Real estate questions, answered.

Since August 2024, agents across the country have to have a written agreement with a buyer before touring homes together. That came out of the national Realtor settlement.

The agreement spells out what your agent will do for you and how they'll be paid. Read it, ask questions, and know that the length and the pay are negotiable. A good agent will walk you through every line without rushing you.

Dave Petkovsek · Link to this answer

One of the things I wish people knew before they started looking here is that building a meaningful relationship with their Realtor is the most important first task.

Too often you get started looking at homes with people who may not be the best fit for you. Find the right fit and commit to them: the Realtor who will carry the torch for you, look out for you, know what's important to you, and help you find the right home. That should be the first step.

Dave Petkovsek · Link to this answer

Plan for two things: your down payment and your closing costs. Down payments run from as little as 0% to 3.5% on some loan programs up to 20% or more on others. Closing costs often land somewhere around 2% to 5% of the price, depending on the loan and the deal.

Then keep a cushion after closing. Talk to a local lender first. A 20-minute conversation with a good loan officer will tell you more than any calculator.

Dave Petkovsek · Link to this answer

Yes. New homes have problems too: missed insulation, roof and flashing issues, plumbing and electrical items. The builder's own inspections aren't working for you.

I like a pre-drywall inspection if you can get one, and a final inspection before your walk-through. It's a few hundred dollars well spent, and it gives you a punch list while the builder still has the crews on site.

Dave Petkovsek · Link to this answer

A lot more than most buyers expect. Insurance, and flood insurance if the lender requires it, goes into your monthly payment right next to the mortgage and taxes.

Get insurance quotes on a specific house during your inspection period, not after. Ask about the flood zone, the roof's age, and whether the home has a wind mitigation report. Two houses at the same price can have very different monthly costs.

Dave Petkovsek · Link to this answer

Nobody can promise you where rates go next. What I watch is the payment you can live with today and how long you plan to stay.

If the payment works and you'll be there for years, waiting for a lower rate can cost you more if prices or competition pick up. If rates drop later, refinancing may be an option. Check the live rates and local numbers on my Market Desk, then talk to a lender about your own numbers.

Dave Petkovsek · Link to this answer

You don't have to, but the friendly person in the model home works for the builder, and the contract is the builder's. At many builders, the only way to have your own agent on your side is to bring them on your very first visit.

A builder's sign-in sheet, website form or chat can count as that first visit, so call me before you go. Many builders pay the buyer's agent, and we'll put how I'm paid in writing before we tour.

Every builder and community, and what to know first →

Dave Petkovsek · Link to this answer

In the 12 months through August 2026, the median single-family home in Palm Coast sold for $360,000, or $193 per square foot, across 3,116 recorded sales (public records).

That's the whole city. Prices run higher in 32137 than in 32164, and they move month to month, so check the current numbers before you make an offer.

Palm Coast home prices, updated monthly →

Dave Petkovsek · Link to this answer

Start with what you want your days to look like, then look at price. Over the latest three months of recorded sales, the single-family median was about $370,000 in Flagler, $340,000 in Volusia and $535,000 in St. Johns (June to August 2026), and $250,000 in Putnam (March to May 2026).

Palm Coast, I love because it's a mini America. Flagler Beach has a small-town feel that's very real. Bunnell runs out into beautiful country. Every county has its own guide on my site.

The area guide, county by county →

Dave Petkovsek · Link to this answer

Start with what actually sold near you, not what's listed. Listings are wishes; sales are facts. You can see recent sales around your address on my "What did my neighbors' homes sell for?" page.

Then adjust for your home's condition, updates, lot and location, and for what's under contract right now. That's where a local agent earns their keep. Price it right the first time. Chasing the market down a cut at a time costs more than it saves.

Dave Petkovsek · Link to this answer

When I'm pricing a home, I'm not looking to get it sold in the first three days and leave money on the table, but I also don't want it sitting longer than the market average.

The sweetest spot, where I believe sellers get the most for their money, is when it sells in about half the average market time. It gets enough exposure that people have a chance to find it, but it's priced so one of the first buyers who would likely buy it actually does.

Dave Petkovsek · Link to this answer

Fix what buyers will flag right away: leaks, roof issues, anything with safety or insurance written on it. Those scare buyers and can kill financing.

Cosmetic projects are a judgment call. Paint, cleaning and decluttering almost always pay off. A full kitchen remodel right before you sell usually doesn't. Selling as-is is fine too; just price it for its condition so buyers see the value.

Dave Petkovsek · Link to this answer

The big pieces are real estate commission (negotiable), documentary stamp tax on the deed (in most of Florida, 70 cents per $100 of the price, usually paid by the seller), title and closing fees, your share of this year's property taxes, and paying off any mortgage.

