Notes from Tony Fitzgerald's desk on how Florida mortgages actually work — the escrow resets, the homestead deadlines, and the details nobody mentions at the closing table. Written for Sarasota, Bradenton, and the Gulf Coast.
A rate lock is not a promise about a number. It is a promise tied to your exact loan, property and credit profile, and if any of those change, so does the lock. Here is what actually moves it, and what protects it.
You know your overtime carries the house. Does a lender count it? Usually yes, if it is documented right. Here is what actually happens with firefighter overtime, the side business, the VA option, and why nobody has a secret first responder rate.
Think you need your whole down payment liquid to write an offer? You do not. Earnest money and your down payment are two different amounts at two different moments, and mixing them up is what stalls good buyers.
Florida's insurance market quietly hit an all-time low in June 2026, and since insurance sits inside your debt to income ratio, that shift can change what you actually qualify for. Here is how the math works.
Tony Fitzgerald · NMLS #1284924 · 1st Response Mortgage · powered by Mpire Financial Group LLC · NMLS #2108504 · Florida License #MLD2467 · Mortgage Broker · Sarasota, FL · (941) 941-5150