Home/Insights
Central FloridaInsights
Plain answers to the questions that actually decide a Central Florida transaction — what a CDD costs, why the tax bill jumps in year two, which communities allow short-term rentals, and what an insurance quote can do to a closing. Written by Henry Mejia, and sourced.
Buying11 min read
Get the insurance quote before you make the offer
Roof age, the 15-year rule, wind mitigation credits, the Citizens 20% test, and why a named storm anywhere in Florida can stop your closing cold.
Read the article →11 min read
Buying a condo after Florida’s milestone and reserve laws
Milestone inspections, structural integrity reserve studies, the end of reserve waivers, your seven-day rescission rights, and the documents a seller owes you.
Read →
Market & Money9 min read
Why your Florida tax bill jumps in year two
Homestead, Save Our Homes, portability, the January 1 reassessment, and what Amendment 3 would do if voters approve it in November.
Read →
Buying8 min read
Where short-term rentals are actually allowed near Disney
State preemption, the June 2011 grandfather date, and the very different rules in Orange County, the City of Orlando, Osceola and Polk.
Read →
New Construction5 min read
Orlando builder incentives tracker — Q3 2026
Inventory, incentives and the arithmetic of a rate buydown — plus why builders defend the base price and give the money away elsewhere.
Read →
Market & Money5 min read
Every Citizens policy needs flood insurance by 1 January 2027
The statutory phase-in schedule, who is exempt, why inland Central Florida is the region this hits hardest, and what the Ian and Milton records actually show.
Read →
New Construction5 min read
CDD fees in Central Florida: what they actually cost
What a Community Development District is, how it differs from an HOA, why the year-one bill misleads, and how to find the exact number for your lot.
Read →
Selling8 min read
What Florida sellers must disclose — and what they don’t
Johnson v. Davis, the 2024 flood disclosure law and its 2025 expansion, open permits, and the things Florida law says you do not have to mention.
Read →6 min read
Golf communities around Orlando: what you are actually buying
Bay Hill, Isleworth, Lake Nona, Keene’s Pointe, Reunion, ChampionsGate and more — which are residential, which are private, and which are not communities at all.
Read →
Market & Money7 min read
Year-end tax questions for Florida homeowners
The 2026 SALT cap, what happened to the energy credits, the home office rule, points, the capital gains exclusion, and the mortgage insurance deduction that came back.
Read →
Living in Central Florida5 min read
Buying a home near Walt Disney World
Orange, Osceola and Polk; vacation-home communities versus primary-residence neighbourhoods; CDDs; and the questions to ask before you fall for a floor plan.
Read →
Living in Central Florida6 min read
Moving to Orlando: an honest guide
Cost of living, hurricane risk inland, who actually employs people here, how the transit really works, and what to see once the parks wear off.
Read →
Buying4 min read
When to buy in Central Florida: how the seasons actually work
Closed sales by month, why January’s lower median is mostly a mix effect, and where the real negotiating leverage sits.
Read →Buying5 min read
Buying vs. renting in Orlando: the real numbers
What Orlando home values have actually done since 2023, what rents are doing now, and the four honest reasons to buy that do not depend on a forecast.
Read →Selling6 min read
Seven mistakes that cost Central Florida sellers money
Overpricing, the roof, disclosure, photography, showing access, curb appeal — and the two Florida-specific ones the generic version of this list leaves out.
Read →Have a question these did not answer?
Most of what matters in a transaction is specific to one house, one street or one community. Ask Henry directly.