Florida Construction Financing Checklist
For homeowners and investors financing a new build · Updated October 20, 2026
Construction financing is where a lot of good Florida projects stall. The loan isn't a single disbursement — it's a sequence of approvals, inspections and draws, and the lender needs as much from your builder as it does from you. Missing a document at the start, or sizing the loan without a plan for how it gets paid off, costs weeks or money later.
This checklist covers the documents and steps for the main ways our clients finance a single-family home or townhome build in Florida: construction-to-permanent loans for homeowners, private construction loans for investors, a DSCR refinance as the build-to-rent exit, and the FHA build-to-rent option HUD opened in October 2026 under Mortgagee Letter 2026-12. It also covers draw schedules and inspections, what lenders need from the builder, and a realistic timeline. Where we give numbers, they are typical ranges from our published articles, with a link to the source.
What's inside
- How to choose between construction-to-permanent, construction-only and FHA build-to-rent financing
- The borrower documents and qualification checks lenders ask for
- What the lender needs from your builder: budget, plans, contract, license and insurance
- Sizing an investor construction loan so the DSCR refinance can pay it off
- Draw schedules, inspections and lien releases — and where cash flow breaks
- A phase-by-phase financing timeline from first call to permanent loan
9 sections · 53 checklist items · printable
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