Guides
Free Florida True Cost guides on condo due diligence, Hometown Heroes, Lakeland down payment help, Polk County flood zones, My Safe Florida Home, moving to Lakeland, DSCR rental costs, and the true monthly cost of a Florida home.
Reviewed November 11, 2026. General information only — not legal, tax, insurance, or financial advice, and not a commitment to lend.
Eight guides, written for Lakeland and Polk County buyers and useful across Florida. Each one is source-cited and was reviewed on November 11, 2026. Figures change; use the official links inside each guide before you rely on a number.
- Florida Condo Due-Diligence Checklist — statutory resale documents, milestone inspections, structural integrity reserve studies, and special assessments.
- Hometown Heroes 2026 Guide — who the Florida Housing program is for, how the $10,000–$35,000 deferred second mortgage works, and Polk County income and loan limits. Dion is a participating lender; apply here.
- Lakeland Home Purchase Assistance Guide — city-limits assistance up to $40,000, income tiers, funding availability, and how a lender files the file.
- Polk County Flood Zone & Elevation Certificate Guide — how to look up a zone, CRS Class 6 discounts, and how to request an elevation certificate.
- Florida True Monthly Cost Worksheet — the line-by-line stack: mortgage, taxes, insurance, flood, association fees, and assessments.
- My Safe Florida Home 2026 Guide — free wind-mitigation inspections, hurricane mitigation grants of up to $10,000 for eligible homesteaded homes, how to apply, and how the inspection ties to wind-insurance discounts.
- Moving to Lakeland and Polk County: A Practical Checklist — utilities, Florida license and registration deadlines, homestead and Save Our Homes after Amendment 3, school zones, voter registration, and insurance after a move.
- True Monthly Cost of a Florida Rental: A DSCR Investor’s Guide — how taxes, insurance, flood, HOA fees, assessments, vacancy, and short-term-rental taxes change a DSCR ratio. Read DSCR loans for investors or start a DSCR application.
- DSCR loans for investors — debt-service-coverage loans for rental and investment property, which may be available in almost every state; start a DSCR application. All other loan products are Florida only.
Download the printable true-cost checklist (PDF) · Apply for a mortgage · Optional pre-qualification form
Disclosures
Equal Housing Opportunity
Florida True Cost is published as a free public resource by Dion Link, a licensed mortgage loan originator, NMLS 898761, with Link Lending, NMLS 2723931, in Lakeland, Florida, and a Florida 2-20 insurance licensee, agent number P163989, with Links Insurance Co. Equal Housing Opportunity. You can verify mortgage licenses at NMLS Consumer Access.
Separate services: Mortgage lending (Link Lending), Florida flood insurance quotes (Links Insurance Co.), and any future home, wind, auto, or renters comparison through The Zebra are offered separately. You may use one, any combination, or none of them. Neither service is conditioned on the other, and this site does not give or accept anything of value for referring settlement-service business.
Where products are offered: DSCR investor loans may be originated in almost every U.S. state, subject to licensing and investor guidelines. To start a DSCR or other mortgage application, use applywithdion.my1003app.com/register. All other loan products are Florida only. Flood quote requests on this site are for Florida flood insurance only. Home, wind, auto, and renters comparison is planned through a The Zebra partner link that is not live yet.
This site is for general information only. It is not legal, tax, insurance, or financial advice, and it is not a commitment to lend or a binder of insurance coverage. Program rules, income limits, funding, insurance costs, flood maps, millage rates, and association budgets change. Confirm every figure with the official program administrator, a licensed professional, your own Loan Estimate, and, for insurance, a written quote.
Mailing address: PO Box 134, Nichols, FL 33863.
Questions: Dion@link-lending.com
Optional thank-you
If these free guides helped you, you may send an optional thank-you via Zelle to Dion@link-lending.com. This is a voluntary tip for useful information only. It is not required to use this site, it is not a fee or payment for a mortgage or for insurance, and it does not affect any loan or insurance decision. Please do not send a tip in connection with a loan application, a closing, or an insurance policy.