Buyers · Jacksonville · St. Johns County · the Beaches
Buying a home in Jacksonville and Northeast Florida
What a buyer’s agent is actually for, what really sets your monthly cost here, and what changed about who pays whom. Written by the agent who answers the phone.
Representation
What a buyer’s agent is actually for
The agent named on the sign works for the seller. Their job is to get the best outcome for the person paying them, and they are good at it. A buyer’s agent is the other side of that table — someone whose obligation runs to you, who reads the documents before you are emotionally committed to the house, and who tells you the number you will actually pay rather than the number on the listing sheet.
Most of that work happens before an offer is ever written. In Northeast Florida the difference between a house you can afford and one you cannot is rarely the price. It is the flood zone, the age of the roof, the CDD assessment and what the tax bill becomes once the property is reassessed in your name.
- Recent sales on that street from the county record, not an automated estimate
- The FEMA flood zone for the exact address, and what it does to an insurance quote
- CDD assessment and HOA dues — what each one covers and what it does not
- Property tax as it will be reassessed for you, not the seller’s homesteaded bill
- School attendance zone confirmed in the district locator rather than the listing remarks
- Roof, HVAC and water-heater age, and the permit history — the things insurers price on
Compensation
Who pays your agent, and how you will know
Since August 2024 the rules changed in two ways that matter to you. A buyer signs a written agreement with their agent before touring homes, and agent compensation is no longer advertised inside the MLS.
The practical effect is that nothing is assumed. Whether a seller contributes toward your agent’s fee is established for each individual property, in writing, before you make an offer. Compensation itself is negotiable — it always was — and the agreement you sign says what it is, what it covers and how long it lasts.
Omer sends the buyer agreement in advance and goes through it line by line before you sign, in English, Ukrainian or Russian. If a term does not make sense, that is a reason to ask, not to initial it. More in the FAQ.
The process
How a purchase actually goes here
A conversation, then a lender
What you are trying to do, and what a lender will actually approve. In Florida the insurance quote can move your affordable price as much as the interest rate, so it belongs in this step rather than three weeks later.
The written agreement
Scope, length and compensation, in plain terms, before the first showing.
A manual realMLS search
Your criteria run against the full feed by hand, with the flood zone, CDD, HOA and reassessed tax checked before anything is sent to you.
Showings
In person, or by video walkthrough if you are still out of state. Same commentary either way — including the parts that are wrong with the house.
The offer
Price, closing date, financing and inspection periods, what stays with the house, and any seller contribution toward your agent’s fee.
Inspection period
General inspection, wind mitigation, a four-point where the age of the home requires it, and a WDO (termite) inspection. This is the window in which you can still renegotiate or walk.
Appraisal, title and survey
Lender appraisal, title and lien search, HOA or condo estoppel, and a survey where the lender or the title company requires one.
Closing
Final walkthrough, funds wired to the title company, deed recorded in the county. Keys.
Cost of ownership
What actually sets your monthly payment
Property tax after reassessment
Florida reassesses on sale. The seller’s homestead exemption and Save Our Homes cap do not come with the house, so their bill is not a guide to yours. Both counties publish their own estimator — put your expected purchase price into it before you set a budget.
Homeowners and windstorm insurance
Priced on the age and condition of the roof, the construction type, the wind-mitigation report and the distance from open water. Two similar-looking houses on the same street can quote very differently. Get a real quote on a specific address early rather than using a rule of thumb.
Flood insurance
Separate from homeowners insurance, and required by lenders in high-risk zones. Plenty of desirable ground near the river, the Intracoastal, the marsh and the beaches sits in one. The zone is a property-by-property question, so look up the exact address.
HOA dues and CDD assessments
Two different things that are often confused. HOA dues are billed by the association. A CDD assessment repays the bonds that built the community’s roads, drainage and amenities, and arrives on your property tax bill. Newer communities across St. Johns County commonly have both, and the amount varies by parcel — it is confirmed for the specific address.
Ask for both figures in writing before the inspection period ends.
