Mortgage Broker in Westlake, FL

Short answer

The median home in Westlake sold for about $609,710 in the three months ending September 2026, and most sales are new construction, where your tax bill includes Seminole Improvement District charges on top of a roughly 20.8-mill property tax rate. QMS Lending is an independent mortgage broker in Miami, FL that compares builder financing offers against 100+ lenders, from FHA and conventional to jumbo, so you can see the real monthly cost before you sign a builder contract.

Westlake at a glance

Westlake became Palm Beach County's 39th municipality on June 22, 2016. It sits on about 4,000 acres of former farmland in the central western county, along Seminole Pratt Whitney Road, and all of it lies inside the Seminole Improvement District (SID). The county approved a plan for 4,546 single-family homes and 2.2 million square feet of non-residential space, and local reporting in September 2024 counted 3,825 single-family parcels already platted.

Prices: the median sale price was about $609,710 for the three months ending September 2026, up 1.6% from a year earlier, with 58 homes sold and a median of 96 days on market, per Redfin (as of November 2026). Westlake is not broken out in the Florida Realtors city report, so this is a portal figure; treat it as a guide. The Palm Beach County single-family median was $655,000 in Q3 2026.

Because the city is still being built, many purchases are new homes bought straight from a builder, often before the house is finished. That changes how you shop for the loan, how taxes are escrowed and what shows up on your tax bill.

Buying new construction: builder lender vs your own

Builders often offer incentives, such as closing cost credits, a paid-down rate or upgrades, if you use their affiliated lender. Those can be worth real money. They can also hide a higher price or a weaker loan. Compare them line by line:

• Get a Loan Estimate from both. Compare the rate, points, lender fees and cash to close on the same loan type. See Loan Estimate.
• Know the credit limits. Fannie Mae caps seller and builder contributions on a primary home or second home at 3% of price when you put less than 10% down, 6% at 75.01% to 90% loan-to-value, and 9% at 75% or less. On a $609,710 home with 5% down, that is up to about $18,291; with 20% down, up to about $36,583. Credits above the cap reduce the price for underwriting.
• Read the contract before you sign. Many builder contracts tie the incentive to their lender, set deposit schedules and limit financing contingencies. Ask what happens to your deposit if your loan is denied.
• Rate locks and timing. A home that will close in 6 to 12 months may need an extended rate lock or a float-down plan. Ask what it costs.

QMS can review a builder's offer and show you a side-by-side quote from our lenders. Rates vary daily; call 305-425-1990 for today's pricing.

Seminole Improvement District charges on your tax bill

The Seminole Improvement District was created by special act (chapter 70-854, Laws of Florida) under chapter 298 of the Florida Statutes, and its charter was reenacted in 2000. It can build and run water and sewer systems, drainage, roads and parks. Its charter lets it levy non-ad valorem assessments, collected "at the same time and in like manner as county taxes," so they appear on your Palm Beach County tax bill next to the regular millage.

A non-ad valorem assessment is a charge for services or improvements that is not based on your home's value, per the Property Appraiser. That means your homestead exemption, and the new Amendment 3 exemption, do not reduce it.

How big is it? Local reporting from September 2024 said the average SID assessment on a quarter-acre lot rose from $829 to $1,107 for fiscal 2025, and a 2025 report put the proposed SID budget for fiscal 2026 at $7,253,020, with some larger homes seeing a $40 to $50 increase. The city also bills solid waste collection as a non-ad valorem charge, a practice it started with the fiscal year beginning October 1, 2021.

What to do before you sign:

• Ask the builder or seller for the last tax bill on a comparable lot, showing each non-ad valorem line.
• Check whether your neighborhood also has an HOA fee. An HOA fee is separate from the SID and paid directly, not on the tax bill.
• On a resale, order a lien search. The City of Westlake charges $47.50 per request with a 7-business-day minimum. See special assessment.

Lenders count both the tax bill and the HOA fee in your DTI, so these charges affect how much you can borrow.

