Orlando-based · serving all of Florida
Florida mortgage broker.
Shahram Sondi is an Orlando-based, Florida-licensed mortgage broker serving borrowers across the state — one point of contact who compares multiple wholesale lenders instead of selling one bank’s shelf. Not a bank, not an online call center: scenario-first guidance with the real numbers, wherever in Florida you’re buying.
What a Florida mortgage broker actually does.
A mortgage broker is not a lender and not a bank. A broker is licensed to place your loan with wholesale lenders, compares your file across them, and manages it to closing — you still borrow from the lender that funds the loan.
Read the file first
Credit profile, how your income is actually documented, down payment and its source, property type, occupancy, and the goal. Those five things — not a headline rate — decide which lenders can do the loan at all.
Shop it across a lender panel
A broker holds wholesale access to multiple lenders, each with its own rate sheet, credit overlays, and appetite. The same borrower can price and qualify differently at each one, which is the entire reason to compare.
Compare structure, not just rate
Rate and APR together, plus points, lender credits, monthly payment, and total cash to close — priced on the same scenario, same lock period, same day. A lower rate bought with heavy points can cost more than a higher rate with a credit.
Route it to the lender that will close it
Pricing is only useful if the file clears underwriting. Condo warrantability, insurance, appraisal timing, and income documentation are where Florida loans stall, so the right lender is the one whose guidelines fit the file.
Stay on it through closing
One point of contact from strategy through closing, so a condition raised in underwriting does not restart the conversation with someone new.
Deciding between a broker, a bank, a credit union, and an online lender is a separate question — the channels are compared side by side in Florida mortgage companies compared, and the questions to ask any of them are in how to choose a mortgage lender.
Florida markets aren’t the same.
A South Tampa flood file, a Lake Nona new-build, a Cape Coral canal home, a Jacksonville VA purchase, and a Tallahassee first-timer with student loans are five different loans. Insurance, flood and wind coverage, condos, CDD and HOA costs, new construction, jumbo, VA eligibility, and income documentation can all change which lender fits.
A broker compares the file across a wholesale lender panel and routes it to the one that prices it, approves it, and closes it — comparing rate, APR, points, lender credits, cash to close, and underwriting tolerance. No channel is automatically cheaper; the value is the comparison and the local strategy behind it. For the channel breakdown, see Florida mortgage companies compared and how to choose a mortgage lender.
The real payment is more than rate.
Across Florida, your monthly payment is shaped by county property taxes and escrow, Florida homeowners insurance and wind/hurricane coverage, flood insurance where applicable, and any HOA, CDD, or condo dues — plus a VA funding fee, FHA mortgage insurance, or conventional PMI depending on the program. Condo purchases can also involve a project or warrantability review. All of it feeds your debt-to-income and what you qualify for.
Compare rate, APR, points, lender credit, monthly payment, and cash to closeon the same scenario, and get realistic insurance quotes early — flood and wind coverage may be required and can affect the payment, so it’s worth checking early. Your county’s specifics are covered on each city page below. This is mortgage and payment planning, not tax, insurance, appraisal, inspection, condo-association, or legal advice.
Why borrowers work with Mortgage Expert.
An independent, owner-operated Florida brokerage — not a call center, and not a rotating cast of loan officers. Every claim below is verifiable.
One person, start to finish
You work with Shahram Sondi directly — 25+ years in mortgages and originating since 2001. The person who structures the loan is the person who answers when underwriting raises a condition.
Independent, not a single shelf
An independent brokerage places loans with multiple wholesale lenders, so the recommendation is not limited to one institution's product set. Where another channel genuinely fits your file better, that is worth saying out loud.
Credentialed and verifiable
Certified Mortgage Advisor™, NMLS 186790, company NMLS 2412313, Florida mortgage broker license MBR5733, and a licensed Florida real estate broker. All of it is checkable on NMLS Consumer Access.
Recognized locally
Recognized by Orlando Magazine in its 2026 “Mortgage Lender – Individual” category. WFTV Channel 9 Home Expert is an ongoing media relationship — both are named recognitions and appearances, not a claim about your rate.
Numbers before commitment
You can compare full scenarios — rate, APR, points, lender credit, payment, and cash to close — with no application and no credit pull to start. A binding quote still needs verified borrower, property, and credit details.
No borrower-paid broker fee
Mortgage Expert is typically compensated through lender-paid broker compensation on eligible loans rather than a separate borrower-paid broker fee. Normal third-party and lender closing costs still appear on your Loan Estimate.