New construction
Buying a new build
Northeast Florida has a great deal of new construction, and it is a genuinely good option for many buyers. One thing is worth knowing before you walk into a model home: the person at the desk is the builder’s sales representative and works for the builder.
If you want your own representation, register your agent on your first visit. Many builders will not allow one to be added later. Having your own agent on a new build does not normally cost you anything extra — but confirm that in writing rather than assuming it.
The other things worth asking early: which upgrades in the model are standard and which are not, whether the lot carries a premium, what the CDD assessment on that parcel will be, and how long the rest of the community will still be under construction around you.
From out of state, or from abroad
Buying here without living here yet
A large share of buyers in this market are moving from somewhere else. That is workable: video walkthroughs with honest commentary, electronic signature where the lender and title company allow it, and a closing you do not have to fly in for.
If you are moving from another country, financing rules differ by lender rather than by state, and some lenders work with newcomers routinely while others do not. Omer will introduce you to lenders who do. He is a real estate agent, not an attorney, lender, accountant or immigration adviser, and will say so rather than guess — but he will make sure you are talking to the right person.
The whole site is published in Ukrainian and Russian, and showings, negotiation and contract explanation happen in whichever of the three languages you prefer. More on that on the Russian and Ukrainian page, and area-by-area comparisons on the relocation guide.
Closing costs
What a buyer pays in Florida
Florida charges documentary stamp tax on the documents in a sale. The Department of Revenue publishes the rates: $0.70 per $100 of consideration on the deed everywhere except Miami-Dade, and $0.35 per $100 on notes and mortgages. The department notes that documentary stamp tax is “payable by any of the parties to a taxable transaction” — so which side actually pays is a matter of local custom and negotiation, not a fixed rule.
There is also a nonrecurring intangible tax on the mortgage. The Department of Revenue states that the lender is the taxpayer liable for it, but that the lender may pass the amount to the borrower.
On top of the taxes: lender fees, title work, survey, inspections, and prepaid insurance and tax escrow. Nobody should quote you a total from memory. Your Loan Estimate and, before closing, your Closing Disclosure give the real numbers for your specific purchase — and Omer will go through both with you line by line.
Buying in Northeast Florida — common questions
Do I have to sign something before an agent will show me a house?
Yes. Since August 2024 a buyer signs a written agreement with their agent before touring homes. It sets out what the agent will do, for how long, and how the agent is paid. Terms are negotiable, and you should read it rather than initial it in a parking lot. Omer will send it in advance and walk through it in English, Ukrainian or Russian before you sign anything.
Who pays the buyer's agent in Florida?
Compensation is negotiable and agreed in writing. It can come from the seller, from the buyer, or be split, and it is no longer advertised in the MLS. That means it is established property by property, in writing, before you write an offer — not assumed afterwards.
Why are the property taxes on the listing lower than what I will pay?
Because Florida reassesses property after a sale. The number on the listing is usually the current owner's bill, often held down by a homestead exemption and the Save Our Homes cap that do not transfer to you. Run your expected purchase price through the county appraiser's own estimator before you decide what you can afford.
How much of my monthly payment is insurance in Northeast Florida?
Enough that it belongs in the conversation before you shop, not after. Homeowners and windstorm premiums here are driven by the age and condition of the roof, the construction, the wind-mitigation report and the distance from the coast. Flood insurance is separate and depends on the flood zone. Ask for a real quote on a specific address early — it can move your affordable price more than a quarter-point of interest.
Can I buy here while I am still living in another state or country?
Yes, and a good part of Omer's work is exactly this. Showings by video walkthrough, documents signed electronically where the lender and title company allow it, and a closing you do not have to fly in for. What out-of-state buyers most often underestimate is insurance, the CDD assessment and the age of the roof.
Do I need my own agent to buy new construction?
The sales representative in a builder's model home works for the builder. If you want your own representation, register your agent on your first visit — many builders will not add one later. There is normally no separate cost to you for having your own agent on a new build, but confirm that in writing rather than assuming it.
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