Mune Shot – 5 Florida Real Estate Customs

There are lots of breakthrough inventions. Obviously, the wheel. Electricity. The computer. AI. But the Mune Shot is at the top of my list. No, the Mune Shot is not a new Elon Musk rocket exploration to Mars. Rather it’s an ingenious device for delivering pop up sushi. See, the Chicago White Sox are having a revival of sorts. After 3 straight years of losing 100 games including a record setting 121 in 2024, this year’s team has shocked the world by contending. My daughter, Jade is following them and said, “being in a pennant race is like a full-time job.” My wife is unaccustomed to having so much baseball on. Anyhow, the Mune Shot is a promotion to take advantage of the popularity of Japanese superstar, Munetka Murakami. Because of his popularity (see Mune celebrate here), they came up with the innovative idea of pop-up sushi.

The Mune Shot is delivered in a cylinder device that houses 5 pieces of sushi. Attached on the side is a short thin vertical accompanying device that holds the soy sauce. The uppermost of the container is a plastic curved top. Take the cap off and it is a device for dipping the sushi into the soy sauce. And once the soy sauce is empty, that apparatus is to be used to push up the sushi from the bottom. A promethean and herculean feat if I ever did see one. And the Sushi was delicious.

So, as of right now, I’m in Japan. Being one who is curious of human behavior and different cultures, I ventured to see a game between the Yokohama DeNa’s (corporate name) Bay Stars versus the Tokyo Giants. The BayStars used to be the Whalers but changed the name when whaling became a bad societal thing. The folks in Yokohama were worried about a curse. Similar to the Billy Goats the Cubs and the Bambino, like the Red Sox were faced with. Nevertheless, I was surprised at what I saw in Japanese baseball. First, the sushi was not very good. And instead of peanuts, they have edamame served in a clear cup. There is no booing. Cheering is regulated by what section you are in. You can only cheer in your section. There is a set of trumpeters and a drummer boy. I was surprised to see so much in English on the scoreboard including abbreviations like R for Runs or E for Errors. The dimensions were much smaller. Short foul balls to right field in the USA were home runs here in Japan. Take me out to the ballgame music by a Japanese woman singer was piped contentiously into the bathrooms and concourse. Strangest of all, there were no Beerman vendors. Instead, it was all women in short skirts. To top that off, there was no garbage cans. Like when on an airplane, a baseball attendant comes around with an enormous garbage bag and takes away your trash. Customs vary between countries and even states. In real estate, you have to know what is customary in the Florida market. If you are from Colorado, New York, or Illinois, you must adjust to what the Florida market is like. Here are 5 things buyers and sellers need to be aware of when purchasing and selling in Florida.

5 Real Estate Customs to be Aware of in Florida

1. As-Is contracts

This one confounds people from other states. The definition of an As-Is contract is that the Buyer has X days to do an inspection. Sellers need to look at this not as their friend, but a weapon that can hurt you. The only friendly part to the Seller is the ability to say no. The buyer holds most of the cards as they can hold a barrel over your head to renegotiate the contract. If they cancel, all their money is returned. Basically, it’s a free option for a buyer to cancel. Sellers from other states only like to hear that the Buyer is taking it As-Is and they won’t have to pay anything more. Buyers on the other hand sometimes hold back on their offers when pulling the trigger and securing the property would be toward their benefit.

2. Taxes

The biggest mistake a lay person Buyer does is look at the current taxes. Those are insignificant. The taxes can rise greatly if the Seller is homesteaded.

3. Lawyers and Binders

Aye yi yi! I’ve represented Sellers where the Buyer put a house under contract only to find out they couldn’t get out. Buyers think there is going to be a Binder and a lawyer is going to look over the contract. They can but a contract in Florida is hard whereas in other states it’s not. A non As-Is Purchase Contract for Sale which is an alternative contract locks a Buyer in without many contingencies. Buyers must know their Florida Contracts.

4. Homestead Dates

We have already discussed homesteading. Not 100% accurate, but in essence, if a Buyer plans to live in Florida for 6 months plus a day, they should qualify for homestead. Currently, that means that the first $50k in percentage of taxes isn’t calculated. This could go up to $250,000 by 2028 if Amendment 3 passes. The date to file for homestead is March 1. If Amendment 3 passes, the home must be purchased by 12/31/2026. If not, there will be a 5-year wait to be eligible for the full $250,000 although a homesteaded person can get the same $50,000 as of today.

5. Inspection Items

Mold and Termites. Expect them to appear. Both are usually treatable so don’t panic if you see it.

Follow along with these 5 items and your sale should be a home run and not a mune shot.