Wellington & Palm Beach Real Estate FAQ | Ella Falcone

Question 1

Do I have to sign an agreement before touring homes with an agent?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Since August 17, 2024, agents who belong to an MLS must have a written agreement with a buyer before touring a home together. The agreement states the agent’s compensation as a specific amount or rate, not an open-ended one, and the agent can’t receive more than that from any source. Compensation is negotiable. Offers of compensation no longer appear on the MLS, though a seller can still agree to contribute. In Florida, an agent is presumed to be a transaction broker unless another relationship is set up in writing.

Question 2

What should I check before buying a condo in Florida?

Accepted Answer

Start with the building’s safety paperwork. Condo buildings three habitable stories or taller need a milestone inspection by December 31 of the year they turn 30, then every 10 years, and a structural integrity reserve study at least every 10 years. For budgets adopted on or after December 31, 2024, reserves for those items can’t be waived. On a resale, the seller must give you the governing documents, the budget, the milestone inspection summary and the latest reserve study, and you have 7 days after receiving them, excluding weekends and holidays, to cancel.

Question 3

What is an HOA or condo estoppel certificate?

Accepted Answer

It’s the association’s official statement of what is owed on a home: dues, assessments and any balance. Florida law requires the association to deliver it within 10 business days of a request. It’s valid for 30 days if delivered by hand or electronically, or 35 days by mail. Fees are capped; the current DBPR-adjusted caps are $299, plus $119 for expedited delivery and $179 if the account is delinquent. If the certificate arrives late, no fee may be charged. It’s ordered during the contract period so the closing numbers are right.

Question 4

Are there first-time homebuyer programs in Palm Beach County?

Accepted Answer

Yes, and they change often. As of September 27, 2026, Florida Housing lists the Florida Homebuyer Loan Program, FL Assist (up to $10,000 as a second mortgage), the FL HLP Second Mortgage ($12,500 at 3% over 30 years), HFA Preferred and Advantage PLUS forgivable seconds, and Florida Hometown Heroes. Hometown Heroes offers up to 5% of the first mortgage ($10,000 to $35,000) to eligible first-time buyers in listed fields, active military and veterans. Palm Beach County’s Homebuyer Match pilot closed its 2026 window on April 20. Ask your lender what is open today.

Question 5

What does a Florida home seller have to disclose?

Accepted Answer

Florida sellers must disclose known facts that materially affect the home’s value and that a buyer can’t readily see, a duty set by Johnson v. Davis in 1985. Florida’s flood disclosure, expanded on October 1, 2025, covers flood insurance claims, known flood damage during your ownership and any flood-related assistance, and notes that homeowners’ policies don’t cover flood. In an HOA or condominium, association disclosures apply too, and buyers receive a property tax disclosure and a radon notice at or before the contract. If you’re unsure about something, raise it with me early, and with your attorney.

Question 6

What closing costs does a seller pay in Palm Beach County?

Accepted Answer

Florida’s documentary stamp tax on the deed is 70 cents per $100 of the sale price, so $3,500 on a $500,000 sale. In Palm Beach County it customarily appears on the seller’s side of the closing statement, though the contract controls. Commission is not set by law and is fully negotiable. If the home is in an HOA or condominium, the estoppel certificate has its own capped fee. We go through the numbers line by line before you list.

Question 7

How do you price a home without an online estimate?

Accepted Answer

Online estimates can’t see your renovations, your view or your acreage. I walk through the home, then build a personal pricing analysis from recent sales and the homes you would be competing with right now, and I show you the reasoning, not just a number. We talk about what would move the price and what wouldn’t, and you choose the strategy with the full picture in front of you. You can start by telling me about your home on the home value page. There’s no obligation.

Question 8

How do security deposits work in Florida rentals?

Accepted Answer

The landlord can hold your deposit in a separate non-interest account, a separate interest-bearing account, or post a surety bond, and must tell you in writing how it’s held, either in the lease or within 30 days of receiving it. If there’s no claim against it, the deposit comes back within 15 days after the lease ends. To make a claim, the landlord sends written notice by certified mail within 30 days, and you have 15 days to object. Keep dated move-in photos; they make any conversation about the deposit easier.

Question 9

What’s the difference between an annual and a seasonal rental in Wellington?

