Florida Housing Is Cooling: What Buyers and Sellers Should Ask Their Title Company Now

January 20, 2026

Before the end of 2025, we talked about how Florida's cooling market could introduce the perfect purchase opportunity. If you feel this is the right time for you, then it's important to ask the right questions so you can have the best title and escrow expert on your side. This support can make all the difference between harnessing different factors to your advantage and getting swept by the uncertainty of today's housing market.

What Buyers and Sellers Should Ask Their Title Company Now

Florida's housing market will always affect your transaction, which is why you should get an overview beforehand. An article from Florida Realtors foresees that mortgage prices and international demand may boost the state's market in the near future. This means that things could pick up by the time you're ready to close on a deal.

What are the closing costs and how are they allocated?
While there's a protocol for the separation of closing costs, you should still check what's changed over the last few years. In most parts of Florida, these costs are evenly split between buyers and sellers, but the general standard can vary depending on the county where the transaction is taking place.

Important costs like title insurance and outstanding mortgages are usually paid by the seller, as well as the property taxes corresponding to the months before the sale, during which the seller is still the property's legal owner.

Buyers are commonly tasked with the recording fees and the costs attached to property inspections. There are other fees involved, and the distribution can still change from one transaction to the next. The cooling market has affected the cost of mortgage and insurance, which could make things less straightforward when it comes to the distribution of closing costs.

What's the cost of premium insurance?
The current market affects insurance policies in different ways. Companies need to adapt if they want to close more deals when there's already a struggle to sell properties in different parts of the state. Planning for the costs of your title insurance is much easier in the Sunshine State. As stated in an article by AmeriSave, Florida is one of three states where the government sets rates that all title companies must adhere to, with title insurance typically costing $2,075 for an average-priced Florida home.

This can be a convenient starting point, and insight from your title and escrow company can help you streamline the process, facilitating contact with insurance providers and, more importantly, helping you define what's covered in the insurance policy. Companies might limit their coverage in response to low demand and environmental factors affecting a property's market value, which is why you need to push for a clear answer.

What do you look for in the title search?
This can help you organize your schedule, particularly around other steps that depend on the outcome of the search. It's hard to tell how long it will take for a company to complete a title search. In the last few years, there've been inconsistencies regarding the evaluation of public records, partly because search and recording systems change across each county.

An old property also requires further investigation into all previous title transfers. If you're entering a real estate transaction as a seller, your time spent as the property owner might help you foresee some issues in advance.
Knowing what the company is looking for can also help you plan ahead when requesting corrections to mistakes, typos, inaccuracies, etc. If needed, the company representative can guide you through the process of requesting corrections from the corresponding county department and give you a timeframe to resolve any issue.

About the Title Company

What are the company's fees?
Just like you need to ask about all the closing costs, the company also needs to be upfront about the fees attached to each of its services. This is all the more important when the company assists in multiple faces of the real estate transaction (escrow management, title searches, refinance, settlements, etc.)

What are the company's reputation in the area?
Some of these questions might seem shallow, but a clear indicator of a company's efficiency is its ability to keep a glowing reputation through financial crisis, updated laws, and shifting demands.

What can the company do to protect your best interests?
Among other things, clients work with title companies expecting specialized assistance during delays, conflicts of interest, issues in the property title, etc. In a cooling market, there's a bigger need to cover our bases and minimize financial loss, which is why you shouldn't hesitate when confirming that the company has your back. Ask about contingency plans, mediation periods during disputes, refunds, and other steps to take in the event of a fallout between the seller and the buyer.

Come to Key Title & Escrow With All Your Questions. We'll Be Happy To Assist You!

The first step to choosing the right company is checking that you can get a timely response to all your requests. At Key Title & Escrow, we understand the challenges of completing a real estate transaction in a cooling market, and we use our experience to ensure the best possible outcome.

Don't leave anything to chance, and contact us today to get the best assistance. We'll give you in-depth information about Florida's housing market and stand by your side through each step of the process. Just call (305) 235-4571 or toll-free at (800) 547-0006 to get in touch with our specialists. And remember that you can also send us a message via the website's contact form. Key Title & Escrow helps you get a smooth process and a successful closing!