If a home appraises below your contract price in Florida, you can ask the seller to lower the price, split the gap, cover the difference with your own cash, or cancel if your contract has an appraisal contingency like Addendum F. A low appraisal alone doesn't guarantee a right to cancel, so check your signed contract first.

What Jacksonville Buyers Can Do If the Appraisal Is Low

What Jacksonville buyers can do if the appraisal comes in below the contract price

You have four realistic moves: ask the seller to lower the price, split the gap, cover the difference with your own cash, or cancel if your contract has an appraisal contingency such as Addendum F. A low appraisal does not automatically let you walk away, so the first thing…

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I walk through a lot of new construction homes in Northeast Florida. After enough model tours, you start to notice which floor plans buyers keep coming back to. The Toll Brothers Delmonico is one of them.

It’s one of the most requested plans I see from move-up and relocation buyers in St. Johns County. It’s also the plan my wife has been talking about for years, so I’ll admit I have a soft spot for it.

I usually keep my strong opinions about builders and floor plans for the clients I’m working with. This plan is an exception. In this post, I’ll walk you through the decorated Delmonico model at Bartram Ranch room by room. I’ll point out what’s standard, what’s an upgrade, what outdoor living really costs, and what to think about before you sign a…

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If you've been looking at Julington Lakes or Oxford Estates because you want a larger home in northern St. Johns County, but you don't love the idea of buying somebody else's house, you should take another look at Middlebourne.

Middlebourne today is a different community than the one I showed buyers a few years ago. David Weekley has finished selling. ICI Homes is working through the remaining new-construction opportunities. You can still pick a homesite and make real structural changes to the house. And just outside the gates, Veterans Parkway is being extended south to connect with County Road 210 — a change I think could make this location even stronger.

In this update, I'll walk you through what's changed, what ICI is building, what one of my…

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Building new in Jacksonville typically costs more upfront than buying an existing home once you factor in land, site work, permits, construction financing, and CDD assessments. The right answer depends on your lot, builder contract, target neighborhood, and how you model property taxes on the completed home.

Is it cheaper to buy or build in Jacksonville, FL?

Building new in Jacksonville is rarely cheaper than buying an existing home once you account for the full cost stack: land purchase, site preparation, permits, construction financing, upgrades, and carrying costs during the build. That said, the gap varies significantly by location, lot conditions, and the specific CDD and HOA obligations attached to each property. A true…

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If you thought the agricultural enclave story in St. Johns County was settled, the last two weeks proved otherwise. County commissioners reopened two development approvals they had already granted, flipped them to denials, and set the stage for what could become a statewide court fight over a brand-new Florida law.

On this week's Thursday Night Live, Rachel and I walked through the latest enclave vote, where all 16 St. Johns County applications stand, what Amendment 3 on the November ballot would actually do to your property tax bill, and a fun proposal for a riverside farm-stay ranch near Tocoi. Here is the full breakdown, fact-checked against county records and local reporting, with what each piece means if you are buying, building or relocating to…

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Florida sellers must disclose all known material defects not visible to the buyer, plus complete a statutory flood-disclosure form at or before contract signing. Expanded flood rules effective October 1, 2025 now require disclosure of any flooding that damaged the property during ownership, insurance claims, and assistance received.

What do Florida sellers legally have to disclose to a buyer?

Florida sellers must disclose any known fact that materially affects the property's value and is not readily observable by the buyer. That duty comes from the common-law rule in Johnson v. Davis and covers hidden defects like structural problems, water intrusion, roof damage, and electrical or plumbing issues. Separately, Florida law requires sellers…

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Nocatee has become one of the most in-demand places to live in Northeast Florida. For a long time, though, buyers who wanted truly high-end new construction inside Nocatee had very few choices. That has changed in recent years.

I recently toured the Monica floor plan by ICI Homes in Coral Ridge at Seabrook, one of Nocatee's gated neighborhoods. It is a one-story, ranch-style home with luxury touches you rarely see as standard anywhere in Nocatee. Below, I'll walk you through the home room by room, share what it cost, and explain what luxury buyers need to know before they build something like it.

Quick Facts: The Monica by ICI Homes

  • Builder: ICI Homes

  • Style: One-story ranch with courtyard entry

  • Size: 3,488 square…

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ICI Homes just put almost $20 million into SilverLeaf. On paper, that sounds like a simple land deal. But when you line up the purchase with the actual lot map, a bigger story shows up. ICI appears to have bought every one of the biggest lots in the newest phase of Hidden Creek.

That tells us a lot about where the Johns Island side of SilverLeaf is headed. Here are the seven things we think buyers should understand, including the pros, the cons and one school detail that surprises a lot of families.

1. The Deal: 82 Homesites for $19.8 Million

The Jacksonville Daily Record's weekly list of top commercial sales shows Intervest Construction of Jax Inc. (ICI Homes' company name) paying $19,808,000 in a St. Johns County sale recorded Sept. 7 to…

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If your Jacksonville home's likely sale price is below your mortgage payoff, you have three main paths: bring cash to close the gap, negotiate a lender-approved short sale, or explore other loss-mitigation options. Each carries different risks for your credit, deficiency liability, and taxes, and the right choice depends on your specific loan, lien structure, and financial situation.

What happens if I sell my Jacksonville house for less than I owe?

If your expected sale price won't cover your full mortgage payoff plus closing costs, you have three realistic paths: bring cash to cover the shortfall, negotiate a lender-approved short sale, or pause and explore other loss-mitigation options. Any Jacksonville-focused guidance on underwater…

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Every Thursday night, Rachel and I dig through news stories, permits and county filings so you don't have to. This week's headline was a big one: a global research firm ranked Jacksonville No. 134 out of the 1,000 largest cities in the world. That puts us in roughly the top 13 percent.

But a ranking is just a headline. What matters to you as a buyer is what's actually getting built, what's opening and how it changes the places you might live. Here's everything we covered, fact-checked and updated with the latest details.

1. Jacksonville Ranks No. 134 Out of 1,000 Global Cities

Oxford Economics, an independent global research firm, released its 2026 Global Cities Index on Sept. 15. It scores the world's 1,000 largest cities in five…

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