No federal law restricts foreign nationals from owning US residential property, and you need neither a visa nor residency. Cash buyers simply wire funds to the title company and close. Financed buyers use foreign national loan programs, which typically require 25% to 40% down and 45 days for loan commitment instead of the usual 21.
Ownership Carries No Citizenship Test
The legal baseline surprises people who expect hurdles. Florida real estate ownership carries no restriction based on citizenship, residency, or visa status. Title search, contract, and closing all run exactly as they would for a domestic purchase.
What changes is paperwork around the buyer, never the right to own. On the Discover South Florida Podcast, Larry Mastropieri put it in practical terms.
"We do foreign buyer representation all the time. I probably actively have multiple transactions in process with foreign buyers."
His overall read sets the tone for everything below.
"It's from my perspective not that complicated."
The Cash Path Runs Almost Frictionless
Buyers paying cash face the simplest version of this process, and Larry describes it without embellishment.
"If you're a cash foreign buyer, generally speaking, you show up, we show up, and we buy something. That's it."
Cash purchases move fast and carry none of the underwriting delays that complicate financed deals. Sellers across Palm Beach County and Boca Raton often prefer these offers for exactly that reason, which hands international cash buyers real negotiating strength.
Moving the Money Across Borders
The funding step generates more anxiety than it deserves. Larry treats it as a solvable logistics question.
"There may be like, hey, how do I get my money from Brazil to Boca? That's kind of on the client. Usually it's not that complicated though. They wire the funds in, to the title company, and we have a wrapped deal."
One precaution deserves emphasis regardless of where your money originates. Confirm wire instructions by phone, using a number you verified independently and never one pulled from an email. Wire fraud targets real estate closings aggressively, and international transfers rarely reverse once sent.
Do Foreign Buyers Need US Credit?
Your immigration status determines which mortgage market you enter, and the difference is substantial.
Green card holders and many qualifying work visa recipients access standard conforming loans on ordinary terms. Non-resident foreign nationals use portfolio programs built specifically for international borrowers, since government-backed FHA, VA, and USDA loans remain unavailable.
Larry confirms those programs work well in practice.
"We do a number of transactions where we do foreign loans. You work with good lenders who have connections to the right companies that loan money to foreign buyers."
What Foreign National Programs Typically Require
- Down payments generally landing between 25% and 40% of purchase price.
- Rates running roughly one to two points above conforming loans.
- No US credit history, since foreign bank references substitute.
- Foreign tax returns and accountant statements supporting income.
- Terms often structured as adjustable rates or balloons amortized across 25 to 30 years.
- Reserves held in a US account, with amounts varying by lender.
Larry emphasizes that qualification logic mirrors domestic lending more than people assume.
"Just like in the United States, if that buyer is super clean, can show income, has good credit in their area, whatever that looks like, can provide accounting statements, whatever these lenders need for that specific country, they can get decent rates and close very quickly."
Ready to buy from abroad and unsure where to start? Talk to a real estate agent near Boca Raton who handles international transactions regularly and connects you with lenders who actually write these loans. Reach out to The Mastropieri Group or call (561) 544-7000.
Timing Is the Genuine Difference
Speed of underwriting separates these transactions from domestic ones more than any other factor. Larry identifies exactly where the delay appears.
"Sometimes you can't do a loan commitment in 21 days or 14 days like we can with standard US buyers. Sometimes we need 45 days."
Strong qualifications do not always accelerate the calendar. He describes a recent file that illustrates the point.
"This lender is A-paper, which basically means it's the best rate, best terms, because the buyer is super qualified. The only catch was the lender takes a little bit longer to get everything processed."
Build that reality into your offer from the start. Foreign national closings commonly run 21 to 45 days, and a realistic commitment period prevents extension requests that unsettle a seller mid-transaction. Agents working Delray Beach deals see that mistake constantly.
Selling the Longer Timeline to a Seller
Here is where representation earns its fee, since a 45-day commitment period reads as risk to a listing agent who has never handled one. Larry scripts that conversation directly.
"Hey listen, you want to work with this guy. He's super qualified. We wouldn't be putting him through with this specific company if he couldn't qualify for this loan. He's already got the pre-approval from them."
