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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

DTI (debt-to-income ratio) is the percentage of your gross monthly income that goes to monthly debt payments. Lenders use it to judge whether your payment is sustainable—especially in Miami, where HOA dues + insurance can blow up the “housing payment” number. DTI formula: DTI = (monthly housing payment + monthly

A 2-1 buydown is one of the most misunderstood tools in Miami real estate. People pitch it like “cheap money.” It’s not. It’s a temporary payment discount that somebody funds upfront—usually to help a buyer qualify or to make a high-rate market feel tolerable. Used correctly, it’s smart. Used blindly,