Royal Palm Bay Villas, Orlando, Kissimee, Florida , USA.

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Buying property in America is simpler than doing so in England , particularly in Florida , although procedures do vary considerably from state to state. It was not so long ago that Florida had a particularly bad reputation for time share touts and property scams. Then the authorities realised that this was not doing the state's tourist and foreign investment trade any good and decided to clean up their market. Strict rules were brought in concerning who could undertake new builds and who could buy and sell new and resale properties. Tight planning laws and controls along with a requirement that agents be qualified and licensed did much to overcome the cowboy image of the Florida property market. Since then the property boom has continued to flourish although, as anywhere, it has its ups and downs. There is now a State Real Estate Commission to police this system.

If you wish to purchase a new property you can still do so from the plans with a down payment and the balance to follow on completion. Or, and I think more wisely, you can wait until there are one or more completed units as well as the show house to give you an idea of what your purchase will look like when you move in to it. Most developers sell directly to the public but some also sell through a real estate company. Be warned that although the show house will be fully furnished you will be offered a choice of packages at various prices to achieve this state for your new home. These will probably be cheaper than going out and buying everything yourself, but not necessarily so. And anyway they may well not give you the end effect and ambiance you are looking for.

The best value property in Florida is privately owned resale, or pre-owned. These are invariably sold fully furnished and in many cases even down to the crockery and cutlery. It may not all be to your liking but if you are starting afresh in the American property market they can give you a good start at no extra cost. The best way to buy a privately owned resale property is through a realtor working out of one of the main chains of real estate offices, such as Coldwell Banker. I would not particularly advise going to one that specialises in UK buyers because the Americans are just as canny about buying property as we are and a realtor that caters to his privately owned home market is less likely to take advantage of your lack of experience in this area.

Unlike in England where you go round estate agents looking for the property you want and then use the agent representing the seller to also represent your interests in your purchase, in America you choose your buyer's realtor, or real estate broker in full, on recommendation or whatever and he or she represents only you. It is not appropriate for him or her to also be the selling agent. But all the realtors have access to the central database of privately owned properties for sale and sold in the state. They will show you a number of privately owned properties that meet your requirements and will be able to advise you as to what price similar privately owned properties have sold for recently in the area. They will put your offer to the selling agent and return their counter offer to you with advice as to whether to accept it or continue haggling. This is a delicate negotiation and one which is best left to the professionals who know the market and what it will take.