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This episode is the second half of Steve Martin Smith’s guest appearance on Radio House Talk with host Tim Kerfin (Kerfin Inspections), recorded August 22, 2026 at WENG in Englewood. Also in the studio: mortgage pro Mark Grego of The Money Store, Captain Ross, and the regular Radio House Talk crew.

Part 1 covered why a lot of people are closer to buying than they think. Part 2 gets into the money, the plumbing, the politics of property taxes, and the deals sitting on the table right now.

In this episode

• Sweaty Florida workdays, attic inspections, and why showing up to a house dripping wet is a real problem
• Cracked toilet tanks, main shutoff valves, well pumps, and the “turn it off before you leave town” tip
• Milky water at one sink, PEX vs. copper, and why old Manabloc manifolds leak when you touch them
• Property tax letters that actually went down, and the homestead deduction proposal: $50,000 now, $150,000 next year, $250,000 the year after
• Why homestead relief is not a gift to the wealthy, and why young families and seniors feel the tax-and-insurance squeeze first
• Affordable housing beyond slogans: stop requiring barrel tile, quartz, and hurricane glass on every new community
• Where the extra tax money went after values jumped — parks, buildings, and pensions more than teacher or cop raises
• Why this looks like a buying window: price-reduced resales, builder incentives, and sellers who will negotiate terms
• “Marry the house, date the rate,” temporary buydowns, and going a little over list to get $20k–$40k back in concessions
• Why a working broker still in the field is different from a sales associate or a desk broker
• Buyer hesitation after the 2024 lawsuits: people skipping representation, skipping the lender, and losing houses
• A national firefighter/EMS/paramedic loan program with no lender fees and a lower rate
• Current Slice of Florida listings: Venice Island beach villa at $539k, Wellen Park townhome at $305k, Grand Palm villa at $419k, courtyard pool home reduced to $519k, off-market jetty villa at $679k, and a possible South Venice single-family coming in with a 2 in front of the price

How to reach the panel

• Steve Martin Smith, Slice of Florida Realty — SliceOfFlorida.com or 941-894-9800
• Mark Grego, The Money Store — 630-660-6509 or MarkGrego Mortgages on Instagram
• Tim Kerfin — KerfinInspections.com
• Radio House Talk — RadioHouseTalk.com
• Intercoastal Adventures — IntercoastalAdventures.com

Also mentioned: the blog/podcast Warning: Your Florida Real Estate Agent May Not Actually Represent You on the blog page at SliceOfFlorida.com, and the remastered I’m 60 parody on the Real Estate Agent Man YouTube channel.

If you missed Part 1, start there: Radio House Talk 08/22/2026 Part 1: You Might Be Closer To Buying A Home Than You Think.

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Steve Martin Smith is a Licensed Florida Real Estate Broker and the owner of Slice of Florida Realty in Sarasota County Florida.