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A special assessment in a Miami condo isn’t automatically a deal-killer. But it is a signal to lenders that the building may have financial stress, deferred maintenance, or insurance/budget problems. And lenders treat signals like that with one response: more scrutiny. If you want to close on time, you need

In Miami, “I’m pre-qualified” is often treated like “I clicked a button online.” Sellers don’t care about your optimism. They care about certainty, speed, and low fall-through risk—especially when multiple offers hit the table. Here’s the real difference between pre-qualification and pre-approval, and what makes a seller take your offer

Underwriting conditions (often called “suspense items”) are not personal. They’re the lender’s checklist to prove your loan meets guidelines. Most delays in Miami happen because borrowers respond slowly, send partial documents, or trigger new questions with sloppy uploads. Your goal is simple: clear conditions in one clean round. Here are

Gift funds can make a Miami purchase possible—but only if you treat them like underwriting will: verified, documented, and traceable. The fastest way to delay (or kill) a loan is sloppy gift paperwork, mystery transfers, or “we’ll explain it later” logic. Florida isn’t special here. The rules are driven by

Most Miami buyers underestimate cash-to-close because they fixate on the down payment and forget the rest: closing costs, escrows, and sometimes reserves. Then they’re shocked a week before closing. Here’s how to estimate it properly—without wishful thinking. The 3 buckets of money you need 1) Down payment (varies by loan

Florida doesn’t have special “state credit-score rules.” What matters is loan type + lender overlays + your full risk profile (DTI, down payment, reserves, documentation). Here are the real ranges that actually show up in approvals—and the few situations where exceptions happen. FHA loans (owner-occupied): the clearest official floor FHA