How this works
The right lender matters as much as the right home.
Kelby Contreras is a Florida luxury real estate agent. He does not originate loans, quote live rates, or process applications. What he does is connect buyers and investors with vetted, trusted lending partners who underwrite South Florida purchases every day, then coordinates the financing alongside the property search so the numbers you plan with are the numbers that hold at closing.
Every lending path below is framed honestly: a description of how the product works, what it is best for, and the one next step that moves you forward. Program facts carry dated citations from official sources. Anything that changes with the market carries the same instruction: contact for current information.
- Vetted lender partners, introduced personally, never an anonymous portal
- Financing coordinated with your search, offer, and closing timeline
- Complete discretion, whether you are a first-time buyer or a seasoned investor
Path 01 · First-time buyers
First-Time Homebuyer Mortgages
Your first purchase comes with more options than most buyers realize. Conventional programs include low-down-payment paths like Fannie Mae HomeReady, which allows a down payment as low as 3 percent for eligible borrowers. FHA-insured loans, insured by the Federal Housing Administration, allow down payments as low as 3.5 percent of the purchase price. Down payment assistance programs, offered by state and local governments, can cover part or all of a down payment or closing costs for qualified buyers, which is why we always check what your county is offering before you assume what you need to save.
Sources: Fannie Mae: HomeReady mortgage · HUD: Loans · HUD: homebuying programs in your state · verified October 2026.
Start with the guide
The first-time buyer page walks through the whole process: pre-approval, down payment, programs, and the Florida-specific steps that surprise most buyers.
Read the first-time buyer guideTalk to a lender partner
A vetted partner will show you which program fits your credit, income, and timeline, and whether down payment assistance applies to you.
Book a consultationPath 02 · The standard route
Conventional Mortgages
A conventional mortgage is a loan not insured or guaranteed by a government agency. It is the standard route for most buyers, and it comes in two basic forms. A fixed-rate mortgage keeps the same interest rate and payment for the full term, usually 15 or 30 years, so the payment you plan with is the payment you keep. An adjustable-rate mortgage starts with a fixed rate for an initial period, then adjusts on a schedule, which can mean a lower starting payment and more uncertainty after the fixed period ends.
Source: Fannie Mae: HomeReady mortgage · verified October 2026. Which structure fits depends on how long you plan to hold the home, and a lender partner will model both on your real numbers. Contact for current information on rates and terms.
Fixed rate
Your rate and payment stay the same for the life of the loan. Predictable, simple, and the right choice for buyers planning to stay put.
Adjustable rate
A fixed initial period, then periodic adjustments. Often a lower starting payment for buyers who expect to move or refinance within a few years.
Low down payment
Conventional does not mean 20 percent down. Fannie Mae HomeReady allows a down payment as low as 3 percent for eligible borrowers, and your lender partner will tell you what fits your profile.
Path 03 · Government-backed programs
FHA, VA and USDA Loans
Three government-backed programs open the door to ownership with lower down payments and more flexible credit than the conventional route. Each has its own borrower profile, and each is described here from the official source, dated.
FHA
FHA loans are insured by the Federal Housing Administration and available on one- to four-unit properties, with a down payment that can be as low as 3.5 percent of the purchase price. They are a common first route for buyers with modest down payments or credit histories.
Source: HUD: Loans · verified October 2026.
VA
VA-backed home loans are guaranteed by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs for eligible service members, veterans, and qualified surviving spouses, with no down payment required in most cases. A Certificate of Eligibility plus VA and lender credit and income requirements start the process.
Sources: VA.gov: VA-backed home loans · eligibility · verified October 2026.
USDA
The USDA Rural Development Single Family Housing Guaranteed Loan Program supports low- and moderate-income homebuyers purchasing in eligible rural areas, often with no down payment. The home must be your primary residence and sit inside an eligible area, which the USDA property eligibility tool shows.
Source: USDA: Single Family Housing Guaranteed Loan Program · verified October 2026.
Eligibility turns on service history, income, and property location, so the fit is personal. The FAQ centers answer the details buyers actually ask.
Path 04 · The luxury tier
Jumbo Mortgages
A jumbo mortgage finances a home above the conforming loan limits set by the Federal Housing Finance Agency. The 2026 baseline conforming limit for a one-unit property is $832,750, with higher limits in high-cost areas. Anything above that threshold is financed as jumbo, with its own underwriting standards, reserve requirements, and documentation.
Much of South Florida's luxury market lives in jumbo territory: waterfront estates, branded residences, and penthouse condominiums across Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and Palm Beach routinely clear the conforming line. The lenders we work with underwrite high-balance purchases daily, and they will model reserves, income documentation, and timing against the specific property you have in mind. Contact for current information on the limit that applies to your county and your purchase.
Source: FHFA: conforming loan limits · verified October 2026.
$832,750
The 2026 baseline conforming loan limit for a one-unit property, per FHFA. Jumbo begins above the threshold that applies to your county.
Be ready to move
Luxury homes move to the prepared buyer. A pre-approval from a jumbo-capable lender, arranged before the search, turns you from a looker into the offer that wins.
Talk to a jumbo lenderPath 05 · For investors
Investment Property Mortgages
Rental properties are financed differently than primary homes. Fannie Mae's selling guide defines occupancy types, and lenders apply stricter standards to investment properties, where the owner does not live, than to owner-occupied homes: higher down payment expectations, more reserve documentation, and underwriting weighted toward the rent and the ratio.
For the investor audience, the discipline is the same as on the property side: underwrite from real evidence. We connect buyers of cash-flow condominiums, multifamily, and vacation rentals with partners who underwrite rentals regularly, so the loan structure matches a real income picture rather than a marketing pro forma. Contact for current information on down payment and reserve requirements.
Source: Fannie Mae selling guide: occupancy types · verified October 2026.