Property taxes, the first-year trap and Amendment 3

The Westlake district total was 20.8652 mills in 2025 (code 77486), per the Palm Beach County Property Appraiser. Using the 2026 proposed rates (city 4.6000, county 4.5000 plus 0.0210 debt, fire-rescue 3.4581, library 0.5491, schools 3.2480 and 3.0390, Children's Services 0.4908, Health Care District 0.6561, SFWMD 0.2301 combined, FIND 0.0270) gives about 20.82 mills, roughly 2.08% of taxable value, before SID and solid waste charges (as of November 2026).

Example on a $609,710 home: with no exemptions, about $12,694 a year in ad valorem tax. With homestead ($25,000 off all taxes plus up to $25,722 more off non-school taxes, 2025 figure), about $11,799. Add the SID and solid waste lines on top.

The first-year trap. Florida values property as of January 1, and improvements not substantially completed on that date get no value (F.S. 192.042). If your new home was unfinished on January 1, your first tax bill may cover only the land. Your lender may set escrow on that low bill, and the next year's bill, with the full house, can jump. Ask your lender to escrow on an estimate of the finished home's taxes, and save for an escrow shortage.

Amendment 3 passed on November 3, 2026 (about 62%, unofficial until certified). The non-school homestead exemption rises to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028, and the non-homestead assessment cap drops from 10% to 5% from January 1, 2027, for non-school taxes. School taxes do not change; the first bills affected arrive in November 2027. On the same $609,710 home at 2026 rates, the 2027 homestead ad valorem bill would be roughly $10,357. Buyers who become permanent Florida residents after December 31, 2026 start smaller and reach the full exemption in their fifth year. File homestead by March 1 after you move in. See homestead exemption.

Loan options at Westlake prices

• FHA, 3.5% down: on $609,710, that is about $21,340 down and a base loan of $588,370, under the 2026 Palm Beach County FHA limit of $667,000. New homes must meet FHA's new-construction documentation rules; ask the builder early.
• Conventional: 5% down is about $30,486; 20% down ($121,942) avoids mortgage insurance. The 2026 conforming limit is $832,750.
• VA: eligible veterans may buy with no down payment, subject to VA rules and the builder accepting VA.
• Jumbo: larger homes in the newer luxury sections can push the loan over $832,750.
• Construction loans: if you buy a lot and hire your own builder instead of buying from the community builder.

All loans are subject to credit approval and appraisal. Rates vary daily; call 305-425-1990 for today's pricing.

Flood risk and county programs

Westlake is flat, former farmland drained by SID canals and lakes. Palm Beach County's updated FEMA maps took effect December 20, 2024. Check each lot on the FEMA Flood Map Service Center; new homes are usually built to current elevation rules, but the lender still decides by the map. Westlake is not listed in the county's Community Rating System table, so do not count on a CRS discount.

Palm Beach County's SHIP purchase program offers up to $100,000 for moderate-income buyers with a $568,557 price cap, but its application limit has been reached (as of November 2026). Florida Hometown Heroes offers up to 5% of the first mortgage ($10,000 to $35,000) as a 0% deferred second mortgage for first-time, income-qualified buyers. Ask the builder in writing whether it accepts down payment assistance before you sign.

QMS Lending (NMLS #1781090) works in English and Spanish and can quote your Westlake purchase across 100+ lenders. Call 305-425-1990.

Down payment help for Westlake buyers

• Seminole Improvement District (non-ad valorem assessments) Chapter 298 special district for water, sewer, drainage and roads; assessments collected on the county tax bill and not reduced by homestead. ↗
• Palm Beach County SHIP Purchase Assistance Up to $100,000; max price $568,557; income up to 140% AMI ($114,660 for 1, $163,660 for 4). Application limit reached as of November 2026. 561-233-3600. ↗
• Florida Hometown Heroes Up to 5% of the first mortgage ($10,000 to $35,000), 0% deferred 30-year second mortgage, not forgivable, for first-time, income-qualified buyers. ↗

Nearby cities

Loxahatchee GrovesRoyal Palm BeachWellington