The reframe does the work.
"So this isn't a problem. You want to work with them. It's just going to take an extra 15 days to get the loan commitment."
Attach the pre-approval letter and let the lender speak to the listing agent directly. A seller who grasps that the delay reflects processing instead of weak qualifications usually accepts it, particularly when the alternative buyer offers less. That conversation wins deals across West Palm Beach regularly.
Florida Restricts Buyers From Seven Countries
One state law demands attention before anyone writes an offer. Senate Bill 264, effective July 2023, restricts real property purchases by domiciliaries of China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Cuba, Venezuela, and Syria.
Restrictions tighten within roughly ten miles of military installations and critical infrastructure. That radius covers meaningful portions of South Florida, given the density of bases, ports, and utilities here. Registration and affidavit requirements apply in certain situations.
Buyers from those jurisdictions should consult a Florida attorney before touring anything. Texas adopted a comparable statute, and other states keep considering similar measures, so these rules deserve a fresh check on every purchase.
South Florida Carries Extra Reporting Requirements
Federal anti-money-laundering rules apply with particular force in this market. Title companies operating in Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties must collect and report beneficial ownership information on qualifying all-cash purchases.
Thresholds vary, and purchases through an LLC trigger disclosure of the individuals behind the entity. Nothing about this blocks a legitimate transaction. The anonymity some buyers expect from an entity structure simply no longer exists at the federal reporting level.
Plan for the paperwork and the requirement stays administrative. Buyers in Broward County and neighboring markets should expect their title company to request this information as routine.
Tax Exposures Worth Planning Around
Three items deserve attention well before closing, and two of them surface long after you own the home.
FIRPTA Applies When You Sell
Foreign sellers face withholding of 15% of the gross sales price, remitted to the IRS at closing. A common and expensive misunderstanding treats this as a purchase-side cost, when it applies entirely at disposition.
Form 8288-B, filed at least 90 days before a future closing, can reduce or eliminate the withholding when actual tax owed runs lower. Plan that filing in advance instead of waiting on a refund the following year.
Estate Tax Exposure Is the Overlooked Risk
Non-resident aliens receive a US estate tax exemption of only $60,000 on US-situs assets, against a figure in the millions for US residents. A $2 million Florida home therefore leaves substantial exposure for heirs.
Ownership structure influences that outcome considerably, and the right answer depends on your country's tax treaty with the United States. Speak with a cross-border tax attorney before you take title, since restructuring afterward costs far more.
An ITIN Becomes Necessary Later
The purchase itself requires no US tax identification at all. An ITIN matters once you earn US rental income and must file a return. It also matters when you sell and need a FIRPTA refund or reduced withholding.
Apply using Form W-7, and consider working through a certified acceptance agent, which is usually the fastest route from outside the country.
Can You Close Without Flying In?
Attendance is optional. Most foreign buyer closings happen remotely through a power of attorney granted to a US-based lawyer or title company representative.
Arrange that document early, since a power of attorney executed abroad often requires notarization at a US consulate or an apostille under the Hague Convention. Both take time a 30-day contract will not forgive. Buyers closing in Palm Beach Gardens should start that paperwork at contract.
Mistakes That Cost International Buyers
- A belief that FIRPTA is a purchase cost, when it applies at sale.
- Title taken through a foreign corporation without checking estate tax consequences.
- No US-based CPA familiar with cross-border returns.
- A 21-day loan commitment written on a program that needs 45.
- A foreign national loan chosen when a conforming loan was available.
- Funds wired without any telephone verification of the instructions.
- State restrictions near military or infrastructure sites left unchecked.
This page covers general concepts and is not legal or tax advice. A cross-border attorney and CPA should review your specific circumstances.
The Process Works, the Preparation Decides How Smoothly
International buyers close here every week, and the deals that go badly almost never fail on the real estate itself. They fail on a commitment period written too short, a structure chosen without tax advice, or a restriction nobody checked. We handle the local side and connect you with the lenders, attorneys, and title people who do this work daily. Reach out to The Mastropieri Group, Realtors® at (561) 544-7000 and tell us your country and your budget, and we will map the whole path.