The 90-Day Relocation Countdown

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Most moving checklists are sorted by room. Florida rewards one sorted by deadline. This is the countdown I hand my own relocating clients: what has to happen in the ninety days before closing, and the ninety days after — in the order that matters, on one sheet you can put on the fridge. Write in your closing date and count backward; every phase keys off it. Get the free countdown — Send Me the Free Countdown: https://reed-kellough.kit.com/d715072be3

Days 90–61 before closing — Decide and prepare: set your move window and closing target, budget on the true cost of ownership, make the buy-first or sell-first call, and engage your insurance agent before you offer. Days 60–31 — Search and contract: take the in-person scouting trip, check flood zone and elevation during the inspection period, stage your deposits, and watch the HOA and condo document windows.

Days 30–1 — Close and move: get utilities live on day one, get insurance bound, and wire closing funds only on verified instructions. Closing day — walk-through, closing packet, keys. Then the count flips from backward to forward. Days 1–14 in the home — Become a Floridian on paper: license and registrations inside the 30-day window, voter registration, and a domicile paper trail.

Days 15–45 — Learn the house you actually bought: a systems pass, wind-mitigation credits, a dock pass if you are on the water, and a hurricane kit built in calm weather. Days 46–90 — Settle in: learn the city on foot and by water, re-run the numbers with your real first bills, and get the homestead filing done and dusted. The tax calendar, pinned: January 1 — own and occupy; March 1 — file; November — pay at the 4% early-payment discount. Get the free countdown — Send Me the Free Countdown: https://reed-kellough.kit.com/d715072be3

The room-to-work version is the 90-Day Move Timeline. The full picture is the playbook Move to South Florida Like a Local. Both are in the relocation library at https://reedkellough.gumroad.com — and just landed, the free First 90 Days in Florida Checklist is the post-arrival companion. The long-form version is here: https://reedkellough.com/first-90-days-florida

Florida Property Taxes & the Homestead Exemption: https://reedkellough.com/homestead-exemption-boca/ Moving to Boca Raton: The Complete Relocation Guide: https://reedkellough.com/moving-to-boca-raton/ Your First 90 Days in Florida: https://reedkellough.com/first-90-days-florida

When should I start? Ninety days before your target closing date. What are the two dates everything turns on? Own and occupy by January 1, and file homestead by March 1. In November, pay at the 4% early-payment discount. Is this only for Boca Raton? The deadlines are Florida's; the examples are South Florida — Boca Raton, Lighthouse Point, Pompano Beach, and Delray Beach. What does it cost? Nothing. It is free, at the top of the relocation library.

One boundary, stated plainly: I'm licensed in Florida only — but if part of your move sits in another state, a home to sell before you land or family landing elsewhere, I keep a national network of vetted relocation specialists and referral partners, and I'm glad to connect you. Help first, always.

Reed Kellough is a luxury real estate advisor with Douglas Elliman and the Eklund|Gomes Team, licensed in Florida #3274276. He has spent 14 years selling South Florida luxury and waterfront homes, with 200+ closings, most of them waterfront, and is based in Lighthouse Point. He works in Boca Raton, Deerfield Beach, Pompano Beach, and Lauderdale-by-the-Sea. Follow: @reedtherealtor.