Free Home Buying Readiness Report · Sarasota & Manatee
Your real numbers for buying a home in Sarasota or Manatee.
A free, personalized report for Sarasota and Manatee buyers who are 6 to 24 months out. It covers what you could buy, the cash you'd actually need to close, the one move that matters most, the Florida costs that surprise people, and a 90-day plan. By email. No sales calls.
- Your buying power and cash to close, built on your own numbers
- The one move that matters most, with its dollar impact
- Florida costs that surprise people: insurance, taxes, HOA and CDD fees, and flood
- A 90-day plan, with sources you can check
- Down payment help, where it fits: assistance through Tim and local SHIP programs
Education only. No obligation, and no calls unless you ask for one.
Start my free reportThanks, there. Your report is on its way.
It goes to within one business day. Here's what happens next:
- Your report arrives by email with your buying power, cash to close, the one move that matters most, Florida costs, and your 90-day plan.
- Short follow-ups from me, each about one thing that matters at your stage, plus The Sunday Letter each week.
- No calls. If you want to talk, reply to any email. It comes straight to me.
Tip: add [email protected] to your contacts so the report doesn't land in spam. Replies go straight to Tim at [email protected].
Tim
- About 3 minutes, rough numbers are fine
- No Social Security number, no credit check
- Delivered by email. No sales calls.
- Built for Sarasota & Manatee counties
"Maya" is fictional. Her numbers show what the report looks like. They aren't a prediction for you.
What you get
What's in your report
It reads like a letter from someone who ran your numbers carefully. Plain English, with every program fact tied to its official source.
- Buying power: a working price range using the debt-to-income limits programs actually use
- Cash to close: including Florida's surprises, like a full first year of insurance up front and state taxes on the mortgage
- Three loan options side by side
- The moves that matter most, with dollar impact, and the ones that backfire
- A 90-day plan with clear "done when" checkpoints
- Down payment help, where it fits: checked against your answers, as one part of the plan
Down payment help
Where assistance fits
Assistance is one tool, not the plan. The report checks your answers against each option's credit, income, price, and location rules, and shows whether it actually lowers your cash to close.
Down payment assistance through Tim
Used with an FHA loan to buy your primary home. No income limit and no first-time-buyer requirement. Some options are forgivable; Tim goes over the terms with you. Minimum credit scores, FHA loan limits, and other program rules apply, and all loans are subject to credit and property approval.
Local SHIP programs
Sarasota County, Manatee County, the City of Sarasota, and the City of Bradenton each run purchase-assistance programs with their own income limits, location rules, and funding rounds [confirm current rounds and PMF approval].
Programs may have income, price, credit, location, or first-time-buyer requirements, depend on lender and program approval and available funds, and change without notice. Figures as of Oct 1, 2026, confirm at launch.
How this works
Three steps, all by email
Answer 8 short questions
About 3 minutes. Rough numbers are fine. No Social Security number and no credit check.
Get your report by email
It arrives within one business day, built from your answers and the current program guides.
Keep a mortgage loan originator in your corner
Short notes when something in your report changes, plus The Sunday Letter every week. Reply anytime. Unsubscribe anytime.
Using an AI tool to run numbers? Paste your report in and push on it. Every fact cites a source. If something doesn't hold up, tell me.
Our promise
No sales calls. Really.
I'm not going to call you. Your report comes by email, and so does everything after it. If you want to talk, reply to any email or pick a time on my calendar. You decide if and when. Your phone number is optional, and I'll only call or text if you check the box that says I can.
Tim
Who's behind the report
Hi, I'm Tim Lyons.
Tim Lyons
Branch Manager | Mortgage Loan Originator
I'm the Branch Manager and a Mortgage Loan Originator at Pioneer Gulf Coast in Sarasota, a branch of Pioneer Mortgage Funding. I help people buy homes in Sarasota and Manatee, a lot of them first-time buyers working out how down payment programs fit together. [Optional line from Tim]
Every Sunday I send The Sunday Letter, a short email with one thing worth knowing about buying or borrowing and a note on what's happening locally. I write it the way I'd explain things to a neighbor.
When I'm not working, I'm usually at the park with my family [and Finley, our puppy].
Certified Mortgage Advisor (CMA) · Certified FHA Mortgage Professional (CFMP) · Certified Veterans Lending Specialist (CVLS), National Association of Mortgage Brokers
Common questions
Questions people ask
Is it really free? What's the catch?
It's free. The "catch" is that I'd like to be your mortgage loan originator (MLO) when you're ready. Until then you'll get my emails, and you can unsubscribe whenever you want.
Will you call me?
No. Everything comes by email. Phone is optional, and I'll only call or text if you check the box that gives me permission. Even then, only about your report.
Does this check my credit?
No. There's no credit pull and no Social Security number. You pick a credit range, and the report uses that. If you decide to get pre-approved later, that's a separate step, and you'll know before it happens.
Is this a pre-approval?
No. The report is education: an estimate based on what you tell me and current public program guides. It isn't a loan offer, a pre-qualification, or a commitment to lend. It's meant to show you where you stand and what to work on.
I'm two years out. Is it too early?
No, that's a good time. Most of what moves your numbers, like card balances, savings, the homebuyer class, and where you look, takes months, not days. The report gives you a plan, and I'll email you when rates, limits, or programs change.
What do you do with my information?
I use it to build your report and to send the emails described on this page. It's not sold. See the Privacy Policy for details. [Compliance: confirm the policy covers report inputs]
See where you stand, on your own terms.
Eight questions, about three minutes, and a report you can read at your own pace. No calls.