Pillar Guides · Buy Sell Diva
In-Depth Guides from Beth & Griff
Every guide below was written to answer a specific question real Broward County buyers, sellers, and investors actually ask in 2026. Sources are linked at the bottom of each guide. Last verified April 2026.
Written by Beth McKeone and James “Griff” Griffis, both at VantaSure Realty.
About the Authors
Beth McKeone and her husband James “Griff” Griffis are the husband-and-wife team behind Buy Sell Diva and VantaSure Realty. They met at the University of Central Florida, where their shared passion for business and real estate first took root. Before going full-time in real estate, they co-founded and operated Wall Effects Corp for over 20 years — a premier South Florida contracting company that served more than 5,000 clients from Orlando to Miami, and became known throughout the region for its signature custom faux wood-grained doors and high-end decorative finishes.
Today, Beth and Griff are full-time Realtors® with $60M+ in combined closed sales, 60% of their clients relocating from out of state, and dozens of five-star Google and Zillow reviews to show for it. They also co-host the Living in Florida podcast and Living In Florida 101 YouTube channel — five years of neighborhood walkthroughs, market breakdowns, and relocation guides built for families making the move from out of state.
Can't find what you need?
Tell us your specific situation and Beth or Griff will reply with a direct answer within 24 hours — no pitch, no drip campaign.
Relocating to Florida
State-origin guides for the highest-volume corridors — tax math, city choice, and where households are actually landing across Florida.
Moving to Florida from New York in 2026
A New Yorker's playbook from Griff — taxes, cost of living, and where families are actually landing across Florida (Orlando, The Villages, Port St. Lucie, West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Coral Springs, Parkland, Weston, Davie). Movers, PODS, U-Haul, and a 6-step relocation timeline.
Read the guide →Moving to Florida from New Jersey in 2026
A Jersey-to-Florida playbook from Griff — the highest property tax in the country versus zero state income tax in FL, the New Jersey exit tax on the home sale, and where Bergen, Monmouth, Hudson, and Ocean households are landing (Boca, Parkland, Fort Lauderdale, Port St. Lucie, West Palm Beach).
Read the guide →Moving to Florida from Connecticut in 2026
From Fairfield County south — Greenwich, Stamford, Westport, and New Canaan households relocating to Florida in 2026. Connecticut estate tax avoidance, the conveyance tax on the home sale, BDL and HPN direct flights, and where CT buyers actually land (Boca, Naples, West Palm Beach, Port St. Lucie).
Read the guide →Moving to Florida from Massachusetts in 2026
The Boston-to-Florida playbook for 2026 — the 4% Millionaire's Tax surtax on income over $1M, the Massachusetts estate tax threshold at $2M, direct BOS flights to FLL/MIA/PBI/RSW, and where Massachusetts households actually land across Florida (Naples, Sarasota, Boca, Port St. Lucie, Fort Lauderdale).
Read the guide →Moving to Florida from Illinois in 2026
From Chicago and the collar counties to Florida — Illinois's #2-in-the-country property tax, the winter escape, direct ORD and MDW flights to FLL/MIA/PBI/MCO/RSW, and where Illinois households actually land (Naples, Sarasota, Tampa Bay, Fort Lauderdale, Port St. Lucie).
Read the guide →Moving to Florida from Pennsylvania in 2026
The Pennsylvania-to-Florida playbook — the hidden three-layer PA tax stack (3.07% state + 1–4% local + 3.75% Philly wage tax), the 4.278% combined Philly realty transfer tax, the PA inheritance tax FL doesn't have, and where Bucks, Montgomery, Delaware, Chester, Allegheny, and Lehigh Valley households are landing across Florida.
Read the guide →Moving to Florida from California in 2026
The California-to-Florida playbook — CA's 13.3% top marginal income tax (highest in the U.S.), the 1% Mental Health Services surtax over $1M, the residency-before-sale move that protects against capital gains on a long-held primary, the Prop 13 lottery that resets at change of ownership, and where Bay Area, LA, Orange County, and San Diego households are landing across Florida (Miami leads, Broward and Palm Beach next).
Read the guide →Moving to Florida from Ohio in 2026
The Ohio-to-Florida playbook — the 2024-reform 3-bracket state income tax (0% / 2.75% / 3.5% top), the 1.8%–2.5% municipal income tax Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Akron, and Dayton residents stack on top, the 1.59% property tax, the historic I-71 to I-75 corridor to SW Florida (Naples / Sarasota / Cape Coral via our referral network), and where Cuyahoga, Franklin, Hamilton, Summit, and Montgomery County households are landing across the Florida we cover directly.
Read the guide →Moving to Florida from Michigan in 2026
The Michigan-to-Florida playbook — the 4.25% flat state income tax, the 2.4% Detroit city income tax (Grand Rapids, Saginaw, Lansing, Flint, Pontiac, Highland Park, and Hamtramck also tax income), the 1.32% property tax, the 60-year-old snowbird-to-permanent pipeline down I-75 to Naples (the "Michigan Riviera"), Sarasota, and Cape Coral via our referral network, and where Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Kent, Washtenaw, and Grand Traverse County households are landing across the Florida we cover directly.
Read the guide →Moving to Florida from Texas in 2026
The Texas-to-Florida playbook — no income-tax windfall (both states are zero), but a real property-tax story: TX runs ~1.74% effective (7th-highest in the U.S.) vs FL's 0.7%–1.18% by county, the FL Save Our Homes 3% cap vs TX's 10% homestead cap (~3× shield over a decade), and where Travis, Harris, Dallas, Tarrant, Collin, and Bexar County households are landing — Austin tech crossover into Miami, Houston energy households toward Tampa Bay and SW Florida, DFW corporate relocations toward Orlando and Tampa Bay, San Antonio retirees toward the Gulf Coast.
