If you're buying a Keys home while you're still up north, you don't have to fly down to close. Florida law lets you sign online, and most of the work can happen on a video call. The catch is the order you do things in. Insurance, inspections and wiring instructions are where remote purchases go sideways. Here's the playbook, step by step.
Yes. Florida has allowed remote online notarization since January 1, 2020. Under section 117.209 of Florida law, an online notary who is physically in Florida can notarize your signature no matter where you're sitting. You sign on a computer with a camera, the session is recorded, and you prove who you are with a government photo ID and a set of identity questions.
Witnesses can join by video too. Florida deeds need two witnesses, and section 117.285 lets a witness attend by audio-video as long as they confirm they're in the United States while witnessing.
Florida allowing it doesn't mean your lender does. Ask on day one whether your lender and title company will close your loan with remote online notarization. If the answer is no, you still have two other ways to sign without flying down.
1. Get pre-approved under the right occupancy. Second home or investment property sets your down payment, your pricing, and whether you can rent the place while you're away. Settle it before you shop. Our second home vs investment guide explains the line.
2. Price insurance before you write the offer. In the Keys, flood and wind insurance can swing the monthly cost more than the price does. Run the address through our flood zone checker and coastal insurance estimator, and ask the listing agent for the elevation certificate and any wind mitigation report. Both drive the quote. Our Keys flood and wind cost breakdown shows what moves the number, and our guide to getting insurance quotes before you offer walks through the order.
Get a real flood and wind range on the address in about a minute, then add taxes and closing costs.
3. Inspect by video, and hire the right people. Book a licensed home inspector and join the walk-through on a video call. Ask for photos of the roof, electrical panel, water heater and AC. Florida requires insurers to offer discounts for documented wind-resistant features, so a wind mitigation inspection can lower your premium. Many carriers also ask for a four-point inspection on older homes. On canal and waterfront property, most home inspectors don't cover the seawall or dock, so bring in a marine contractor for those.
4. Bind insurance early. Your lender won't close without a homeowners policy in place. Hurricane season runs through November 30, and when a tropical storm or hurricane watch or warning is issued for any part of Florida, Citizens stops binding new policies until it lifts the suspension. Private carriers often pause too. Get your policy bound as soon as your inspection period ends, not the week of closing.
If the home is in a high-risk flood zone and your loan is federally backed, flood insurance is required. When you buy flood coverage in connection with a new loan, the usual 30-day National Flood Insurance Program waiting period doesn't apply, so it can start at closing.
5. Lock in how and when you'll sign. Confirm the signing method with the title company at least a week out. For an online closing, test your camera and internet ahead of time and have an unexpired photo ID ready. For a mail-away, line up a local notary and a prepaid overnight label.
This is the step remote buyers have to get right. The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center logged 12,368 real estate fraud complaints and $275.1 million in losses in 2025, up from about $173 million in 2024. The usual trick is a fake email that looks like it came from your title company or agent, with "updated" wiring instructions.
Have your agent walk the home on a live video call a day or two before closing. Run the water, the AC and the appliances, open the windows and shutters, and confirm any agreed repairs are done. If a storm passed through after your inspection, look for roof, dock and water damage before you sign.
About the same as an in-person one. A Florida purchase usually takes 30 to 45 days to close, and coastal files with flood and wind insurance to place can run longer. Signing remotely doesn't slow things down. Insurance and condo paperwork are what usually set the pace. If you're buying a condo, read our non-warrantable condo guide before you make an offer.
For everything else about financing in the islands, start with our Florida Keys mortgage guide.
Can I close on a Florida home remotely?
Yes. Florida has allowed remote online notarization since January 1, 2020. A Florida online notary can notarize your signature by video wherever you are, as long as your lender and title company accept it. A mail-away closing with a local notary is another common option.
Do I have to be in Florida to sign with a Florida online notary?
No. Under section 117.209 of Florida law, an online notary who is physically in Florida can notarize for a signer located anywhere. The notary must be in Florida.
Can witnesses for a Florida closing attend by video?
Yes. Section 117.285 allows witnesses to attend by audio-video, as long as each witness confirms they are in the United States while witnessing.
Will my lender accept a remote online closing?
It depends on the lender. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac buy loans closed with remote online notarization when the platform meets their standards, but each lender sets its own policy. Ask at the start of the process.
When should I bind homeowners insurance on a Keys home?
As soon as your inspection period ends. During hurricane season, which runs through November 30, Citizens stops binding new policies when a tropical storm or hurricane watch or warning is issued for any part of Florida, and private carriers often pause too.
How do I protect myself from wire fraud at closing?
Confirm wiring instructions by calling your title company at a number you looked up yourself, treat any change in instructions as fraud until confirmed by phone, and call after sending to confirm receipt. If something goes wrong, call your bank immediately and file at ic3.gov.
Coastal Florida mortgage specialist working with full-time residents, snowbirds, and second-home buyers across the Florida Keys, Naples, Sarasota, and Palm Beach. For buyers closing from out of state, I build the insurance, inspection and signing plan into the loan timeline from day one. Not an attorney. Confirm notarization and title questions with your title company. Licensed in Florida.
Send me the property and your timeline. I'll price the payment with real flood and wind numbers, confirm how your lender will let you sign, and map the steps from offer to closing. 30 minutes.