More on the background and credentials behind the advice is on the about page, and what borrowers say is on the client reviews page. Prefer to talk it through first? Get in touch — there is no application or credit pull to compare scenarios.
Local guidance across Florida.
Florida is one licensed state, not one market. Each region below has its own financing reality. Central Florida — where the office is — has dedicated city pages that go deeper into ZIP context, official county resources and payment reality; the rest of the state is set out here and served remotely.
Most of my work is in Orlando and Central Florida, where the office is. If that is where you’re buying or refinancing, start with the Orlando mortgage broker page — it covers Orange, Seminole, and Osceola county specifics in depth. Everywhere else in Florida is served remotely by phone, email, and secure document upload; there is no branch office in each city, and none is needed to close the loan.
The market I know best and work in most: Orange, Seminole, and Osceola counties, where condo and HOA review, CDD assessments on newer communities, and new-construction builder incentives drive most of the financing decisions.
Hillsborough and Pinellas files turn on flood-zone determination and wind mitigation, coastal condo warrantability, and a deep stock of older homes that appraisers and insurers treat differently. South Tampa and the Pinellas beaches add second-home and beach-occupancy questions, and MacDill brings VA eligibility into a lot of Tampa files. Get the flood determination and an insurance quote early here — both can move the payment enough to change what you qualify for.
Heavily new-construction, Port St. Lucie and Tradition especially. The recurring question is whether a builder's lender incentive actually beats outside financing — the honest way to settle it is a full Loan Estimate from each on the same scenario, comparing rate, APR, points, and who pays which fees. HOA dues and CDD assessments ride on the tax bill and count toward debt-to-income from day one, and completion timing has to line up with how long a rate lock can hold.
Cape Coral and the surrounding canal and waterfront markets, where flood and wind insurance quotes, elevation, and post-storm repair or permit history can change both the payment and which lenders will finance the file at all. New construction is common here too, with the same builder-incentive comparison worth running. Waterfront appraisals also take longer and come back less predictably than inland comps.
Jacksonville is a large geography with a strong military presence — NAS Jacksonville and Mayport — so VA eligibility, entitlement restoration, and funding-fee exemption come up more here than anywhere else in the state. River and coastal flood considerations vary sharply block to block, which makes the flood-zone determination on the specific property more decisive than the neighborhood's reputation.
Tallahassee runs on government and university employment, which underwrites cleanly, alongside a steady first-time-buyer population. The file usually turns on student-loan debt: how a lender calculates a payment on deferred or income-driven loans can swing the debt-to-income result materially, so it is worth documenting correctly before it decides the outcome rather than after.
Buying in another Florida market? That’s fine — send your scenario and Shahram will help compare your options statewide. Program availability and guidelines apply to every file.
Loan options across Florida.
Each program prices and qualifies differently. The right one is matched to your file — availability, eligibility, and rules can change.
Conventional loans
Credit- and LTV-driven pricing with PMI that can come off later. The default path when credit, income, and reserves support it.Learn moreFHA loans
Government-insured access for tighter credit or a smaller down payment, with its own mortgage insurance math to compare against conventional.Learn moreVA loans in Florida
Eligible veterans and service members may use 0% down with no monthly PMI — subject to VA and lender guidelines, entitlement, and the funding fee.Learn moreJumbo loans
Above the county conforming limit. Reserves, credit profile, and property type drive pricing, and it varies more by lender than any other program.Learn moreFirst-time buyers
Compare down payment options, programs, and payment scenarios before writing an offer. Program availability and rules can change.Learn moreRefinancing
Rate-and-term refinancing compared on the break-even, your timeline, and the goal — not just the headline rate.Learn moreCash-out refinance
Using equity for debt, renovation, or reserves — weighed against what it does to the rate and the payment.Learn moreInvestor / DSCR loans
Rental-income qualifying for investment property, where the file is underwritten on the property's numbers rather than personal income.Learn moreSecond homes
A place you use yourself rather than rent out. Occupancy is a lender classification with its own pricing, reserves and Florida carrying costs.Learn moreUSDA loans
100% financing for an eligible primary home in a USDA-eligible area, subject to household-income limits. Eligibility is checked at the exact address.Learn moreNon-QM / self-employed
Bank-statement, 1099, profit-and-loss and asset-based qualification for borrowers whose income is real but does not fit agency documentation.Learn moreNew to the numbers? Start with what a down payment is, walk through the purchase process in buying a home in Florida, estimate a payment with the mortgage calculators, and see current Florida rate examples. Examples are not quotes, approvals, or rate locks.
Florida mortgage questions.
