Florida can take your property tax bill to zero.

Not if you receive VA disability compensation at a rating of 10% or higher. The fee is also waived for surviving spouses receiving Dependency and Indemnity Compensation and for Purple Heart recipients serving on active duty. Otherwise, for a purchase loan with no down payment the fee is 2.15% on first use and 3.30% on subsequent use; 5% to under 10% down reduces it to 1.50%, and 10% or more down reduces it to 1.25%. Reservists and National Guard pay 2.40% on first use with no down payment. An IRRRL refinance is a flat 0.50%.

Yes, in the case of a total and permanent service-connected disability. Under Fla. Stat. §196.081 an honourably discharged veteran with a service-connected total and permanent disability is entitled to a full exemption on real estate owned and used as a homestead — no income limit and no cap on the value of the home. You must hold title, occupy the home as your permanent residence, and be a Florida resident as of 1 January of the tax year, with documentation from the VA.

Yes. If the surviving spouse holds legal or beneficial title and permanently resides at the homestead, the exemption carries over until they remarry, sell, or otherwise dispose of the property. If they sell, an exemption not exceeding the amount granted on the most recent tax roll may be transferred to a new Florida residence, provided it is their primary residence and they have not remarried.

Yes, several, and they stack on top of the standard homestead exemption. A combat-related disability at age 65 or older brings a discount equal to the percentage of that disability rating, extended to surviving spouses by Amendment 6 in 2020 (§196.082). A service-connected disability of 10% or more brings a $5,000 exemption (§196.24). Deployed servicemembers may claim an additional exemption proportional to days deployed in the prior year (§196.173).

Only if the VA has approved the condominium project itself. A project marked Unaccepted has either been denied or never went through approval, and units in it cannot be purchased with a VA loan. In Florida, three things commonly cause a project to be declined: an association windstorm deductible exceeding 5% of insured value, active litigation against the association, and a right of first refusal in the governing documents. An unapproved project can be submitted, and approval is permanent once granted, but it commonly takes two to three months — longer than most inspection periods.

Certificate of Eligibility and remaining entitlement; disability rating in writing and funding fee waiver status; whether the lender is genuinely VA-experienced; for a condo, VA project approval, the association's windstorm deductible as a percentage of insured value, and litigation status; the FEMA flood zone for the specific parcel with flood insurance quoted rather than estimated; homeowners and wind quoted before offering, because roof age is the usual reason a carrier declines; and which property tax exemption route applies, with the 1 March filing deadline diarised.

No. A VA appraisal establishes value and checks minimum property requirements; it is not a home inspection and it does not tell you whether an insurance carrier will write the house. In Southwest Florida roof age is the usual disqualifier, and no policy means no loan, which means no closing. Ask about insurability early on every property.