Fort Lauderdale Mortgage Hub: Broward & Palm Beach Closing Costs, Wind Zones, and 2026 Loan Limits
Updated October 2026
Two counties, two sets of closing-table customs. A buyer moving from Fort Lauderdale to Boca Raton crosses an invisible line where the question of who pays for the owner's title insurance policy flips entirely, and nobody at the closing table will flag it unless you ask first.
In Broward County, the customary arrangement is that the buyer selects the title agent and pays the owner's policy premium. In Palm Beach County, custom runs the other direction: the seller traditionally pays for the owner's policy and names the closing agent. On a $650,000 purchase, the Florida promulgated rate puts that premium near $3,375 — a line item that lands on your side of the ledger in Broward and the seller's side in Palm Beach, unless your contract negotiates otherwise. The Florida Realtors/Florida Bar "AS IS" contract leaves this blank for the parties to fill in, which is precisely why it gets missed.
Wind exposure splits along the same county boundary in a different way. All of Broward sits inside the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone (HVHZ), where Florida Building Code requires impact-rated glazing or shutters, enhanced roof deck attachment, and third-party product approval on every opening. Palm Beach County sits outside the HVHZ and instead maps 170 mph to 150 mph design wind speed bands that drop as you move inland from the Intracoastal toward the Glades. An identical 2004 house carries a materially different insurance premium depending on which side of the Hillsboro Canal it sits on — and that premium flows straight into the escrow portion of your monthly payment.
Assessed values and exemption history for Broward parcels are published at bcpa.net; Palm Beach parcels appear at pbcpao.gov. Pull both before you write an offer, because the seller's capped taxable value tells you almost nothing about what you will owe in year two.
For 2026, the one-unit conforming limit is $832,750 across both counties, with FHA ceilings set higher in these high-cost markets. Down payment and closing cost assistance programs are catalogued at floridahousing.org.
From here, work outward: Pembroke Pines escrow, Coral Springs wind mitigation, Weston HOA and jumbo, Boca Raton coastal condos, Delray portability, and Wellington acreage. Then price it: today's rates and the monthly payment calculator.
Compare Current Mortgage Rates
Compare current APRs, points, fees, and estimated monthly payments from participating lenders below.
Loan Program Comparison: 2026 Benchmarks
Fort Lauderdale Mortgage Hub: Broward & Palm Beach Closing Costs, Wind Zones, and 2026 Loan Limits — Separate monthly debt-service-to-income from upfront cash: down payment plus fees and prepaids, less deposits and approved credits. Avoid counting earnest money twice.
Historical 2025 one-unit comparison: conforming $806,500; FHA floor $524,225. County and unit-count limits can differ.
| Loan program | Down payment / equity | 2026 one-unit baseline | Costs and page-specific comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conventional | 3%–5% subject to eligibility | $832,750 | PMI generally below 20% down |
| FHA | 3.5% at 580+; 10% at 500–579 | $541,287 floor | 1.75% upfront MIP; 0.55% annual for >95% LTV, base loan ≤$726,200, term >15 years |
| VA | 0% for eligible borrowers | No VA limit with full entitlement | No monthly PMI; funding fee unless exempt |
| USDA | 0% for eligible borrowers | Income, address and repayment eligibility | Guarantee and annual fees; confirm current schedule |
| Jumbo | Lender-specific cash and reserves | Above applicable conforming limit | Lender-specific pricing and insurance |
| Home Equity / Refinance | Equity and underwriting dependent | Property and lender dependent | Compare closing costs, term and break-even |
Sources: FHFA limits; HUD FHA limits.
Editorial Methodology & Primary Sources
Verification date: Not recorded; check the primary source and lender timestamp before relying on an estimate.
Rate comparisons use participating lender feeds, not a whole-market survey or guaranteed offers. Freddie Mac PMMS is a market benchmark, not a personalized quote. Calculator models rely on published regulatory formulas and disclosed assumptions rather than fabricated first-person loan testing.
Monthly principal and interest use the amortization formula P × r / (1 − (1 + r)−n), where r is the monthly note rate and n is the number of payments; at zero interest use P / n. PITI adds monthly property taxes and homeowners insurance; PMI is separate. APR includes applicable finance charges under Regulation Z and is not the note rate used for payments. Compare lender Loan Estimates for actual APR and fees.
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) — Loan Estimates, APR and borrower disclosures; Regulation Z.
- U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD / FHA) — FHA program guidance.
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) — VA loan eligibility and benefits.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey (PMMS) — published rate benchmarks.
- U.S. Census state tax collections — state property tax benchmarks; confirm parcel-specific assessments and exemptions with the state revenue department and local assessor.
The payment snapshot uses illustrative annual taxes of 1% of home price, $1,200 insurance and 0.5% PMI below 20% down, not verified local quotes. Other calculators disclose their inputs and assumptions. Published guidance and lender feeds may change independently; confirm current program rules, taxes and offers before a decision.