What does a Florida mortgage broker do?
A Florida mortgage broker compares your loan across multiple wholesale lenders instead of selling one bank's product, then matches your file — credit, income type, down payment, property, and goal — to the lender whose pricing and guidelines fit it, and guides the loan through underwriting to closing with one point of contact. Across Florida's different markets, that also means planning for insurance, flood, condo review, VA eligibility, and income documentation before they surface in underwriting.
Does a Florida mortgage broker serve the whole state?
Shahram Sondi is an Orlando-based, Florida-licensed mortgage broker serving borrowers across Florida — Central Florida, Tampa Bay, the Treasure Coast, Southwest Florida, Northeast Florida, and the Capital region. Work is done by phone, email, and secure document upload, so you don't need to be in Orlando. Program availability and guidelines still apply to every file.
Is a mortgage broker better than a bank for a Florida home loan?
It depends on the file. A broker can shop pricing and guidelines across many wholesale lenders, which often helps on self-employed, jumbo, condo, FHA, VA, or credit-sensitive scenarios — and on Florida-specific friction like insurance and condo warrantability. Some banks have strong portfolio products for certain files. The honest answer is to compare specific Loan Estimates; a broker simply gives you more shelves to compare from one place. No one can promise the lowest rate on every file.
How do Florida insurance and property taxes affect mortgage approval?
They're part of the payment, not a side note. County property taxes, Florida homeowners and wind/hurricane insurance, flood insurance where applicable, and any HOA, CDD, or condo dues all feed your escrow and your monthly payment — and because they count toward your debt-to-income, they can change what you qualify for. Florida insurance pricing has been volatile, so a realistic quote early matters. This is mortgage and payment planning, not tax or insurance advice.
Can you help if I am buying outside Orlando?
Yes. The licence is statewide, so Tampa Bay, the Treasure Coast, Southwest Florida, Northeast Florida and the Capital region are all served — remotely, from the Orlando office, by phone, email and secure document upload. The dedicated city pages cover Central Florida, where most of the work is; for everywhere else the regional context on this page sets out what actually changes locally — flood and wind insurance, coastal condos, new construction and CDD costs, VA and military files, or student-loan debt — and your specific file is matched to a lender that fits it.
Can you compare FHA, VA, conventional, jumbo, and refinance options?
Yes — comparing programs side by side is a core part of the job. FHA, VA, conventional, and jumbo price and qualify differently (mortgage insurance, VA funding fee, credit-based pricing, reserves, occupancy rules), so the right comparison is a full Loan Estimate for each across the same scenario, not just the headline rate. Refinances are compared on the break-even, payment, and goal.
Do you charge a borrower-paid broker fee?
Mortgage Expert is typically compensated through lender-paid broker compensation on eligible loans, not a separate borrower-paid broker fee. Your Loan Estimate will still show normal third-party and lender closing costs.
Is there an office in my Florida city, or is this all remote?
The office is in Orlando. Everywhere else in Florida is served remotely — phone, email, and secure document upload — which is how most of the state is handled and is normal for mortgage financing. You do not need to sit across a desk to get a loan compared, structured, and closed; the closing itself is handled through a title company or attorney local to your transaction. If you searched ‘mortgage broker near me’ and you are in Central Florida, the Orlando page is the closest fit.
Are you a mortgage lender or a mortgage broker?
A mortgage broker. The distinction matters: a lender funds loans from its own product shelf, while a broker is licensed to place your loan with wholesale lenders and compares your file across several of them. You still borrow from the lender that funds the loan, and that lender is disclosed to you. If you want the channels compared side by side — broker, bank, credit union, retail and online lender — that comparison lives on the Florida mortgage companies page.
How do I compare rate, APR, points, and lender credits?
Look at rate and APR together, plus points, lender credits, monthly payment, and total cash to close — on the same scenario, same lock period, same day. A lower rate with heavy points can cost more than a slightly higher rate with a credit, depending on how long you keep the loan. The Florida rates page shows examples three ways so you can compare the structure, not just a headline number.
Send your scenario.
Tell me what you’re working with — purchase or refinance, city/county, estimated price or loan amount, credit range, down payment, property type, occupancy, VA eligibility if applicable, and any condo, new-construction, flood, or insurance questions — and I’ll help compare your options.
Estimates only. Not a Loan Estimate, not an approval, not a commitment to lend, not a rate lock. Final terms depend on verified credit, income, assets, property, loan program, lock date, lender conditions, and actual third-party fees. Mortgage Expert, Inc. · NMLS 2412313 · Equal Housing Opportunity.