or file portability claims; your county property appraiser and your tax professional do that. If a page here ever reads like contract, legal or tax advice, that is a mistake and we want to hear about it.
How the figures are sourced
Portability and homestead provisions come from the Florida Statutes and the Department of Revenue's own publications, cited by section. Lending rules come from the Fannie Mae Selling Guide with the current section number, which changed in September 2026 when rental income policy was restructured. Loan limits come from the FHFA county file, which we parse rather than summarize. Market data comes from Zillow Research's public series with the month stated.
Two deliberate omissions are worth naming. We do not publish a statewide average Florida homeowners insurance premium, because the figures in circulation vary too widely to reconcile against a primary source. We do not publish hurricane deductible percentages, because they vary by policy and carrier. Where a figure changes annually, the page says so.
On the 2026 ballot measure
Florida voters decide a property tax amendment on November 3, 2026. We cover it as a proposal, with the amounts attributed to the resolution rather than stated as law, because it is not law. Planning a move around a benefit that has not been voted on is a bad idea, and plenty of sites are already encouraging it.
Reach us on the contact page, or start with the Florida guide.
Frequently asked questions
Are you a real estate agent?
No. Mike Certo is a mortgage loan originator, NMLS #260555, with Cornerstone First Mortgage, NMLS #173855. We finance the purchase; your agent represents you in it and handles the contract. Different licences, different jobs.
Can you tell me whether I qualify for Florida portability?
No. Your county property appraiser determines eligibility and your tax professional helps you plan and claim it. What we do is take the outcome seriously when modelling your payment, because the property tax line sits inside the debt ratio that decides your approval.
Do you lend throughout Florida?
Yes, Florida statewide. Homestead and portability rules apply across the state, while loan limits are set by county and market conditions vary considerably between metros, so your specific county matters.
Mike Certo · NMLS #260555 · Cornerstone First Mortgage NMLS #173855 · Equal Housing Lender. Educational content about financing, not a loan commitment and not legal, tax, or real estate advice. Homestead eligibility, portability, and landlord-tenant rules change and depend on your facts; your county property appraiser, your CPA or a Florida attorney, and your real estate agent each handle their own part. Loans are subject to borrower and property qualification.