Take the Next
Step Today
Prefer to speak with someone? Call us at (702) 766-3744
Reviewed by David Ghazaryan, Mortgage Broker, NMLS 1486726 · iQRATE Mortgages · Last updated: October 13, 2026
Quick answer
A Sarasota mortgage broker compares many lenders for conventional, FHA, jumbo and investor loans. iQRATE Mortgages (NMLS 1862492) is licensed in Florida and shops more than 100 lenders on complex files. The 2026 Sarasota-area FHA limit is $547,400, and the conforming limit is $832,750. Hurricane Milton made landfall near Siesta Key in October 2024, so flood checks matter on the barrier islands. The metro's median listing price was about $457,000 in September 2026, and the area's average tax rate is about 12.8 mills. Full-doc loans close in about 17 days.
Get My Custom Rate Now · or call (702) 766-3744
5.0 stars from 87 reviews on Experience.com (October 2026) · Read David's reviews on Experience.com
Sarasota draws retirees, remote workers and families, and its market splits into barrier-island homes, downtown condos, older in-town neighborhoods and new master-planned communities like Lakewood Ranch. Each comes with different checks: flood elevation on the islands, condo reserves downtown, and CDD fees in the new communities.
Part of our Florida mortgage broker coverage. We're licensed in Florida under company NMLS 1862492 and work Sarasota files from our Las Vegas office, closing with local escrow and title.
Neighborhoods and ZIPs we lend in: Downtown, Lido Key and Laurel Park (34236), Siesta Key (34242), Southside Village (34239), Gillespie Park (34237), Palmer Ranch (34238), Lakewood Ranch (34202, 34211, 34240), and Gulf Gate (34231).
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 Sarasota, the first full year of homeowners insurance, flood insurance where required, and the escrow deposit are usually the largest prepaids; barrier-island homes on Siesta Key and Lido usually carry the highest premiums. 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.
Sarasota County: conforming $832,750 and FHA $547,400 for a one-unit home.
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.
Within the City of Sarasota, yes. Siesta Key and other unincorporated areas follow county rules.
A Community Development District assessment, added to the property tax bill, that pays for community infrastructure.
$547,400 for a one-unit home. The conforming limit is $832,750.
Often, yes. Get a quote before making an offer.
Sarasota County averaged about 12.8 mills in 2025, or $12.80 per $1,000 of taxable value.
Yes. SHIP assistance of about $15,000–$30,000 for income-qualified buyers when funded.
No. Much of it is in Manatee County, which has its own tax rate and loan limits, so we confirm the county for each address.
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 Sarasota, the first full year of homeowners insurance, flood insurance where required, and the escrow deposit are usually the largest prepaids; barrier-island homes on Siesta Key and Lido usually carry the highest premiums.
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
