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Reviewed by David Ghazaryan, Mortgage Broker, NMLS 1486726 · iQRATE Mortgages · Last updated: October 13, 2026
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A Fort Lauderdale mortgage broker compares many lenders for waterfront, condo, jumbo and investor loans. iQRATE Mortgages (NMLS 1862492) is licensed in Florida and shops more than 100 lenders on complex files. Broward County's 2026 limits are $832,750 conforming and $667,000 FHA. Fort Lauderdale requires annual vacation rental registration, older condo buildings are going through the state's new safety inspections and reserve rules, and the city's canal homes bring flood and seawall questions. The South Florida metro's median listing price was about $490,000 in September 2026. Full-doc loans close in about 17 days.
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5.0 stars from 87 reviews on Experience.com (October 2026) · Read David's reviews on Experience.com
Fort Lauderdale is a city of canals, boats and high-rises. Our clients here buy canal homes in Rio Vista and Coral Ridge, condos along the beach and Las Olas, and vacation rentals. Each brings its own checks: seawall condition and flood elevation for waterfront homes, condo reserves and special assessments for older buildings, and city registration for vacation rentals.
Part of our Florida mortgage broker coverage. We're licensed in Florida under company NMLS 1862492 and work Fort Lauderdale files from our Las Vegas office, closing with local escrow and title.
Neighborhoods and ZIPs we lend in: Las Olas and Rio Vista (33301, 33316), Victoria Park (33301, 33304), Coral Ridge and Imperial Point (33308), Harbor Beach (33316), Flagler Village (33301, 33311), Riverland (33312), Galt Ocean Mile (33308), and nearby Wilton Manors (33305).
Florida basics that apply here: the seller customarily pays documentary stamps on the deed ($0.70 per $100; $0.60 in Miami-Dade). The buyer pays two mortgage taxes: doc stamps on the note ($0.35 per $100 of the loan) and intangible tax (0.2% of the loan), or $2,200 on a $400,000 loan. Homeowners insurance, plus flood insurance in many zones, is among the most expensive in the country, and lenders collect the first year's premium plus escrow months, so prepaids are often the biggest part of cash to close. Owner-occupants get the homestead exemption and Save Our Homes (3% cap), but the assessment resets when a home sells. Whole-home rentals of under 30 days need a state DBPR vacation-rental license. Statewide down payment help includes Florida Hometown Heroes (5% of the loan, $10,000–$35,000, when funded) and FL Assist (up to $10,000), plus county SHIP funds.
Closing costs are what it costs you to get the loan: origination, discount points, appraisal, and escrow and title. Cash to close also includes your prepaids (first-year homeowners insurance, daily interest to month-end, and an escrow deposit for your own future property taxes and insurance) plus your down payment. Prepaids aren't a cost of the loan; they're your own bills paid ahead. In Fort Lauderdale, the first full year of homeowners insurance, flood insurance where required, and the escrow deposit are usually the largest prepaids; on canal and waterfront homes, flood and wind coverage can be the biggest number on your Closing Disclosure. Your actual closing costs depend on county, price and loan type, so we don't quote a one-size range: every line is itemized on your Loan Estimate, and our Bare Bones guarantee means we add no fees of our own. Compare states on our closing costs by state page.
Broward County: conforming $832,750 and FHA $667,000 for a one-unit home. Most waterfront single-family homes need jumbo financing.
Conventional (as little as 3% down for eligible first-time buyers), FHA (3.5% down, 580+ score), VA (no down payment for eligible veterans with full entitlement), jumbo above the conforming limit, DSCR loans that qualify on rent, bank statement loans for self-employed borrowers, asset-based and 1099 loans, and rate-and-term or cash-out refinances. As a broker we compare wholesale lenders, more than 100 on complex files, instead of one bank's menu.
Terms for each are on its own page; see all iQRATE guarantees.
Yes. Fort Lauderdale requires an annual vacation rental registration and a certificate of compliance, plus the state DBPR license.
The seawall's age and condition, the flood zone, the elevation certificate and an insurance quote.
$667,000 for a one-unit home in Broward County. The conforming limit is $832,750.
Often, if the building has completed its milestone inspection and funded its reserves. If not, a non-warrantable condo lender may still finance it.
Yes. Broward's SHIP purchase assistance can provide up to about $80,000 to income-qualified buyers when funded.
About 18.4 mills in 2025 for Fort Lauderdale addresses, or $18.40 per $1,000 of taxable value.
Closing costs depend on the price, loan type and county, so yours are itemized on your Loan Estimate rather than quoted as a range. Closing costs are what it costs to get the loan (origination, points, appraisal, escrow and title). Cash to close also includes prepaids and your down payment; in Fort Lauderdale, the first full year of homeowners insurance, flood insurance where required, and the escrow deposit are usually the largest prepaids; on canal and waterfront homes, flood and wind coverage can be the biggest number on your Closing Disclosure.
Most of our loans close in under 30 days. For eligible full-documentation conventional, FHA and VA purchases, our goal is 17 calendar days from signing initial disclosures.
Get My Custom Rate Now · or call (702) 766-3744
iQRATE Mortgages · NMLS 1862492 · 6360 S Rainbow Blvd Ste 101, Las Vegas, NV 89118 · Licensed in Nevada, California, Texas and Florida. David Ghazaryan, Mortgage Broker, NMLS 1486726. Verify us on NMLS Consumer Access. Equal Housing Opportunity. Programs, rates and terms change and are subject to credit, property and underwriting approval; local facts on this page come from the public sources below and are not legal or tax advice.
More: Florida mortgage broker · DSCR loans · Bank statement loans · Our guarantees · Closing costs by state
