Mortgage Broker
in Florida
Channel Marker Mortgage is licensed across the state of Florida. We close loans for condo buyers in Miami and Fort Lauderdale, retirees and snowbirds on the Gulf Coast, first-time buyers in Orlando and Tampa, veterans around Jacksonville and Pensacola, and investors financing short-term rentals near the theme parks. South Florida, Central Florida, Tampa Bay, Southwest Florida, the Space Coast, and the Panhandle — if you're buying in Florida, we close there.
Why Channel Marker for a Florida mortgage
We're a multi-state mortgage broker with a lender network built for Florida's toughest files — condos, high insurance costs, and second homes included.
Wholesale rates
As a broker, we shop your loan across 100+ wholesale lenders. The same loan that costs you 7.0% at a retail bank often costs 6.5% through us — because retail banks layer their own margin on top of the wholesale rate.
Condo & insurance expertise
Florida is the hardest condo-financing market in the country and its property-insurance market is the most expensive. We know which lenders approve non-warrantable condos, how to clear the condo questionnaire, and how to structure a file around high premiums.
Real loan officers
Book a call, talk to a licensed loan officer. The same person who pre-approves you walks the deal to closing — no transfers to a corporate processor in another state.
The Florida mortgage market in 2026
Florida is the most active — and most nuanced — purchase market in the country. Two things shape almost every Florida deal: condominium financing rules that tightened sharply after Surfside, and a property-insurance market where premiums can make or break a debt-to-income ratio. A lender that doesn't live in this market every day gets tripped up by both.
Top metros we cover: Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Naples, Fort Myers, Cape Coral, Sarasota, Tampa, St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Orlando, Kissimmee, Lakeland, Jacksonville, St. Augustine, Daytona Beach, Melbourne, Pensacola, Destin, Panama City, Tallahassee, and Gainesville.
Florida has no state income tax, which changes the qualification math for retirees and self-employed buyers relative to high-tax states. The trade-off is closing-side cost: Florida charges documentary stamp tax on the deed (roughly 0.70% of price, or 0.60% in Miami-Dade) plus documentary stamp and intangible tax on the mortgage. We model the full cash-to-close — including insurance escrows — in writing before you commit.
Loan programs available in Florida
We're licensed for and regularly close every major loan product in Florida.
- Conventional loansThe 2026 conforming loan limit is $832,750 in all 67 Florida counties except Monroe County (the Keys), where it rises to $990,150. Anything above the applicable limit is a jumbo loan.
- FHA loansLow down payment (3.5%) and more flexible credit. FHA limits follow the same county pattern and are a popular route for Florida first-time buyers.
- VA loansZero down for eligible veterans, active-duty service members, and surviving spouses. With full entitlement there's no upper loan limit. Florida has one of the largest veteran populations in the country — we close VA loans around Jacksonville, Pensacola, Tampa (MacDill), and Mayport routinely.
- Condominium financingThe specialty that separates Florida lenders. We finance warrantable and non-warrantable condos, handle the post-Surfside condo questionnaire and structural-integrity reserve study (SIRS) requirements, and know which lenders still lend in buildings with open assessments or litigation.
- Florida Hometown HeroesState down-payment assistance of up to 5% of the loan amount (maximum $35,000) for eligible frontline workers — teachers, first responders, nurses, military, and more — buying a primary residence. Funds are limited and issued first-come, first-served each program year.
- USDA loansZero-down financing for USDA-eligible areas. Much of rural and semi-rural Florida qualifies — inland from the coasts and outside the major metros.
- Jumbo loansAbove the conforming cap. Essential across South Florida, Naples, the barrier islands, and waterfront markets — we work with jumbo lenders offering competitive rates and asset-based qualification.
- DSCR & investor loansQualify on the property's rental income rather than your personal income. Built for Florida's large short-term-rental and second-home investor market, especially around Orlando and the Gulf Coast.
Special Florida situations — where a broker beats a bank
A retail bank pre-approves you against its single underwriting box. A multi-lender broker has access to over 100 wholesale lenders, each with its own criteria. In Florida, that difference decides a lot of deals.
Condo buyers
Non-warrantable buildings, high investor concentration, open litigation, or special assessments can stop a retail bank cold. We know which lenders still approve these files and how to document them.
