Northeast Florida homebuyers lean on agents for mortgage guidance, survey finds

Real estate agents in Northeast Florida aren't just showing homes — they're increasingly serving as the first stop for buyers navigating the financing process. A national survey released this week found that 43% of recent homebuyers turned to their real estate agent for mortgage information, making agents the most frequently cited source ahead of lenders, family, and even social media.

The finding, from mortgage services provider ServiceLink's 2026 State of Homebuying Report, sheds light on the evolving role of agents in a region where Jacksonville's affordability advantage continues to draw buyers from higher-cost markets across the Southeast and beyond. As more first-time and out-of-state buyers enter the local market, the data suggests agents are fielding financing questions at every stage of the home search — and that buyers still want more guidance than they're getting.

What the survey found

ServiceLink's survey, conducted with research firm Sago, polled 1,554 U. S. adults who had purchased a home within the previous two years. Responses were collected in November and December 2025.

Real estate agents topped the list of mortgage information sources at 43%, followed by family and friends at 35%, and lenders or loan officers at 29%. Social media and AI chatbots tied at 21% each.

The survey also revealed gaps in the homebuying experience. Thirty-four percent of respondents said they wanted more education from their real estate agent and lender, while 39% wanted greater transparency about the steps and fees involved in buying a home.

Dave Steinmetz, ServiceLink's president of origination services, said buyers are "craving ease, value, transparency and long-term reliability," according to the company's announcement of the findings.

What this means for Jacksonville-area buyers

The survey results arrive at a pivotal moment for Northeast Florida's housing market. The region's relative affordability compared to South Florida and other coastal markets has fueled sustained in-migration, with St. Johns County ranking among Florida's fastest-growing and Clay County converting rural land to subdivisions along the First Coast Expressway corridor.

Many of those new arrivals are navigating an unfamiliar market. For buyers relocating from higher-cost areas — or first-time buyers stretching to enter homeownership — understanding how financing works in Florida can be as important as finding the right neighborhood. The state's property insurance landscape, flood-zone considerations near the St. Johns River and Intracoastal, and the structure of homeowners association or community development district fees in master-planned communities like Nocatee and SilverLeaf all add layers of complexity to the financing conversation.

That agents rank as the top source for mortgage information reflects the frequency with which financing questions surface during showings, offer negotiations, and inspection periods. A buyer touring a riverfront condo in San Marco may ask about flood insurance and how it affects their monthly payment. A family weighing a new-construction home in Wildlight may need to understand how CDD assessments — special taxes that appear on the property-tax bill to pay for infrastructure in planned communities — factor into affordability calculations.

While agents can explain where financing fits into the transaction timeline and connect buyers with lending professionals, advice about specific loan products, interest rates, terms, or a buyer's individual financial situation must come from a licensed lender or loan officer. The line between helpful context and financial advice is one agents navigate daily, and the survey suggests buyers don't always know which questions belong to which professional.

The transparency gap

The desire for more education and transparency — cited by more than a third of survey respondents — points to friction points in the homebuying process that can be especially acute in a fast-moving market.

In Northeast Florida, where inventory constraints in desirable school zones and coastal areas often mean multiple offers and quick decisions, buyers may feel pressure to move forward before they fully understand closing costs, escrow mechanics, or how a rate lock works. The 39% of respondents who wanted greater transparency about steps and fees suggests that even buyers who successfully closed on a home felt they were figuring things out as they went.

For agents, that gap represents both a challenge and an opportunity. Providing clear explanations of the transaction timeline, what to expect at each milestone, and when to loop in a lender can differentiate an agent's service in a competitive market. It also means recognizing when a question — say, whether to buy down the interest rate with points, or how debt-to-income ratio will affect loan approval — requires the expertise of a mortgage professional.

The relatively high share of buyers turning to social media and AI chatbots for mortgage information — 21% each — also underscores the demand for accessible, on-demand answers. While these sources can provide general information, they can't account for Florida-specific factors like windstorm insurance requirements, the interplay between flood zones and conventional loan underwriting, or how a pending special assessment in a condo building might affect financing approval.

What agents and lenders can do

The survey findings suggest that effective communication between agents, lenders, and buyers is not just good customer service — it may be a competitive necessity as Northeast Florida's market continues to attract out-of-state and first-time buyers unfamiliar with local conditions.

For real estate agents, that can mean proactively explaining the financing timeline: when pre-approval letters are needed, how an appraisal contingency protects the buyer, what title insurance covers, and why a survey might be required. It also means building relationships with loan officers who can field technical questions quickly, especially in a market where a delayed pre-approval or a financing hiccup can cost a buyer their offer.

For lenders, the data suggests an opportunity to engage earlier in the process and to communicate in plain language. If buyers are seeking mortgage information from agents before they contact a loan officer, lenders who partner closely with agent networks — offering pre-approval consultations, first-time-buyer workshops, or clear breakdowns of closing costs — may capture more of the market.

The transparency buyers say they want also aligns with regulatory and industry trends. Florida law requires detailed good-faith estimates of closing costs, and the federal TRID (TILA-RESPA Integrated Disclosure) rules mandate clear loan estimate and closing disclosure forms. But compliance doesn't always equal clarity, and buyers may still need a human interpreter to explain what they're signing.

How this fits the region's growth story

As Jacksonville and the broader First Coast continue to absorb population growth — driven by affordability, job growth in logistics and advanced manufacturing at Cecil Commerce Center, military presence at NAS Jacksonville and Mayport, and quality-of-life draws like beaches and the St. Johns River — the homebuying process itself becomes infrastructure.

The more smoothly buyers can navigate financing, understand costs, and close transactions, the more efficiently the market can convert demand into occupied homes, filled school seats, and stable neighborhoods. Conversely, friction in the financing process — confusion about steps, unexpected fees, or mismatched expectations between buyer and lender — can delay closings, sink deals, and leave buyers frustrated even when they succeed.

The survey's findings suggest that while agents are already playing a central role in guiding buyers through financing questions, there is room for the industry to do more. In a region where growth shows no signs of slowing, the agents and lenders who can deliver the education and transparency buyers are asking for may be best positioned to serve the next wave of arrivals.

For now, the data offers a snapshot of a market in transition: buyers hungry for information, agents stepping into the gap, and a financing process that remains more opaque than it needs to be. How Northeast Florida's real estate professionals respond will shape not just individual transactions, but the experience of moving to and buying into the First Coast.