The Metka Law Firm, P.A.

Key Takeaways Private lenders are not exempt from Florida law. The assumption that a private loan can be structured any way the lender wants is one of the most dangerous misconceptions in the industry. The personal guarantee is the most consistently overlooked document in private and hard money lending, and skipping it removes one of the lender’s most important recovery options if a borrower defaults. Recording a mortgage in the public records is not technically required for validity in Florida, but failing to do so can cost a private lender their lien priority or their ability to enforce the mortgage against the property at all. Construction loans carry a fundamentally different risk profile than purchase loans. Draw schedules and lien waivers are not optional protections; they are the structure that keeps the lender from advancing more money than the completed work is worth. Past deals going smoothly does not mean the documents were correct. Any private lender who has clos...

Private lending has become one of the fastest-growing paths to funding real estate deals across Central Florida, and Chelsea Metka breaks down what makes those transactions work, and what makes them collapse. She walks through who’s actually funding these loans, why banks are leaving gaps that private investors are stepping in to fill, and the legal documents that separate a protected lender from an exposed one.   Chelsea covers promissory notes, mortgages, personal guarantees , and the paperwork lenders skip at their own risk. She digs into Florida’s usury cap, the danger of an unrecorded mortgage, and why construction loans demand a tighter draw schedule and stronger lien waivers than a standard purchase. Anyone lending money on Florida real estate, or thinking about it, will walk away with a clearer picture of where the real risk hides. In this episode, you will hear: Who’s actually funding private and hard money loans in Florida, and why banks are leav...

Title insurance premiums are set by the state, which means every title company charges the same rate for the policy itself. That fact leads many buyers to assume it doesn’t matter which company handles their closing. It does. Settlement fees, itemized charges, and additional costs vary widely between companies, and those differences can add up fast. A settlement fee advertised at $500 can balloon to $1,500 once FedEx charges, notary fees, IT fees, and storage fees get added in. Requesting an estimated settlement statement before signing a contract gives buyers a clear picture of the total cost, not just the premium. What Happens During a Title Search A title examiner’s job is to build a chain of title and confirm the seller actually owns the property free of unresolved issues. That process should include a full search back to the root of title, known as an MRTA search, rather than relying on a prior insurance policy. A prior policy only covers a limited window of years. If...

Chelsea Metka opens up about the questions buyers rarely think to ask before choosing a title company, and the answers could save thousands at closing. Two companies can charge the same title insurance premium and still leave a buyer with wildly different settlement fees. Chelsea walks through why requesting a settlement statement before signing a contract matters, what a title examiner actually searches for, and why she avoids relying on a prior policy during a title search. She also breaks down Schedule B-2, the exceptions buyers have just five days to challenge, and clears up a common myth: title insurance does not cover unpermitted improvements. From land leases buried in agricultural properties to the rise of deed fraud across Central Florida, Chelsea covers the blind spots that catch buyers off guard. Title insurance protects for as long as someone owns their home. This episode explains what that protection actually covers. In this episode, you will hear: Why requesting a s...

Key Takeaways Title insurance protects against past risks, not future ones. It covers unknown defects in a property’s chain of title, including prior errors, unpaid debts, fraud, and clerical mistakes from previous transactions. Skipping the owner’s title insurance policy almost never saves money. When a loan is involved, losing the simultaneous issue discount typically costs more than the owner’s policy itself. Florida sets title insurance premiums by law, so the rate is identical everywhere. What actually varies between providers are settlement fees, itemized charges, and the quality of the legal work behind the policy. Title insurance does not cover unpermitted improvements. If a prior owner added a room or a pool without permits, that is the buyer’s problem to discover through due diligence, not a title claim. Choosing who handles your title work matters as much as having the policy. The expertise and responsiveness of the office behind the policy deter...

Title insurance shows up on almost every closing statement, but most buyers have no idea what they’re actually paying for. Chelsea Metka breaks down what the policy covers, why it protects against past defects instead of future risk, and why the one-time premium works differently than any other insurance product buyers own. Chelsea walks through the split between owner’s and lender’s policies, explains why skipping owner’s coverage almost always costs buyers more in the end, and unpacks Florida’s promulgated rate system, the state-mandated pricing table that keeps premiums identical no matter which company issues the policy. She also flags the one document every buyer should request before signing a contract: an estimated settlement statement. Buyers walk away knowing exactly what question to ask before they pick a title company. In this episode, you will hear: What title insurance actually covers and why it protects against past defects, not future r...