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Buying Property in Florida From Canada
Canadians do buy homes in Central Florida: Kris Persaud's Zillow reviews include buyers from Ontario and Toronto, and one Toronto buyer purchased a Kissimmee home without a site visit. Tax, financing, immigration and cross-border legal questions go to qualified professionals on both sides of the border.
Kris Persaud · Watson Realty Corp. · 1390 N Hancock Rd, Clermont, FL 34711
From Zillow
Canadian Buyers in Kris's Reviews
Kris has worked with buyers from Canada for more than a decade. Here is what three of them wrote on Zillow.
Toronto to Kissimmee, 2015
A long-distance buyer from Toronto, Ontario says Kris found the property and gave his opinion of it, and they bought without a site visit.
A first U.S. purchase, 2016
A Canadian resident buying in Clermont, new to U.S. purchases, says Kris arranged the inspection, negotiated a seller credit for polybutylene plumbing and helped find home insurance.
Phone first, then a visit, 2014
Buyers from Canada met Kris by phone, then visited the Orlando area and bought in Minneola. They say he was reachable on weekends and holidays.
His reviews also include buyers from Norway who bought an Orlando condo in 2013 and praised fast email replies, and a 2013 Orlando condo buyer who wired funds from an overseas account.
Very kind, professional, and always quick to respond.Jessica Seetal · Sold in Apopka · Zillow · 2026
The process
How Buying From a Distance Can Work
The steps are the same as any purchase. What changes is how you see the home and how you sign.
- Funding. Decide whether you are paying cash or borrowing, and talk to a lender that works with Canadian buyers before you shop. Ask what documents they need from you.
- Seeing homes. Tour in person on a trip, or by live video with your agent walking the home.
- The offer and inspection. Your agent writes the offer. A licensed inspector checks the home, and the report is sent to you wherever you are.
- Insurance quotes. Get homeowners, wind and flood quotes before the inspection period ends. Florida premiums are high (see the cost of living page).
- Closing. The title company or closing attorney handles the documents and the money. Ask them early how remote signing works for a buyer outside the U.S.
Want the wider picture first? The relocation guide covers towns and Florida deadlines, and cost of living covers taxes and bills.
Before you buy
Cross-Border Points to Raise With Professionals
These are general points from U.S. and Canadian government sources. Each one is a question for a cross-border tax professional, a lender or an immigration adviser, not for your real estate agent.
- Selling later (FIRPTA). When a foreign person sells U.S. real estate, the buyer generally must withhold 15% of the amount realized and send it to the IRS (IRS, FIRPTA withholding page, checked October 2026). Plan for this now if you may sell one day.
- Rental income. The IRS says rent from U.S. real estate owned by a nonresident alien is generally taxed at 30%, or a lower treaty rate, unless the owner makes an election to treat it as business income. A cross-border tax professional can explain the choice.
- Canadian taxes. Owning and renting U.S. property can also have Canadian tax reporting. Ask a professional who handles both countries.
- Time in the U.S. The Government of Canada's travel advice says Canadian snowbirds can generally stay up to six months from entry, and the U.S. border officer decides the length of stay. It also warns that long, repeated stays may have tax effects.
- Currency. Your purchase is in U.S. dollars, and exchange rates move between offer and closing. Ask your bank how and when to convert funds, and what the transfer costs.
- U.S. registration rules for some Canadian visitors who stay 30 days or longer changed in 2025. Check the current rules with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services before a long stay.
Protect your money
Wire Fraud: Confirm Every Instruction by Phone
Wire fraud is a risk in any home purchase, and buying from abroad means more of the deal happens by email. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau warns that scammers can closely copy the email address, phone number and format of messages from your agents.
Its advice: never follow wiring instructions that arrive by email. Before you send any money, call the title company at a phone number you already know is real, not one printed in the email, and confirm the account name and number.
- Write down the title company's phone number at the start, from their official website or your contract.
- Treat any message that says the wiring instructions have changed as a warning sign.
- Call to confirm the money arrived.
If you rent it
Renting the Home Out Later
Some Canadian owners use a Florida home part of the year and rent it the rest. Before you buy with that plan, check the community's HOA rules, which can limit or ban short rentals, and the city and county rules for rentals.
A 2021 Zillow review mentions Kris helping with the property management of a rental home in Clermont.
Questions
Questions from Canadian buyers
Has Kris worked with Canadian buyers?
Yes. His Zillow reviews include buyers from Ontario and Toronto, in Kissimmee, Clermont and Minneola, from 2014 to 2016.
Can I buy without visiting?
One Toronto buyer did, according to a 2015 Zillow review.
What tax applies when I sell later?
Under FIRPTA, a buyer generally must withhold 15% of the amount realized when a foreign person sells U.S. real estate (IRS). Ask a cross-border tax professional how this applies to you.
How long can I stay in Florida each year?
The Government of Canada says Canadian snowbirds can generally stay up to six months from entry, and a U.S. border officer sets the length of each stay. Check current rules before you travel.
Can Kris help me rent the home out later?
A 2021 review mentions Kris helping with property management of a rental.
Keep reading
Related pages
Talk to Kris from Canada
Call or text Kris from Canada to talk about towns, prices and how a purchase works from a distance.
Kris Persaud · Watson Realty Corp. · 1390 N Hancock Rd, Clermont, FL 34711