Read the guide →Buying from Out of State in Broward County
How to buy a home in Coral Springs, Parkland, Weston, or Davie without flying to Florida more than once. Florida RON closings, virtual tours, remote inspections, homestead timing, and establishing Florida domicile.
Read the guide →Florida Homestead, Save Our Homes & Portability
How Florida's $50K homestead exemption, 3% Save Our Homes cap, and $500K portability transfer actually work. Filing deadlines, worked examples, and the 6-step filing process with Broward County.
Read the guide →Parkland vs Weston vs Coral Springs vs Davie
Direct side-by-side comparison of the four cities for relocating families. Median prices, schools, commute, character, and which city fits which family profile.
Read the guide →New Resident Guide: Coral Springs & Parkland
First-30-days local services guide — FPL, water districts (Coral Springs and Parkland both have multiple), trash, internet, parks, schools, permits, and emergency numbers. Real phone numbers and websites, plus a timing checklist from 4 weeks before closing through move-in.
Read the guide →Flood Zones & Flood Insurance
Florida flood disclosure law, NFIP Risk Rating 2.0, and Coral Springs-specific flood mechanics.
Selling a Flooded Home in Coral Springs
The 2026 playbook for listing a flood-impacted Coral Springs property — NFIP repricing, elevation certificates, Florida disclosure law, and the 6 steps that get deals closed in 45–60 days.
Read the guide →Flood Insurance in Coral Springs — What Buyers Pay
Real 2026 flood insurance pricing for Coral Springs buyers. Zone AE vs X, NFIP vs private, elevation certificates, and how to review insurance before writing an offer.
Read the guide →Insurance Eligibility & Inspections
The physical deal-killers that make Broward homes uninsurable — caught before you sign.
Florida Home Inspection — The Complete 2026 Buyer & Seller Guide
The full Florida home inspection pillar — DBPR licensing, the 12 inspection types (general, 4-point, wind mit, WDO, mold, sinkhole, septic, pool, seawall, stucco, Chinese drywall, roof), the FL gotcha defects (polybutylene, FPE/Zinsco panels, cast iron, R-22), the AS-IS contract 15-day inspection period, Johnson v. Davis disclosure law, and exactly how Griff turns the report into a closing-cost credit. Two free printable checklists included.
Read the guide →The 2026 Broward Deal-Killers — Insurance Eligibility Guide
The three physical issues that make Broward County homes uninsurable in 2026: roofs over 15 years (HB 815), cast iron plumbing, and Four-Point failures on Federal Pacific panels and aging HVAC. How Griff catches these before you sign.
Read the guide →HOA & Condo Due Diligence
Florida's 2024–2026 condominium reserve rules and what they mean for buyers and sellers.
How We Work
What "full-service real estate team" actually means at Buy Sell Diva.
Investors
Out-of-state investors buying Broward rental property.
Owning Your Florida Home
Living-in-it guides — pool care, equipment, and the homeowner's side of Florida real estate.
Selling Strategy & Pricing Tools
Interactive tools for sellers weighing price, time on market, and carrying costs.
South Florida Holding Cost Calculator
Interactive calculator for sellers: drop in your address (RentCast auto-fill) or list price and see the real monthly cost of keeping your South Florida home on the market — taxes, wind + flood insurance, HOA, mortgage interest, lawn + pool, and opportunity cost of equity. See why chasing $10K more can cost $25K.
Read the guide →Selling a Flooded Home in Coral Springs
The 2026 playbook for listing a flood-impacted Coral Springs property — NFIP repricing, elevation certificates, Florida disclosure law, and the 6 steps that get deals closed in 45–60 days.
Read the guide →Is Now a Good Time to Sell Your Parkland Home?
Refreshed monthly: current Parkland inventory, days on market, list-to-sale ratios, and the seasonal patterns that actually move the needle. Beth & Griff break down the tradeoffs so you can decide list-now vs. wait without guessing.
Read the guide →Parkland Decisions & Comparisons
Decision guides and side-by-side community comparisons for Parkland buyers — refreshed with current MLS data.
Should I Buy in Parkland or Coral Springs?
A side-by-side decision guide for buyers shortlisting Parkland and Coral Springs — same county, same school district, very different housing stock. Median prices, lot sizes, architectural era, HOA dynamics, commute, and a clear "pick X if Y" decision tree.
Read the guide →Parkland Isles vs. Watercrest — Which Community Fits You?
Both gated, both in West Parkland (33076), both popular with relocators — but they target different buyers. Engle Homes 1999–2002 versus Standard Pacific 2012–2018, $900K vs $1.4M median, mature landscaping vs newer construction. Side-by-side comparison with a decision tree.
Read the guide →Heron Bay vs. MiraLago — Comparing Two Parkland Master-Planned Communities
Heron Bay's diversity of villages and Greg Norman golf history versus MiraLago's newer GL Homes luxury enclave around Lake Majesty. Compared on construction era, amenities, HOA structure, lot character, and resale velocity.
Read the guide →Looking for something else?
Got a specific question?
Tell Beth or Griff what you're trying to figure out. They'll reply within 24 hours — usually with a direct answer and maybe a link or two to the most relevant guide above.