How to buy a house in Florida? Everything you need to know
The opportunity of return on investment has led many foreigners, especially the Brazilian public to invest in homes in Florida, especially Vacations Homes (Vacation Home).
Among the reasons, the main one is the opportunity of return on investment with the rental of these properties.
There are several facilities that many Brazilians do not know about buying a house in the United States which we detail in this post, in order for you to understand how simple and profitable this process can be.
The purpose of the purchase should be your starting point
1 The first point that must be taken into consideration is the purpose of the property you intend to invest in, which can be used as an investment for Vacation Home, a property for fixed monthly rental, or simply a property for to reside in the United States with his family.
This decision has a direct impact on the region where you intend to invest in your property, since there are counties delimited for Vacation Homes, i.e. you can't just buy a property in any region and rent it for vacation home purposes, there are specific areas for this purpose, as well as Resident Authorization.
It is also worth mentioning that the public that will rent this property will normally give preference to properties close to theme parks, supermarkets, outlets and convenience items during your stay in FloridaTherefore, location is extremely important to be able to keep your property always rented and to be able to get a return on the investment made.
How to manage a property in Florida, residing outside the United States?
A frequent doubt of those who want to invest in a Vacation Home, is about how the property will be rented throughout the year, and who will do the maintenance, administration and cleaning of the property.
The answer is simple, there are companies of property management, or "Property ManagerThey take care of all this for you.
These companies will be responsible for making your property available on major travel portals around the world, and your home can be available on sites such as Booking, Decolar, Viagens.com, as well as the administrator's own property library.
In this way, the more this property manager rents out your property, the more she and you will make a profit on your investment.
It is important to have a property manager that takes quality care of your property and also provides its guests with a safe and comfortable service.
We can help you with the management of your property, click here and learn how.
Buying a property to live in and/or renting it long-term
On the other hand, if you intend to buy a property to invest in a fixed lease through an annual contract, you can buy it in any region of Florida. But strategically it is important to define who your audience (tenants) will be and how easy it is to rent in each region, so that you will always have your property rented. This also has a direct impact on the income you will get from the rental of the property. But if your goal is to have a property to live with your family in Florida, you should only take into consideration your personal preferences for a certain region and important factors such as schools for your childrenthat make all the difference for this decision making. To help you with this decision, see our post about characteristics of each Orlando region.
Purchasing Process
2Once the objective is defined, the next step is to know how make the purchase of the property possibleThis is an extremely simple process that we detail below. The first thing to know, and that many people are in doubt, is whether a foreigners can buy real estate in the United Statesand the answer to this question is YES.
Anyone with a passport and a valid visa, be it tourist, student, work etc... can buy a property in FloridaIn addition, there is the option of financing up to 75% of the value of the property.
Incredibly, even the financing process for a foreigner in the United States can be simpler than financing a property in Brazil, and believe me, with interest rates infinitely lower, between 5-6% per year.
There are some requirements for this process, such as the minimum amount to be financed must be $100,000, and the bank requires the buyer to be present in the United States.
Usually a financing process takes an average of 45 days to complete.
The purchase of a property at sight, without the need for financing, is an even simpler process, and the conclusion of the deal can be in up to 15 days after the offer to the seller, and brings some benefits such as you can make the purchase directly from Brazildocuments can be signed directly at American Embassy or Consulate.
But keep in mind that for this you will need qualified brokers who can provide you with everything you need to have the dream property safely.
A very important tip is to keep in mind that in the United States, there are thousands of brokers, but an important point to note is whether these brokers have structure and qualified service and focused on sale to foreignersIt is a process that requires more flexibility and personalized service, for obvious reasons, such as distance, language, documentation, etc?
The Florida Lounge can advise you safely and calmly on how to have your real estate in the United StatesWe also have a physical store in Brazil to attend you in an exclusive way.
Proposal Moment
3 Once you have defined the purpose of the property, the way you want to acquire it, and the advisory or professional that will conduct your entire process, the next step is to finally make the proposal for the purchase of the property.
After you find your dream home, ask the professional conducting your process to provide the "Contract to Purchase Real Estate" (Contract for the purchase of real estate).
This document will show the seller the price, term, and payment conditions for closing the deal.
At this point it will be necessary to make a good faith deposit between 1% and 3% under the value of the property to the seller, this will assure the seller that his offer is safe and with real purpose of purchase agreement. Another very important point, especially if you want to acquire a used property, is the building inspection (required for financing cases).
This evaluation must be performed by a competent company that will be able to verify and evaluate items such as: soil settlement, drainage, erosion, pests, structural integrity, Air Conditioning, heating and cooling system, electrical and hydraulic conditions of the property.
At In conclusion, buying real estate in Florida is a process that everyone with a valid passport and visa can do.
But the steps described in this post should be checked carefully, so that you can be successful with your investment.
Let us help you with your dream. Contact us right now and make a simulation.
Did you like the article? Keep an eye on our blog! Wanting to invest in Florida real estate? See the list of houses for sale in florida that we have selected for you!