Cash flow properties
Rental assets selected and priced for net yield, financed by partners who underwrite with real rent and occupancy.
Multifamily and duplex
Where unit count and rental demand do the heavy lifting, matched to lenders comfortable with the asset class.
Vacation rentals
Short-term rental financing in Florida's tourism corridors, evaluated on real occupancy and rate data.
1031 exchanges
Replacement financing coordinated around the 45-day identification and 180-day closing windows.
Path 06 · Speed and leverage
Hard Money and Private Lending
Hard money is short-term, asset-based financing funded by private lenders rather than banks. The loan is secured by the property itself, and the decision leans on the asset and the deal rather than a traditional income-and-credit file. That makes it fast, which is why it fits flips and quick closings where a bank's underwriting calendar would cost the deal.
It fits when you need to move in days, when the property needs work a bank will not lend against, or when the exit is a quick renovation and resale. It fits less well as a long-term hold: the structure is shorter-term and typically more expensive, and the strategy should include the exit. Terms, rates, and points vary with the lender and the deal. Contact for current information.
Built for flips
Buy, renovate, sell. The financing follows the asset and the timeline, not a two-month approval queue.
Asset-based decision
The property and the deal carry the loan, which opens doors for investors a conventional file would close.
Hard money and private lending terms vary by lender and deal. Contact for current information.
Path 07 · Building or buying the build
Construction and New Construction Loans
A construction loan funds a build in stages: the lender advances money as construction milestones are met, and the loan converts to permanent financing when the home is complete. Custom-build financing works that way. Pre-construction buyers in South Florida towers often work through developer-preferred lenders, whose programs are built around the developer's contract, timeline, and pricing structure.
Each route has its own documentation: contracts, plans, appraisals on the finished value, and a timeline measured in years rather than months. Our partners underwrite both kinds every week, and we coordinate the financing with the developer's contract calendar. Terms, deposit structures, and draw schedules vary. Contact for current information.
Custom builds
Funds released in stages as the build progresses, then converted to a permanent mortgage at completion.
Pre-construction
Developer-preferred lending programs built around the contract, the delivery timeline, and the tower.
Timing is everything
Financing for a build or a pre-construction purchase is planned before you sign, so deposits, appraisals, and the eventual closing line up with the developer's calendar rather than against it.
Path 08 · Repositioning the asset
Refinancing and Cash-Out Refinance
Refinancing replaces your existing mortgage with a new one, and it makes sense when the new loan clearly improves your position. A rate-and-term refinance pursues a lower payment or a move from an adjustable rate to a fixed one. A cash-out refinance replaces your mortgage with a larger loan and pays you the difference in cash, converting built-up equity into funds for a renovation, an investment, or a purchase elsewhere.
The honest math matters: fees, points, and the new term all weigh against the benefit, and the decision turns on your current rate, how long you will stay, and what you do with the cash. Our partner lenders model the real numbers before you commit. Contact for current information on rates and terms.
Lower the payment
A rate-and-term refinance makes sense when today's terms beat the ones you are paying, after the costs are counted.
Lock in a fixed rate
Moving from an adjustable to a fixed rate trades future uncertainty for a payment you can plan around.
Access the equity
Cash-out refinancing turns built-up equity into funds for renovations, investments, or a new purchase.
Common questions
Lending, answered honestly.
The questions buyers and investors ask most often about financing a South Florida purchase, answered the way we work: no invented numbers, no pressure, and a clear next step every time.
Can Kelby help me get a mortgage?
Kelby does not originate loans, quote live rates, or process applications. What he does is connect you with vetted, trusted lending partners who underwrite the loan, then coordinate the financing alongside your property search so your offer is as strong as it can be. Tell him your situation and he will make the right introduction.
Do I need a mortgage pre-approval before viewing luxury homes?
In a competitive market, yes: pre-approval tells you exactly what you can afford and tells sellers you are serious. For luxury homes, sellers and their agents routinely ask for proof of funds or a pre-approval letter before taking an offer seriously. We arrange pre-approval through a lender partner before the search begins.
What is the minimum down payment?
It depends on the program. FHA-insured loans allow down payments as low as 3.5 percent per HUD, and Fannie Mae HomeReady conventional financing allows as little as 3 percent for eligible borrowers. Jumbo and investment-property loans generally require more. Contact for current information on the minimums that apply to your purchase.
Do you work with investors who buy rentals?
Yes. Investment-property financing is one of the lending paths we connect, and we represent investors buying cash-flow properties, multifamily, and vacation rentals across South Florida. Lenders apply stricter standards to investment properties than to owner-occupied homes, so we introduce partners who underwrite rentals regularly. Start on the investor services page and we will connect you from there.
Can I refinance through your partners?
Yes. Rate-and-term refinancing and cash-out refinancing are both handled by our vetted partner lenders for owners repositioning a Florida property. We will introduce you to a lender who models your real numbers. Whether refinancing makes sense depends on your current terms, your goals, and today's market, so contact us for current information.
What is the difference between a conforming loan and a jumbo loan?
A conforming loan meets the size limits set by the Federal Housing Finance Agency; the 2026 baseline conforming limit for a one-unit property is $832,750, with higher limits in high-cost areas. A jumbo loan exceeds the conforming threshold and carries its own underwriting standards, which is where much of South Florida's luxury market lives. Contact for current information on the limit that applies to your county.
The next step
Get Matched with a Lender
Tell us the loan type you are exploring and Kelby will connect you with a vetted, trusted lending partner who underwrites it. Kelby's lending partners are verified, and every referral is handled personally: no call centers, no anonymous portals, no shared data.
Verified lending partners, matched to the product
Complete discretion, and referrals handled personally
Request a lender match
Name the loan type and we will introduce you to the right partner.