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Serving South Florida

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For over 35 years

Blog

June 17, 2023
A jumbo loan is a type of mortgage loan that’s used to finance loans that exceed the conforming loan limit. In the United States, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) sets loan limits for conforming loans each year. If the home you’re purchasing will require you to borrow more than the conforming loan limit (CLL), you’ll need to apply for a jumbo loan. But because of the larger loan amounts and increased risk for lenders, Florida jumbo loans often come with higher interest rates and stricter requirements than conventional loans. In 2023, the conforming loan limit for most U.S….
June 8, 2023
As a Floridian, you already know the drill: hurricane season runs June 1 through November 30 each year, and certain hurricane preparations are needed to protect your home when storms appear to be heading your way. But what happens if you are some distance away, or even out of state, when this occurs? You can still prepare ahead of time – and a few extra steps is all it takes to secure your home while you’re away. Performing the following hurricane preparation before vacation will allow you to relax and enjoy family time, or the…
Polybutylene pipes
March 30, 2023
Think twice about purchasing a home with Polybutylene (PB) pipes. Polybutylene (PB) pipes were widely used in Florida residential construction from 1978 to 1995. Billed as a less expensive alternative to traditional copper pipes, up to 10 million homes across the United States were outfitted with PB piping during this period. Polybutylene pipes tend to degrade over time, creating small fractures and pinhole leaks. Any single fracture could eventually result in sudden failure, which generally ends up causing extensive damage to the home. A class-action lawsuit in 1995 resulted in nearly $1 billion being awarded to affected homeowners…
March 20, 2023
Home automation is increasingly popular as technology improves and devices become more affordable. Smart home automation works by connecting various devices in your home to a central hub or directly to a network. These devices can then be controlled remotely through a smartphone app, voice assistant or web interface. Smart home components like security or climate control can be integrated with other smart devices, like your home entertainment system. This allows you to create a comprehensive and integrated smart home system that can automate many different tasks. There are tons of reasons you may want to invest in home automation, but…
February 27, 2023
The National Flood Insurance Program is a pre-disaster flood mitigation and insurance protection program designed to reduce the escalating cost of disasters. The National Flood Insurance Program makes federally backed flood insurance available to residents and business owners. Standard flood insurance by the National Flood Insurance Program generally covers physical damages directly caused by flooding within the limits of the coverage purchased. Private providers may have higher limits or broader coverage compared to National Flood Insurance Program policies. A flood insurance policy is intended to cover physical damage to your building or personal property “directly” caused by a flood. Flood…