On a typical resale home in our area, the seller usually pays for the buyer's owner's title insurance policy. When a builder or a bank (an REO) is selling, the buyer often pays for title instead, though the seller sometimes gives a credit to help offset it. Like most things, it's negotiable. Ask your title company for an estimated closing statement before you list so there are no surprises.

Dave Petkovsek · Link to this answer

Usually one of three things: price, condition or exposure. If you're getting showings but no offers, it's price or condition. If you're not getting showings, it's price or marketing.

Look at what sold around you while you sat, and what buyers chose instead. In September, homes in Flagler and Volusia averaged about 81 days to sell, so compare your days on market to that.

Dave Petkovsek · Link to this answer

The first thing I tell a seller who's waiting for the right time is that market timing is very hard, and more complicated than most people imagine.

If you wait for prices to go up on the home you're selling, the home you want to buy goes up too. All too often, the extra value isn't worth what it costs you in time reaching your goal. As I get older, the more I realize that our priorities and values matter more than a few dollars in the long run.

Dave Petkovsek · Link to this answer

Don't turn it down just because it came first. The first buyer is often the most motivated one, because they've been waiting for a house like yours.

Judge the whole offer, not just the price: financing, deposit, inspection period, closing date and contingencies. A clean offer at a slightly lower price can be worth more than a high one that falls apart.

Dave Petkovsek · Link to this answer

It can be, when speed, certainty or convenience matter more than top dollar: an inherited home, a home that needs work, a rental with tenants in place, or a move on a deadline.

A cash offer trades some price for speed and certainty, and listing on the open market usually brings the highest price. With every cash offer my partners and I make, I'll also tell you what I believe your home would sell for on the market and what you'd walk away with. Then you choose.

Get a cash offer, and see both options →

Dave Petkovsek · Link to this answer

Every recorded home sale near you for the last 12 months, with the price, size and price per square foot, is on my neighbor sales tool, from public records in all four counties.

Keeping the comps very recent is important, so look at the newest sales closest to you first. Then ask me for a report on your own home.

What did my neighbors' homes sell for? →

Dave Petkovsek · Link to this answer

Your sale price, minus the commission, your mortgage payoff and Florida closing costs such as the documentary stamps on the deed, the owner's title policy and prorated property taxes.

Show me the cash: my calculator does the math with real closing costs, so you see the number before you list.

Show Me the Cash: seller net calculator →

Dave Petkovsek · Link to this answer

Not necessarily. Florida's homestead portability lets you carry much of your Save Our Homes savings to a new Florida homestead, up to $500,000 of it, if you establish the new homestead in time (generally within about three years).

The rules have details and deadlines, so call the property appraiser in the county where you're buying and ask about portability before you close. It can be worth thousands of dollars a year.

Dave Petkovsek · Link to this answer

Dates. Agents miss or miscount deadlines for the deposit, the inspection period, loan approval and closing, and then the deal gets messy.

Put every deadline on your calendar the day the contract is effective, and confirm the effective date in writing with the other agent. I teach the contract for Florida Realtors, and dates come up in every class.

Dave Petkovsek · Link to this answer

During the inspection period the buyer can cancel for any reason, in their sole discretion, and get the deposit back, as long as the notice goes out in time and the right way. If the blank is left empty, the form fills in a default period.

Once that period ends, the buyer's easy way out is gone, and the deposit is at risk if they back out without another contract right to rely on. Read the paragraph with your buyer before they sign, not after.

Dave Petkovsek · Link to this answer

First, check what the contract says about appraisals; that sets everyone's options. Then you have four levers: the seller lowers the price, the buyer brings more cash, they split the gap, or someone challenges the appraisal with better comparable sales.

If you challenge it, send the lender real closed sales the appraiser may have missed, not opinions. Keep everyone calm. Most low appraisals get worked out when both agents stay on the same side of the problem.

Dave Petkovsek · Link to this answer

Tell them to slow down and look at the contract with you before they send anything. Is there another contingency still open, like financing or appraisal? Those are different paths with their own deadlines.

If there's no contract right left, the deposit may be at risk, and that's when your buyer should talk to a real estate attorney. Don't give legal advice; give them the facts and the referral.

Dave Petkovsek · Link to this answer

Start with accurate BPOs. Asset managers and valuation companies notice agents who turn them in on time with good comparable sales and honest photos.

Get set up on the platforms they use, keep your license and errors-and-omissions insurance current, and be ready for the unglamorous parts: occupancy checks, rekeys, trash-outs and a lot of reporting. I've closed more than 1,000 bank-owned homes, and it's a service business first.

Dave Petkovsek · Link to this answer

Talk early and often. Send a loan status update at each milestone, especially the appraisal and loan approval, and before any contract deadline, not on the day it hits.

Most late closings I see come from surprises: a condo questionnaire, an insurance quote, a repair the appraiser called. Get those moving in week one.

