Buying Before Selling Above Florida's Loan Limits
Program and regulatory figures verified September 19, 2026. Details change; confirm your scenario with us.
Florida is unusual among large states: one county sits above the baseline limit and the other sixty-six do not. Where your price lands relative to that line changes the plan.
Florida's 2026 limits, verified county by county
We parsed the FHFA 2026 county loan limit file directly rather than relying on a summary. All 67 Florida counties carry the baseline one-unit limit of $832,750 with a single exception: Monroe County, the Keys, at $990,150 for one unit and $1,904,150 for four.
That makes Florida simpler than California or Colorado, where high-cost designations are scattered across many counties. Here there is one line and one exception.
Why the line matters more when you are buying first
Jumbo financing is not worse financing. It is different financing, and the differences land hardest on exactly the profile that buys before selling.
Reserve expectations are generally higher, and reserves are the same funds you may be planning to use for the down payment or to carry the overlap. Equity requirements are often stiffer, which matters when a chunk of your net worth is still sitting in a house that has not sold. And underwriting scrutiny of a second financed property tends to be closer.
None of that prevents buying first above the limit. It does mean the sequencing conversation has to happen earlier, because the levers are less flexible.
Where in Florida this actually comes up
In most of the state the limit is not the binding constraint. For the month ending August 2026, typical home values were $269,193 in Ocala, $295,821 in Lakeland, $335,410 in Cape Coral, $358,706 in Tampa and $383,445 in Orlando. All well inside the baseline.
It comes up in Naples, at $550,720, in Key West at $959,889, and at the upper end of Miami and the coastal markets where individual properties run far above the metro's typical value. The metro figure is a midpoint, not a ceiling, so the question is always about your specific price rather than your metro's average.
The Florida tax piece scales
Documentary stamp tax of $0.35 per $100 and the 2 mill intangible tax apply the same way regardless of loan size, and the mortgage doc stamp has no cap. At roughly $5.50 per $1,000 secured, the dollar amount grows straight with the balance. On larger Florida transactions this is a line item worth modelling rather than absorbing as a surprise.
How to approach it
Establish which side of the limit your price sits on, in the county you are buying in rather than the one you live in now. Then map reserves honestly, including any that rental conversion would require. Then choose the structure. Doing it in the other order is how people end up with a plan that does not survive underwriting.
See the structures on the structures page, or the county detail on the market page.
Frequently asked questions
What is the conforming loan limit in Florida for 2026?
$832,750 for a one-unit property in 66 of Florida's 67 counties. Monroe County is the sole exception at $990,150 for one unit and $1,904,150 for four units, per the FHFA 2026 county loan limit file.
Which Florida county has a higher loan limit?
Only Monroe County, which covers the Florida Keys. It is the single Florida county designated above the baseline for 2026, at $990,150 for a one-unit property. Every other county, including Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and Collier, uses the $832,750 baseline.
Is it harder to buy before selling with a jumbo loan?
It is less flexible rather than harder. Reserve and equity expectations are generally higher, and those are the same resources a buy-before-you-sell plan is already drawing on. The structure conversation needs to happen earlier because there are fewer levers available late.
Does Florida's documentary stamp tax have a cap on large loans?
Not on a mortgage recorded against Florida real property. The $2,450 maximum applies only to unsecured notes. For a recorded mortgage the tax is $0.35 per $100 of the obligation secured with no ceiling, so the cost scales directly with the loan amount.
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.