Accepted Answer

Mostly timing and tax. Wellington’s winter show season opens with the Winter Equestrian Festival, whose 2027 Premiere Week runs January 6 to 10, and the festival continues into late March; polo at the National Polo Center has run from late December into early May. In Palm Beach County, rentals of six months or less owe the 6% Tourist Development Tax plus state sales tax, and the landlord registers to collect it. Leases longer than six months fall outside that tax. I help renters with both.

Question 10

What does a Wellington landlord need before renting out a home?

Accepted Answer

A Business Tax Receipt from the Village, which Wellington requires for rentals of any length; Planning & Zoning reviews each one. If you will offer the home more than three times a year for stays under 30 days, you also need a Vacation Rental Permit, which costs $600 per unit and has applied since March 1, 2024. Rentals of six months or less owe the county’s 6% Tourist Development Tax plus state sales tax. Leases of a year or longer need a flood disclosure at signing. Association lease rules vary, so check yours.

Question 11

How does Florida’s homestead exemption work, and is it changing?

Accepted Answer

If the home is your permanent residence on January 1 and you hold title, you can apply to the Palm Beach County Property Appraiser by March 1. The exemption is $25,000 on the first $50,000 of assessed value plus an additional amount above $50,000 (up to $25,722 for 2025) that doesn’t apply to school taxes. Save Our Homes then caps yearly increases in assessed value at 3% or CPI, whichever is lower. A proposed amendment, CS/HJR 1F, goes to voters in November 2026: it would raise the non-school exemption from 2027, but new residents after January 1, 2027 would wait five years for it.

Question 12

Which airport serves Wellington and West Palm Beach?

Accepted Answer

The airport in West Palm Beach, formerly Palm Beach International, is now President Donald J. Trump International Airport, at 1000 James L. Turnage Blvd. The new name took effect on July 9, 2026, and the airport’s code changed from PBI to DJT after August 18, 2026, so older bookings and maps may still show the old name. For rail, Brightline stops in West Palm Beach, with service to Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale, Aventura, Miami and Orlando.

Question 13

How do I check a Wellington home’s flood zone and insurance picture?

Accepted Answer

Look the address up on FEMA’s Flood Map Service Center, the official source for flood maps, and for homes inside Village limits, request Wellington’s free Flood Zone Determination letter. Standard homeowners’ policies don’t cover flood, which Florida’s seller flood disclosure now spells out. For wind, ask about a wind mitigation inspection: the state form stays valid for up to five years if the house hasn’t materially changed, and Florida requires insurers’ rates to include discounts or credits for qualifying features. Hurricane season runs June 1 to November 30.

Question 14

Who provides water and trash service in Wellington?

Accepted Answer

Wellington Utilities provides drinking water and wastewater service to about 56,000 residents in its service area, which covers most of the Village. The Village notes that Buena Vida, Olympia and VillageWalk are served by Palm Beach County Utilities instead. Garbage is collected twice a week from the Village’s gray automated carts, with recycling, vegetation and bulk pickup once a week. Your county tax bill also carries non-ad valorem assessments, such as Solid Waste Authority fees, alongside property taxes, so budget for both.

Question 15

I’m moving to Florida from another state. What should I do first?

Accepted Answer

Put the deadlines on your calendar. Florida gives new residents 30 days to get a Florida driver license after establishing residency and 10 days to title and register vehicles. Residency can begin when you start work here, enroll a student in public school, register to vote, file for homestead, or live here more than six consecutive months. If you buy a primary home, the homestead application is due by March 1. For schools, use the School District of Palm Beach County’s Find My School lookup by address. My relocation guide covers the rest.

Question 16

Which areas do you serve?

Accepted Answer

Wellington first; it’s home. I also work across Palm Beach County in West Palm Beach, Boynton Beach, Delray Beach, Lake Worth, Boca Raton, Palm Beach Gardens and Jupiter, and each community has its own guide on this site. My brokerage, Safebound Realty, is at 6051 Southern Blvd, Suite 300, West Palm Beach, FL 33413. The easiest way to reach me is a text to (561) 693-7123; I answer my own messages.

Question 17

Do you work with first-time buyers and luxury clients alike?

Accepted Answer

Yes, and that is the whole idea: white-glove service at every price point. My Safebound Realty profile lists my specialties as First-Time Buyers, Condos & Townhomes, Buyer Representation and Luxury Advisor. Whether it’s a first rental, a townhome or a Wellington estate with acreage, you get the same presentation, communication and negotiation. Luxury clients can ask for private, discreet showings; first-time buyers get all the time they need to ask every question twice.

Straight answers, with sources.

Buying