amenities

The Pros of Choosing a Gated Community

You’re house hunting with us and know you want a new custom Florida home with all the latest features, construction materials and techniques. Do you also want a gate? It’s a good question to ask. Some of you will and some of you won’t, but you should know that gated …

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Seniors jogging on a forest road

House Hunting? Why You Should Talk to the Neighbors

Searching for or building a new custom Florida home requires a massive amount of preparation. There’s so much you have to know, and so much you probably don’t know, that all the websites and handouts and conversations with builders and real estate agents eventually run the risk of coalescing into …

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Live Like a Floridian: Plan Your Outdoor Water Feature - water feature 600

Live Like a Floridian: Plan Your Outdoor Water Feature

If you live in the Sunshine State or are moving here, water might be prominent on your list of homeowner must-haves. Florida beaches are important for many of us, followed by recreational options involving Intracoastal Waterways, creeks, lakes and well-known water parks. Then there’s that Florida staple, the swimming pool. …

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Mortgage Gift Funds

Mortgage “Gift Fund” Etiquette

Etiquette experts agree that giving someone a gift of cash for a birthday, graduation, or wedding celebration is commonplace. But, did you know that it’s also common to receive a gift of cash for a down payment on a home? In fact, in 2017, the National Association of Realtors Profile …

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Credit scores

Why is My Credit Score Lower From My Lender?

If you have recently been on a personal finance site to check your credit score and then applied for a mortgage you may have been surprised at the difference in your credit score. That’s because more often than not, the score you received from the personal finance site is going …

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Piggyback Mortgage

Are Piggybacks Making a Comeback?

Piggyback mortgages that is, not the ride children love. Piggyback mortgages, a.k.a. second mortgages, are a loan that rides on top of your primary mortgage. In combination with your down payment, these mortgages allow you to avoid paying private mortgage insurance (PMI). They were extremely popular in the early 2000s …

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