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What a home really costs a month

Pick a town and a budget or price. You'll see the full bill, not just principal and interest: local property tax, insurance, flood where it applies, and CDD or city fees.

Start from

Worth knowing in Anna Maria or Longboat Key

  • Most island homes sit in high-risk flood zones, so a mortgage requires flood insurance. Ask to take over the seller's policy, which can keep its discount. FEMA flood insurance guide
  • If repairs on an older island home top half the building's value, FEMA's 50% rule requires raising it to current flood code. Sarasota County floodplain guide

That budget covers a home around

$295,000

True monthly cost

$2,986/mo

  • Mortgage$1,940
  • Mortgage insurance$130
  • Property tax$312
  • Home insurance$500
  • Flood insurance$104
Cash to close (about)
$19,175
Property tax a year
$3,742 with homestead ($4,337 without)

3.5% down, 30-year fixed at this week's Freddie Mac average, mortgage insurance about 0.55% a year: 7.24%, week of Oct 29, 2026 (Freddie Mac). Tax at 14.7 mills after Florida homestead. Cash to close = 3.5% down plus about 3% in closing costs. An estimate, not a loan quote.

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