A Step-by-Step Guide to Buying a Home in Jacksonville

By Matty Miller

With a track record defined by precision and local expertise, Matty Miller is a cornerstone of the Jacksonville real estate market. Since 2017, Matty has successfully navigated over 200 real estate transactions, earning his Broker’s license in 2019 to provide a higher tier of service to his clients. Currently overseeing a single-family property portfolio valued at over $50 million, Matty specializes in the strategic management and acquisition of high-value assets across the First Coast. His approach combines deep market data with a boots-on-the-ground understanding of Jacksonville’s unique neighborhoods. Whether working with institutional investors or individual homeowners, Matty delivers the seasoned perspective required to maximize value in Florida's most dynamic coastal markets.

Buying a home involves a lot of moving parts, and if you’ve never been through the process before, or if it’s been a while since your last purchase, it helps to know what each stage looks like before you’re in the middle of it.

I put together a roadmap that covers the full journey from pre-approval to closing for buyers in the Jacksonville market, and this is part one of a series that will break each step down in more detail.

Getting pre-approved is the first step. Before you start looking at homes, you need to know what you can afford. The pre-approval process involves connecting with a trusted lender who will review your income, credit, and financial picture and then issue a pre-approval letter. That letter is essentially your ticket to start shopping. It tells sellers you’re a serious, qualified buyer, and it gives you a clear price range to work within. The process itself doesn’t take long, and getting it done early saves you from falling in love with a home you can’t afford.

The home search starts with your priorities. Once you’re pre-approved and you’ve engaged a buyer’s agent, the search begins. This is where we sit down and figure out what matters most to you. Budget is the starting point, but then it’s about narrowing down the specifics: which areas of Jacksonville you want to be in, how much square footage you need, whether you want a pool, water access, a golf course community, or none of the above.

Most of the initial search happens online, and from there, we narrow the list and go look at properties in person. Some buyers find their home after touring five houses. Others need to see 12 to 15 before they feel confident. There’s no wrong number as long as you’re making a decision that fits.

Writing an offer and going under contract. When you find the right home, we draft an offer that includes the price, terms, and timelines for every stage of the transaction. If the seller accepts, you’re officially under contract. At that point, you’ll need to submit a binder deposit, also called earnest money.

In the Jacksonville market, the standard binder is typically 1% of the sale price, so on a $500,000 home, that’s $5,000. That money doesn’t disappear. It goes toward your down payment at closing. If you decide to cancel the deal during the inspection period, you can get it back. The binder is what turns a paper contract into a binding agreement, because a contract without consideration behind it is just paper.

Inspections protect you from surprises. Once you’re under contract, the next step is getting the home inspected. I recommend an inspection on every purchase. You want to know the current condition of everything in the home, what’s working well, what might need attention soon, and any issues that need to be addressed before closing.

A standard home inspection in this market runs between $300 and $500, depending on the size of the home and what type of financing you’re using, since FHA and VA loans require additional inspections beyond what a conventional loan requires. If the inspection turns up issues, we negotiate with the seller. Sometimes they agree to make repairs before closing. Other times, they offer a credit toward closing costs so you can handle the repairs yourself after you move in. Either way, you’re not walking into anything blind.

The appraisal confirms the home’s value. If you’re using a mortgage to purchase the home, the lender will order an appraisal to verify that the property is worth what you’ve agreed to pay. The lender is putting up the money, and the home is their collateral, so they want to make sure the numbers line up.

In the current Jacksonville market, appraisals are rarely coming back below the contract price, which means this step has been relatively smooth for most buyers. If an appraisal comes in low, there are options to negotiate with the seller to bridge the gap.

Underwriting, final walkthrough, and closing. While the appraisal is happening, your lender’s underwriting team is finishing its review of your finances to make sure everything checks out for the loan. Once you receive your clear to close, we schedule the final walkthrough of the property to confirm the home is in the condition you agreed to, that any negotiated repairs have been completed, and that the seller has moved out.

In Florida, the standard for move-out condition is “broom-swept clean,” so many buyers hire a cleaning crew to come in before they move their own things in. After the walkthrough, you head to the closing table, wire your funds, sign the documents, and walk out as a new homeowner.

If you have questions about the homebuying process in Jacksonville or you’re ready to get started, reach out. Call or text me at 904-650-3890, email me at matty@pursuitrealestate.com, or visit mattymillerrealestate.com. I’d love to help you get started on your road map.