Dave Petkovsek · Link to this answer

Set expectations at pre-approval. A buyer who knows up front that they may need extra cash for a gap makes a stronger offer and a calmer deal.

On the listing side, I like agents to give the appraiser a short, factual package: recent comparable sales, upgrades with dates, and anything unusual about the home. It isn't pressure; it's information the appraiser may not have.

Dave Petkovsek · Link to this answer

Truly comparable sales: same area, same type, similar age and size, and recent. In Palm Coast that means watching the section and the street, not just the ZIP code. Then honest photos and an honest condition report.

Explain your adjustments in plain words, and call out anything that changes value, like a flood zone, a roof age, or new construction nearby competing on price with rate buydowns.

Dave Petkovsek · Link to this answer

It depends mostly on condition and price. Across all homes in Flagler and Volusia, September's average was about 81 days to sell, and REO that's priced right and presentable can move faster than that.

Distressed homes that need work take longer and sell to a smaller pool of cash and rehab buyers. The best predictor is the first two weeks: showings and feedback tell you quickly whether the price is right.

Dave Petkovsek · Link to this answer

Right away: an occupancy check, securing the property, photos and a condition report, and any utilities or code issues flagged. Then a broker price opinion with a marketing plan, followed by trash-out, rekey and any approved repairs through vendors we trust.

From there it's listing, marketing and reporting on your schedule and your platform, through closing. I've been doing short sales since 1994 and REO since 1998, across Flagler, Volusia, St. Johns and Putnam.

Dave Petkovsek · Link to this answer

A bank-owned home where we could not get rid of the fleas. We had pest control out probably 15 times in six months, and they kept coming back. Agent after agent complained, and I sent notice after notice so they could still get their buyers in to see it.

More than once I had to have my own car flea bombed because I brought them home with me. It was a challenge, but after about 12 treatments we finally got it under control, and we got it sold. That's the job: you stay with it until it's done.

Dave Petkovsek · Link to this answer

I do. I've been doing short sales since 1994 and REO since 1998, across all four counties, with 1,000+ bank-owned homes closed personally.

I handle occupancy checks, securing the property, condition reports and photos, vendors, marketing and closing, reported on your platform: RES.NET, Equator, Pyramid or RIO Genesis.

Asset managers: send an asset or request a BPO →

Dave Petkovsek · Link to this answer

What asset managers should know this month is that REO is not driving anything here. Resale properties are flat with pricing and saturated inventory levels, but the homes that are priced correctly are moving fairly quickly, under 80 days, with the sweet spot at homes that are marketed 30 to 40 days seeing the best returns.

New construction is 50% of our local market in Flagler County and very strong in the collar counties, so rate buydowns and warranties are driving buyers there. You need to price your properties right out of the gate. (October 2026)

The monthly Distressed Market Brief →

Dave Petkovsek · Link to this answer

It can be, if you buy on numbers instead of hope. Run rent minus taxes, insurance, HOA, maintenance, vacancy and management, then see what's left. Insurance is the line people underestimate most.

Talk to a local property manager before you buy. They'll tell you what the house will actually rent for and how fast. It's free advice that can save you from an expensive mistake.

Dave Petkovsek · Link to this answer

A short sale is the owner selling for less than they owe, with the lender's approval. The owner still owns it, so the timeline depends on the lender's approval and can take a while. A foreclosure (bank-owned, or REO) is already owned by the lender, so the process is usually more predictable.

Both are often sold as-is. Get inspections, check for liens and code issues with your title company, and price in the repairs.

Dave Petkovsek · Link to this answer

It depends most on size, bathrooms, type, age, a pool and the ZIP code. My Rent Estimator starts from what tenants here actually signed: 2,303 homes, duplexes, condos and apartments leased through Stellar MLS from October 2025 through September 2026, brought up to date with Zillow's rent index.

Put in the property and you'll get an estimate, plus yield and cap rate if you add the price. For a number you can underwrite, ask me for a full rental analysis.

Rent Estimator for all four counties →

Dave Petkovsek · Link to this answer

Hard money and fix-and-flip lenders for buy-and-fix deals, rental (DSCR) loans that qualify on the property's rent, and local banks for commercial and multifamily.

I keep a list of lenders that make investor loans here, each checked on its own website, with how to check a lender's license. Have a deal and not sure where it fits? Call me and I'll point you to the right one.

Investment lenders list →

Dave Petkovsek · Link to this answer

I'm a licensed Florida title agent and a co-owner of Ocean Blue Title. If a client of ours closes there, that's a business relationship we disclose in writing.

Every buyer and seller has the right to choose their own title company, and we'll work with whoever they pick. What matters most is a title team that communicates and closes on time.

Dave Petkovsek · Link to this answer