Making an offer and inspections in Florida
Once you find the right home, the purchase moves fast: an offer, a signed contract, an inspection window, an appraisal, and a walk to the closing table. Florida has its own contract forms, its own insurance-driven inspections, and its own customs about who pays what. Here is a plain-English walk through how offers, contingencies, and inspections actually work in a Florida home purchase, so nothing catches you off guard.
The Florida contract you will sign
In Florida, most residential offers are written on one of two standard forms that the Florida Realtors and The Florida Bar developed together, usually shortened to the FR/BAR contract. There are two versions. The standard version includes a repair procedure where the seller agrees to fix certain items up to a negotiated dollar limit. The other, by far the more common one today, is the AS-IS version.
Under the AS-IS contract the seller is not agreeing to make any repairs. Instead, you get a defined inspection period to investigate the home, and if you are not satisfied for any reason, you can cancel within that window and get your deposit back. The trade-off is simple: the seller keeps the price clean and predictable, and you keep the power to walk away after you have actually looked under the hood. Knowing which form you are on shapes your entire strategy, because on an AS-IS contract your leverage lives inside the inspection period, not in a repair clause.
Earnest money, deadlines, and how an offer comes together
A Florida offer is more than a price. It also sets your earnest money deposit, which is the good-faith money you put into escrow to show you are serious, and it fills in the blanks that govern the rest of the deal: the inspection period length, the financing and appraisal terms, the closing date, and any items you want included, like appliances or a survey. When a seller signs and it is delivered back to you, you have a binding contract, and the effective date on that contract is the anchor that most of your deadlines count from.
Deposits in Florida are often delivered in stages, with an initial deposit shortly after the contract is effective and sometimes an additional deposit after the inspection period ends. Your deposit is credited toward your purchase at closing, so it is not an extra cost, but the contract spells out the specific situations in which it is refundable, which is why the contingencies matter so much.
Common contingencies
Contingencies are the conditions that let you cancel and keep your deposit if something does not work out. The three you will see most often in Florida are:
- Inspection. On the AS-IS contract this is your right to inspect and cancel within the inspection period if you are not satisfied. It is the broadest protection you have.
- Financing. If you are getting a mortgage, the financing contingency gives you a period to secure loan approval. If your loan is denied within the terms, you can typically cancel and recover your deposit.
- Appraisal. Tied to financing, this protects you if the lender's appraisal comes in below the price. How it is filled in determines exactly what you can do about a low appraisal.
Buyers sometimes waive or shorten contingencies to make an offer more competitive. That can win a home, but it also removes a safety net, so it is a decision to make with clear eyes and good advice, not a reflex. Before you set your price and terms, it helps to know the payment and cash position you are working from. You can run the numbers with our Florida affordability calculator, then browse active listings on our homes for sale page to ground your offer in what is really available.
The inspection period and what to inspect
The inspection period is a fixed number of days, negotiated in the contract, during which you arrange your inspections and decide whether to move forward. Ten to fifteen days is a frequent choice, though it can be shorter in a hot market or longer for an unusual property. Use the time well, because once it passes on an AS-IS deal, your right to cancel over condition generally goes with it.
A general home inspection is the foundation. A licensed inspector walks the roof, structure, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, water heater, appliances, and visible components, then gives you a written report with photos. In Florida, two additional inspections matter specifically because of insurance:
- Wind mitigation. This inspection documents features that make a home more resistant to Florida's windstorms, such as roof shape, roof-to-wall connections, and the roof covering. Insurers give premium credits for qualifying features, so a wind mitigation report can directly lower what you pay for coverage.
- Four-point inspection. This is a focused look at the four systems insurers care about most: roof, electrical, plumbing, and HVAC. Many insurers require a four-point on older homes before they will write or renew a policy, so it is often less optional than it sounds.
Depending on the home you may also want a wood-destroying-organism inspection for termites, a survey, a septic or well test, or a pool inspection. In much of Central Florida, insurance availability and the roof are the two items most likely to affect your deal.
The appraisal and appraisal gaps
If you are financing, your lender orders an independent appraisal to confirm the home is worth what you are paying. The lender will lend against the lower of the purchase price or the appraised value. When the appraisal matches or beats the price, you simply move ahead. When it comes in low, you have an appraisal gap, the difference between the contract price and the appraised value.
How you handle a gap depends on your contract. Broadly, buyers with an appraisal contingency can renegotiate the price down toward the appraised value, cover part or all of the gap with extra cash, or, if the terms allow, cancel and recover the deposit. Some competitive offers include appraisal-gap language committing the buyer to bring a set amount of additional cash if the value falls short. None of these are automatic, and the right move depends on how much cash you have, how much you want the home, and exactly how the appraisal provision was written.
Negotiating repairs on an AS-IS deal
People are often surprised that you can still negotiate repairs on an AS-IS contract. You cannot force the seller to fix anything, but you can respond to the inspection with a request, and the seller can say yes, no, or counter. In practice, buyers frequently ask for either specific repairs, a price reduction, or a closing-cost credit to offset what the inspection turned up. A credit is often the cleanest path, because it puts the money in your hands to make repairs your way after closing rather than relying on a rushed seller fix.
The strongest position is an inspection report that clearly documents the issue, paired with a reasonable request. If the seller declines and the problem is serious enough, your AS-IS right lets you cancel within the period and keep your deposit. That is the leverage the AS-IS form gives you: not a guarantee of repairs, but a clean exit if the home is not what you thought. If you are weighing neighborhoods as you plan your offer, our community guides for areas like Windermere and Poinciana can help you understand what is typical for homes and prices in each.
Talk to a local Evolve advisor
The offer and inspection stage is where a good advisor earns their keep. The forms are standardized, but the blanks, the deadlines, and the Florida customs around who pays what are where deals are won or lost. A local Evolve advisor can help you structure a competitive offer and read your inspection results with a clear head.
Disclosure. This guide provides general information only. It is not legal, tax, or financial advice, and it is not a substitute for reading your own contract and consulting the appropriate professionals. Florida contract forms, inspection customs, insurance requirements, and who pays a given cost can change and are negotiable in your specific agreement. The details of any purchase depend on your contract, lender, property, and county. Evolve Estates Group is brokered by eXp Realty. Equal Housing Opportunity.