Myths first
Four myths that keep people renting.
These four show up in almost every first conversation, and each one has a financial answer attached. Once the myths clear, the path is straightforward.
You need 20 percent down to buy.
Qualified VA buyers can buy with zero down, FHA loans start at 3.5 percent, and conventional loans are available at 3 to 5 percent from many lenders. On a $350,000 home, that is a range from zero to $12,250 before closing costs, not $70,000.
Down payment assistance is a scam or too rare to matter.
Florida Housing and county and local programs offer real down payment and closing cost assistance to qualified first-time buyers, usually with income and purchase price limits. They fit more people than use them, and a Florida-knowledgeable lender is the person who matches you to the right one.
You should wait until interest rates drop.
Nobody can predict rates with certainty, and waiting has a real cost: rent paid with no equity while prices keep their slow climb. The smarter move is comparing the all-in monthly cost of buying today against your rent, with today's numbers, not a guess about next year.
The market will price you out forever.
Palm Beach County is in its most balanced market in years, particularly for condos and townhomes, where buyers have real leverage. That is a window, and it is open now. The discipline that wins it is preparation, not timing luck.
The first-time plan
Four phases from zero to keys.
Pre-approval before tours
A lender models your full buying power using real Florida costs: taxes, insurance, flood, HOA. You learn your number before you ever see a home, which makes every tour productive.
Match programs to your income
Down payment assistance, FHA versus conventional, VA if you served, and any county programs. The right product can mean the difference between ready and not ready, and it is decided in week one, not week ten.
Shop areas like a resident
Commute, flood zones, HOA cultures, insurance costs, resale demand. The neighborhood guides and a strategy call turn generic searches into a shortlist of where you will actually want to live.
Offer, inspect, close
An offer built on comparables, an inspection that protects you, and a closing with every line item explained. Kelby walks first-timers through each paperwork moment in plain English.
Start with the full guide
The Buying Guide expands every phase into a step-by-step walkthrough, including the Florida-specific costs most out-of-towners miss.
Plain-English glossary
The words you will hear at every step.
Real estate comes with a vocabulary, and nobody should sign anything they cannot explain. These are the terms that matter most on your first purchase.
Pre-approval
A lender's written confirmation of how much you can borrow, based on your income, credit, and debts. Stronger than pre-qualification and required to compete.
Earnest money
The deposit you put down with an offer to show you are serious. It sits in escrow and applies to your purchase at closing.
Inspection
A licensed professional's review of the home's systems and structure, ordered after contract. Your chance to negotiate repairs or walk away.
Appraisal
An independent estimate of the home's value required by your lender, which protects you from paying far more than the market supports.
Closing costs
Lender fees, title, taxes, and prepaids due at settlement, typically several thousand dollars. Your Loan Estimate itemizes every one of them.
PMI
Private mortgage insurance, required on conventional loans with less than 20 percent down. It falls off as your equity grows, and some programs avoid it entirely.
Homestead exemption
The Florida property tax break for your permanent residence, worth up to $50,000 off assessed value, filed with the county by March 1.
First call, no judgment
Get your real number, then start looking.
Tell Kelby your income, your debts, and your down payment savings, and you will leave the call knowing your honest buying range and which programs you qualify for. It is the highest-value 15 minutes in the whole process.
First-time buyer intake
The more detail, the more precise the plan.