High-insurance properties
When the homeowners or wind premium spikes the debt-to-income ratio, a loan can fall apart at underwriting. We price the real insurance cost into the pre-approval, not discover it at closing.
Snowbirds & second homes
Second-home financing for buyers keeping a primary residence up north. We handle out-of-state income, seasonal occupancy, and the documentation that trips up local-only lenders.
Retirees on fixed income
Social Security, pension, and asset-depletion qualification let retirees qualify on savings and investment accounts, not just monthly income. Common across the Gulf Coast and 55+ communities.
Self-employed & 1099 buyers
Bank-statement loans qualify you on 12 or 24 months of deposits rather than tax returns — ideal for Florida's large small-business and gig economy.
Investors & short-term rentals
DSCR loans qualify on projected rents, not personal income, so you can scale a portfolio. We know the Orlando/Kissimmee and Gulf Coast short-term-rental markets well.
If your file doesn't fit a vanilla 30-year-fixed at 20% down, the brokerage model is built for you. We close the deals retail banks call “complicated.”
Counties and cities we serve
Channel Marker is licensed across all of Florida — all 67 counties. The major markets we work daily, organized by region.
South Florida
Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, Martin. Cities: Miami, Miami Beach, Coral Gables, Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, Boca Raton, West Palm Beach, Jupiter.
Southwest Florida
Lee, Collier, Charlotte, Sarasota, Manatee. Cities: Naples, Fort Myers, Cape Coral, Bonita Springs, Sarasota, Bradenton, Punta Gorda.
Tampa Bay
Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Hernando. Cities: Tampa, St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Brandon, Wesley Chapel.
Central Florida
Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Lake, Polk, Volusia, Brevard. Cities: Orlando, Kissimmee, Winter Park, Sanford, Lakeland, Daytona Beach, Melbourne.
Northeast Florida
Duval, St. Johns, Clay, Nassau. Cities: Jacksonville, St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra, Fernandina Beach.
Panhandle & North Florida
Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton, Bay, Leon, Alachua. Cities: Pensacola, Destin, Panama City, Tallahassee, Gainesville.
Your Florida mortgage team
Book directly with the Channel Marker advisor who fits your situation.
Frequently asked questions about Florida mortgages
What's the 2026 conforming loan limit in Florida?
$832,750 for a one-unit home in every Florida county except Monroe County (the Florida Keys), where the 2026 limit is $990,150. Loan amounts above the applicable limit are jumbo loans, which have their own underwriting and rate structure.
Can you finance a condo in Florida, including non-warrantable buildings?
Yes. Condo financing is a Florida specialty. We finance warrantable and non-warrantable condos and work with lenders that handle the post-Surfside requirements — the condo questionnaire, reserve and structural-integrity (SIRS) studies, investor-concentration limits, and buildings with open assessments. If one lender declines the building, we shop it to others.
How does high homeowners insurance affect getting a Florida mortgage?
Insurance premiums are part of your monthly payment and your debt-to-income ratio, so a high premium can reduce how much you qualify for or stall a file at underwriting. We build the real insurance cost into your pre-approval up front and shop lenders accordingly, so the number at closing isn't a surprise.
What down-payment assistance is available in Florida?
The Florida Hometown Heroes program offers eligible frontline workers up to 5% of the loan amount (maximum $35,000) toward down payment and closing costs on a primary residence, as a deferred second mortgage. Funding is limited each program year and issued first-come, first-served. FHA (3.5% down), VA and USDA (0% down), and 3%-down conventional options are also widely used.
Can a self-employed or retired buyer get a mortgage in Florida without tax returns?
Yes. Bank-statement loans qualify self-employed and 1099 borrowers on 12 or 24 months of deposits, and asset-depletion loans let retirees qualify on savings and investment balances rather than monthly income. Both are common in Florida and built for income profiles that retail banks tend to reject.
How long does it take to close a Florida mortgage with Channel Marker?
Our average timeline runs about 11.5 days from clear-to-close — well ahead of the 30-to-45-day industry norm. As a broker, we route each file to the wholesale lender best positioned to close it quickly and manage it actively from contract to funding.
Get a Florida-specific loan estimate
Online calculators get you in the ballpark but miss what matters in Florida — condo approval, insurance escrows, the Keys limit, and assistance programs. We model your exact scenario in writing and give you the number that shows up at closing.
Book a 15-minute call