Home Loan Solutions in the State of Florida
Florida, with hundreds of miles of beaches, is renowned for its plethora of tourist attractions like Walt Disney World, Universal Studios Orlando, and the local favorite, South Beach. Fortunately, for those interested in living the Florida lifestyle, our team of home finance experts is ready and waiting to teach you everything you need to know about mortgage basics in the state.
At the moment, the average home listing price in Florida is $220,500, which is slightly lower than the nationwide median of $261,500. This means it could be high time to buy a home (and some awesome shades!) in the Sunshine State.
Right now, one of the most expensive areas to purchase a home in Florida is the melting pot that is Miami, with with a median home listing price of $462,000. In comparison, Tampa's median home value is only $163,000. Other popular cities include Orlando, where the median home listing price is $155,400 and Jacksonville, where the average list price for a home is $140,300.
Other exciting cities to buy a home in Florida include:
At home.loans, our team is committed to the single purpose of providing you with the best and most up-to-date information about the home buying process in the state of Florida. Whether you want to buy a new home, refinance, explore your home equity options, or get a conventional or FHA loan, we can't wait to help be a part of your home buying success story!
Best Florida Mortgage Lender: Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation
A rapidly growing name in the national home finance industry, Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation is one of the best options for conventional, FHA, and VA financing across the country. Home buyers will agree that it’s actually pretty easy to find a Fairway location when its time to get a home loan. Beyond that, their customer service is well known to be top notch.
Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation has stunning reviews from its client base over the years. One thing they seem to excel in is cutting down the closing costs that borrowers are expected to pay at the end of a mortgage transaction, as well as facilitating a faster closing.
Fairway may very well be the best option for first time home buyers on this list. Their attention to detail and completely transparent methodology is perfect for obtaining a mortgage loan at a great rate in a stress-free environment.
Best Florida Mortgage Refinance Lender: Guaranteed Rate
A Kingpin of the online mortgage trend that plays a large role in mortgage refinancing is Guaranteed Rate. Their participation in the digital mortgage wave leaves many other platforms lacking by comparison.
Guaranteed Rate is also extremely experienced with the origination and refinancing of government-insured loan products such as FHA and VA loans. The ability to offer mortgage refinancing through one of the best digital mortgage platforms available makes them serious competition to other mortgage lenders, and highly favored among repeat and first time home buyers.
The online platform makes securely uploading the important financial documentation requested for a loan approval fast and easy. Borrowers can even check their credit scores through the service, rather than go elsewhere. Guaranteed Rate is one of the rare few digital mortgage platforms where a mortgage loan can be refinanced without ever needing to speak with someone unless requested by the homeowner.
Best Florida FHA Mortgage Lender: Caliber Home Loans
A relative newcomer to the home finance market, Caliber Home Loans truly hit the ground running -- at top speed. For a company that has only been around since 2013, Caliber has made quite a reputation for itself as one of the top FHA lenders in the region.
The Caliber team is often lauded for their knowledge and sincerity during the mortgage transactions that they conduct. Getting an FHA loan can be particularly stressful, but the loan officers at Caliber don’t leave any stone unturned when it comes to keeping their borrowers informed and making sure home buyers are in complete control of their home loan decisions.
Home buyers can count on concise, and rapid responses to any questions that may come up during the mortgage process. With their new app, the mortgage preapproval and application process has been made even easier! A stunning dedication to providing home buyers with mortgage loans that are affordable and align with their goals is evident with the glowing pool of user reviews since Caliber’s birth only 6 years ago.
Best Florida VA Mortgage Lender: Academy Mortgage Corporation
Academy Mortgage Corporation has been around since 1988, and has made a name for themselves on a national scale. The company is committed to responsible lending practices, especially with the ever-changing economy of today.
Unlike many mortgage brokers around, Academy Mortgage Corporation has the advantage of being a direct mortgage lender. This means that they handle all loan processing, underwriting, closings, and funding at their local branch offices.
Being a direct lender, means being able to close mortgage loan transactions as efficiently and quickly as possible, sometimes even in a matter of days! With the security and efficiency of their in-house loan origination and management, they are one of the best when it comes to speedy and affordable VA financing!
Best Florida Home Equity Lender: Bank of America
A veritable banking giant, Bank of America is typically one of the first places any home buyer would discuss when financing a home purchase, second mortgage, or refinancing a mortgage. Even so, it is incredibly rewarding when such a large company can still focus on the wants and needs of each individual client, and get them the perfect loan product.
Home Equity transactions are an unspoken specialty of Bank of America. While they choose to only offer Home equity lines of credit and not home equity loans, they are still easily one of the best lenders around when it comes to accessing home equity.
Eligible borrowers who meet the credit score requirement of 660 (they are flexible depending on each individual borrower) can take out a HELOC with an LTV of no less than 85% with a minimum figure of $25,000 and a maximum of $1 million. HELOCs through Bank of America come with some interesting benefits, like being able to lock down an interest rate at any point in the payment period, and rate discounts for BoA account holders.
Bank of America would not be where it is today if it was lacking in such things as customer care or knowledgeable loan officers. They even have an ever evolving online platform that can cut application time down to just 15 minutes! Interestingly, Bank of America is able to combine its impressive clout in the finance industry with personalized consultation, round-the-clock service, and vast resources of both funding and information.
The result? A mortgage or refinance transaction that is as painless as one can be, and a second mortgage product that is just the right fit.
Shop Around Before You Get a Florida Home Loan
Our picks for the best mortgage lenders in Florida may not necessarily represent the best lender for your financial situation, goals, and desires. Everyone’s story is unique, and sometimes the best mortgage terms can be found in the most obscure places. Regardless of experience or lack thereof, the best plan of action is to shop around with multiple lenders to find out which one can provide the ideal mortgage solution that comes with the terms and affordability that best suits any particular financial situation.
While looking at reviews can be a huge help, getting a one on one consultation could mean saving thousands. If you’d like some help in locating the best mortgage lender in your area, don't hesitate to contact a home.loans mortgage expert!