Florida real estate moves fast — and for new agents, the gap between passing the state exam and actually closing a deal can feel impossibly wide. Your 1st Year in Real Estate, Florida Edition by Cheryl Lovelace is the 215-page field guide that fills it. Written by a Florida agent who started her career with no formal brokerage training and taught herself the business through YouTube, books, and hard-won experience, this book is the resource she wishes she'd had on day one.

Unlike generic new-agent guides, this edition is built around the Florida-specific knowledge that other books skip: FREC and DBPR responsibilities, Florida Realtors® legal hotline, Form 9, wind mitigation, hurricane programs, Lady Bird deeds, sinkholes, Chinese drywall, flood zones, and the state's unique disclosure and zoning rules. It also walks through the business fundamentals every new agent needs — how to interview a broker, pick a CRM, price a listing, write an MLS description that converts, handle multiple offers, and navigate the post-settlement NAR contract changes that have reshaped buyer and seller agreements.

Written in plain language and organized the way a new agent actually works — by role (the seller, the buyer) and by task (listing, showing, inspecting, closing) — this is a reference you'll return to throughout your first year and well beyond.

What's inside:

• Chapter 1 — The Basics: FREC vs. DBPR, roles in a transaction, MLS fundamentals, CRM selection, tax deductions, Florida zoning codes, HOAs/COAs/POAs, title process, deeds and easements, condominiums, mobile homes, and the legal concerns every Florida agent should know
• Chapter 2 — The Seller: CMAs, listing checklists, pricing strategy, seller disclosures, MLS descriptions and Fair Housing language, photography and virtual staging, open houses, handling multiple offers, and seller concessions
• Chapter 3 — The Buyer: Buyer qualification, loan types (Conventional, FHA, VA, USDA, Reverse), PMI, DTI, the AS/IS contract step-by-step, inspections (4-point, wind mitigation, septic, pool, WDO), appraisals by loan type, clear-to-close, TILA-RESPA, and homestead/portability
• Chapter 4 — 2024 Contract Changes: NAR settlement effects for buyers and sellers, written buyer and listing agreements, transaction brokerage, compensation agreements, the new NAR forms, and FAQs on how the rule changes play out in practice
• Appendix, glossary, and references for quick lookups on abbreviations, forms, and terminology

Whether you just passed your Florida real estate exam or you're a few months in and still feel like you're improvising, this book gives you a practical, Florida-grounded playbook to work from.

Note: The content in this book is for educational purposes and is not intended as legal advice. Laws and regulations are subject to change; consult a licensed attorney or your broker for guidance on specific transactions.