T-Minus 417 Days: Twelve Questions Answered By A Real Estate Agent

We had a call with one of the Florida Real Estate agents. Funny thing happened. We described the kind of house we were looking for in significant detail. He responded 'I just sold that exact house you just described to your friends in Florida'. The agent answered a dozen questions for us. Please note: you should ask your agent these questions to get answers for your unique situation.

1. Can Properties be shown in Florida given the Pandemic?
Yes, there are no restrictions. We should have no problems seeing empty houses and looking at neighborhoods.

2. How difficult would it be to build a house?
If we want to find property and find a builder, it will be very difficult. If we want to go into a new development that is presently building houses, that won't be a problem.

3. How difficult would it be to build a custom house?
A custom house in a development will be impossible. They are building the houses out as fast as they can, and they don't offer custom floor plans.

4. What is available for multi generational houses?
Finding a multi generational house with a separate entrance is difficult. They exist, but there aren't many. What may work better is to get a house that has more than one suite.

5. How should we prepare for our Florida trip in August?
He will send us some houses that he thinks we will like. We should use google maps to drive around the neighborhoods to see what the neighborhoods are like. We should plan to see four to six houses per day.

6. Should we get pre-approved with a bank that is local in Florida?
It doesn't matter. Any bank will be fine. It doesn't have to be local to Florida

7. Will we be able to move from our New York home directly to our Florida Home?
Unlikely. People usually rent until they get a house purchase completed. Our items can be moved to climate controlled storage for $200-$300 per month, or, we can move using PODS.

8. Where can we get the most house for our money?
The further away from Orlando we can get, the more house we'll get for the money. Clermont is good. Some parts of Apopka is good.

9. What do you think about housing value forecasts?
He ignores the pandemic information. There is so much housing pressure from people moving into the region that the housing market is, and will remain, strong. Prices will continue to rise.

10. If we decide we want to look at Assisted Living for my parents, can you help us?
I can tell you about some places I am familiar with, but I don't have any connection to them.

11. If we decide we want to look at apartments for our adult children, can you help us?
Not really. He will be able to tell us about apartments he has heard of, and areas that are better than others.

12. Should we bring our furniture with us?
It depends. He sees younger couples with better and newer furniture will bring their stuff. Older couples will often want a fresh start.