Mortgage Broker in Fort Lauderdale, FL

Short answer

QMS Lending is an independent mortgage broker licensed across Florida with 100+ lenders for Fort Lauderdale houses, beach condos and downtown towers. In Q2 2026 the median Fort Lauderdale house sold for $762,500, above the $667,000 FHA limit but inside the $832,750 conforming limit, and the median condo for $483,263; the city also runs a $75,000 purchase assistance program for first-time buyers.

Buying a home in Fort Lauderdale: what the numbers look like

In Q2 2026 the City of Fort Lauderdale recorded 429 single-family sales at a median of $762,500 and 473 townhouse/condo sales at a median of $483,263, per Florida Realtors data published by MIAMI REALTORS (as of October 2026). Broward's county medians were $630,000 and $262,600.

Las Olas Isles, Rio Vista, Harbor Beach and Coral Ridge (33301, 33304, 33308, 33316) are waterfront house markets well above $1,500,000. Victoria Park, Poinsettia Heights, Tarpon River and Croissant Park (33305, 33315) have 1940s-to-1960s houses from $600,000. Flagler Village and Downtown hold the new condo towers; the beach has 1960s-to-1980s condo stock; western Fort Lauderdale (33309, 33311, 33312) has the most houses under the FHA limit.

At the $762,500 median a 10% down buyer borrows $686,250, inside the $832,750 conforming limit but above the $667,000 FHA limit. A $483,263 condo with 5% down is a $459,100 loan, inside every limit.

Loan limits in Broward County for 2026

The 2026 FHA limit for a 1-unit home in Broward County is $667,000 and the 2026 conforming (Fannie Mae / Freddie Mac) limit is $832,750 (as of October 2026). Above $832,750 you are in jumbo territory. Both limits apply to the loan amount, not the price.

FHA limits for 2-4 unit properties are $853,900, $1,032,150 and $1,282,700.

Broward and Miami-Dade share the same 2026 limits. In Fort Lauderdale the FHA ceiling is the one buyers hit: a $762,500 house needs about 12.5% down to fit a $667,000 FHA loan, so many median-priced buyers end up on a 5%-down conventional loan instead. Waterfront houses are jumbo.

Property taxes, insurance and flood zones in Fort Lauderdale

Fort Lauderdale's city operating rate is low for a big city, 4.1193 mills for 2025 and unchanged from 2024. Adding the Broward County, school board, North Broward Hospital District and other countywide levies brings the combined 2025 operating millage to roughly 18.1 mills, about 1.8% of taxable value (as of October 2026). That total sums the 2025 operating millages the Broward County Property Appraiser publishes (county 5.6658, school board 6.3200, hospital district, special districts, city), excluding voted debt, so treat it as approximate. On a $762,500 house that is roughly $13,800 a year before the homestead exemption, estimated at your purchase price.

Insurance: 1940s-to-1960s houses in Victoria Park and Croissant Park need a 4-point inspection and often a newer roof; waterfront houses east of US-1 carry high windstorm premiums, often with Citizens or surplus-lines carriers. Beach condos carry the master policy in the HOA fee; you add an HO-6.

Flood: everything east of Federal Highway, the Las Olas and Rio Vista isles, the New River and Middle River corridors and the beach are FEMA Zone AE (VE on the oceanfront), with mandatory flood insurance. Western neighborhoods are mostly Zone X. Check the parcel at the FEMA Flood Map Service Center.

Condos in Fort Lauderdale

Fort Lauderdale has three condo markets: new Flagler Village and Downtown towers, the 1960s-to-1980s Galt Ocean Mile and beach buildings, and garden complexes west of I-95. The beach buildings concentrate the milestone and reserve issues.

A warrantable condo passes Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac project review: no significant deferred maintenance, no open safety-related special assessments, at least 10% of the budget to reserves, plus insurance and investor-concentration tests. The association answers a condo questionnaire (Fannie Mae Form 1076). Fail an item and the building is non-warrantable: a non-warrantable condo loan with a larger down payment, not a denial.

Florida Statute 553.899 requires a milestone structural inspection for condo buildings of three habitable stories or more at 30 years from the certificate of occupancy (25 years where the local building department requires it near salt water), then every 10 years, plus a structural integrity reserve study (SIRS). Lenders ask for both. Galt Ocean Mile associations are on the 25-year coastal track; ask for the report and the SIRS.

The beach also has several condotel buildings, and downtown a steady flow of new construction condo closings.

Down payment help available to Fort Lauderdale buyers

Fort Lauderdale runs its own purchase assistance program.

City of Fort Lauderdale Housing Purchase Assistance Program: up to $75,000 as a 15-year deferred loan for down payment, closing costs or principal reduction, for first-time buyers (no home owned in 3 years) purchasing a single-family home, townhouse, condo or villa inside city limits. The 2025 income limits run from $64,550 for one person to $92,200 for four, and funding is subject to availability. Contact the Housing and Community Development office at 954-828-6024.

Florida Hometown Heroes: first-time, income-qualified buyers who work full time for a Florida employer (health care, schools, first responders, public safety, child care, military, veterans) may get up to 5% of the first mortgage, $10,000 to $35,000, as a 0% deferred second mortgage repaid at sale or refinance. Funds come in rounds (2025 money ran out in early 2026; a $50 million round opened July 13, 2026), so ask us whether funds are open. Florida Housing also offers FL Assist (up to $10,000, 0% deferred) and HFA Preferred PLUS (3% to 5%, forgiven over 5 years).

Broward County Homebuyer Purchase Assistance (HPA): run by the county Housing Finance Division for buyers who have not owned a home in 3 years. The June 2026 funds flyer caps the sales price at $679,324 and lists income limits of $71,000 (80% AMI) and $106,440 (120% AMI) for one person, up to $101,400 and $152,160 for four. Money is allocated city by city, first-come, first-qualified; your lender reserves it once you are pre-approved and have a HUD-approved class certificate. The June 2026 flyer shows no county funds for Fort Lauderdale, which runs its own program instead.

Which loan programs fit Fort Lauderdale buyers

• Conventional with 5% down: the default for median-priced Fort Lauderdale houses, which sit above the FHA limit but under conforming.
• Jumbo loans: for Las Olas Isles, Rio Vista, Harbor Beach and Coral Ridge waterfront houses and oceanfront condos above $832,750.
• FHA with 3.5% down: for western Fort Lauderdale houses and FHA-approved condos under $667,000.
• VA loans: 0% down for veterans.
• Non-warrantable condo and condotel loans: for the beach buildings mid-assessment or with rental programs.
• Bank statement loans: for yachting, hospitality and marine-industry business owners.
• DSCR loans: for investors buying rental condos and small multifamily on the property's rent; business-purpose only.

Why work with a Doral-based broker for Fort Lauderdale

QMS Lending is an independent mortgage broker founded in 2018 at 3105 NW 107th Ave, Suite 400-O6, Doral, FL 33172 (NMLS #1781090). Fort Lauderdale is 35 minutes north of our Doral office on I-95 or the Turnpike, and Broward files close by e-sign and phone like Miami-Dade files. We are licensed statewide and work Broward condo questionnaires every week.

A broker has no single rate sheet: we shop your file across 100+ wholesale lenders, which is how a hard file lands with the lender that wants it. The team is bilingual (English and Spanish), led by Michael Fernandez, NMLS #1491775, President; licensed in Florida (and Georgia and Colorado through December 31, 2026); 4.9 stars across 200+ Google reviews. Rates vary daily; call 305-425-1990 for today's pricing. Subject to credit approval. Equal Housing Opportunity.

Down payment help for Fort Lauderdale buyers

• City of Fort Lauderdale Housing Purchase Assistance Program Up to $75,000, 15-year deferred loan; first-time buyers inside city limits; 2025 income limits $64,550 (1 person) to $92,200 (4); subject to funding. ↗
• Florida Hometown Heroes Up to 5% of the first mortgage, $10,000 to $35,000, 0% deferred second; first-time buyers employed full time by a Florida employer. Funded in rounds. ↗
• Broward County Homebuyer Purchase Assistance (HPA) County-run; max price $679,324; income limits up to 120% AMI; funds allocated per city, first-come first-qualified (June 2026 flyer). ↗

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