Choosing an agent
Who is the best realtor in Pensacola?
Compare current reviews, documented experience and the agent's approach to your transaction. Gregg's published review record is dated on the reviews page, alongside links to the original profiles. His credentials include ABR, SRS and RENE, and his recognition includes Forbes Global Properties Rookie of the Year for 2025 through Levin Rinke Realty. Interview agents and ask for a clear plan for your specific purchase or sale.
How do I choose a realtor in Pensacola?
Check three things. Verified reviews across more than one platform, with enough volume to mean something. Real credentials: negotiation and representation certifications like RENE, ABR, and SRS rather than just a license. And local specifics: ask about flood zones, insurance costs, and neighborhood pricing, then watch whether you get precise answers or generalities. The full interview sheet, the license lookups and five red flags are on our guide, How to choose a Realtor in Pensacola.
What questions should I ask before hiring an agent?
Ask how many transactions they closed in the last year, how they will communicate and how often, what their pricing or offer strategy looks like in writing, what happens if you are unhappy, and what they know about insurance and flood zones on the specific streets you are considering. A strong agent enjoys these questions. A weak one changes the subject.
What makes The Costin Team different?
Three things clients repeat in reviews: preparation, straight answers, and negotiation. Gregg is a retired Air Force officer who planned missions for a living, holds the RENE, ABR, and SRS certifications, and tells clients the truth about a house even when it costs him the sale. You also work directly with Gregg from first call to closing, not a hand-off chain. More on the team page.
Buying
What does a buyer's agent cost in Pensacola?
Buyer-agent compensation is negotiable. Review the written representation agreement, the services provided, the amount or method of compensation and any obligation you may have if the seller does not contribute. Include those terms in the offer and cash-to-close discussion. The seller's participation is a matter of negotiation, not an automatic benefit.
What is the first step to buying a home in Pensacola?
Start with your goals, timeline and comfortable monthly budget. If financing, ask a lender about preapproval, the documents needed, any charges and the conditions that remain. Preapproval helps organize a search but is not final loan approval. Gregg can then help compare properties and ownership costs against that plan.
How long does it take to buy a house?
The search and closing timeline depend on available properties, the signed contract, financing, inspections, appraisal, insurance and title work. Ask the lender and title company about the schedule for the actual transaction and keep a backup if it changes. A cash purchase can remove financing steps but still requires property and title review.
Are there programs for first-time buyers in Florida?
Florida Housing and other programs may offer assistance to eligible buyers, subject to current funding, income, loan and property requirements. Ask a participating lender to confirm which programs are accepting reservations and whether assistance must be repaid. Compare available loan choices and the full cash-to-close amount rather than assuming a program name establishes eligibility.
Should I skip the home inspection to win a bidding war?
An independent inspection helps you understand the property's condition before the relevant contract deadlines. Discuss the rights and risks of any shortened inspection period, waiver or other offer term before signing. An appraisal is not a substitute for a home inspection. Your signed contract determines the options for repairs, cancellation and deposit disputes.
Selling
What does it cost to sell a house in Pensacola?
Build a property-specific net-proceeds estimate using the expected price, loan payoff, negotiated brokerage compensation, title and closing charges, taxes, agreed concessions and preparation costs. The contract and final settlement figures control. There is no single cost percentage or exact final net that can be promised before the transaction is known.
How is my home's list price determined?
With a comparative market analysis built from recent closed sales, active competition, and current buyer demand in your neighborhood, not an automated estimate. Zillow's Zestimate does not walk your street or see your kitchen. You get the data behind the number and a pricing strategy matched to your timeline: speed, top dollar, or balance.
How long do homes take to sell in Pensacola?
Use recent local sales and active competition for your property type and price range to assess demand. Condition, terms, financing, inspections, insurance and title issues can affect the timeline. Gregg can prepare a dated comparison and a listing plan; neither establishes a guaranteed contract or closing date.
What should I fix before selling?
Compare each proposed project with its cost, the property's condition and competing listings. Cleaning, repairs, paint or presentation may help, but a project does not guarantee a dollar-for-dollar return. Address issues that affect insurability or financing, and ask for a prioritized preparation plan before committing to a renovation.
Do I have to sell before buying my next home?
Not always. Options include sale contingencies, negotiated leasebacks that let you stay through your next purchase, bridge financing, and in some cases buying first. Which is realistic depends on your equity and the price band you are shopping. This is a strategy conversation, and it is exactly what the first call is for.
The market and the area
Which Pensacola neighborhoods are best?
Choose your criteria first: housing type, comfortable monthly cost, routes, property condition, amenities and any school or accessibility needs you want to consider. Then compare actual addresses using current listings, insurance quotes and official district information. Our neighborhood guides help organize the tradeoffs without assigning a town to a particular type of household.
How bad is home insurance in Pensacola really?
It is a real cost and it varies enormously by roof age, construction year, wind mitigation features, and flood zone, often by thousands of dollars a year between two similar houses. The fix is checking insurability before you fall in love: we flag roof age and flood zones on every showing list and get insurance quotes during the inspection window, never after.
How do property taxes work in Florida?
Florida property taxes depend on assessed value, exemptions, applicable levies and other charges. A qualifying homestead may receive the first $25,000 exemption plus an inflation-adjusted additional exemption for non-school levies. Save Our Homes is a separate assessment limit, generally the lower of 3% or the applicable CPI change. A sale can change the assessment and exemptions. Ask the county property appraiser for a buyer-based estimate instead of copying the seller's tax bill.
Read: Florida Homestead Exemption: What Pensacola Area Homeowners Need to Know
Is now a good time to buy or sell in Pensacola?
The honest answer is that it depends on your situation, not the headlines. Rates, inventory, and insurance costs move month to month, and the right answer differs for a growing family, a downsizer, and an investor. What we will not do is tell you it is always a great time. Bring your actual numbers and timeline, and you will get an actual answer.
Do you work with investors?
Yes. Rental and investment guidance across Escambia and Santa Rosa County, from a first rental door through 1031 exchange targets, including honest math on insurance, management, and realistic rents. If a deal does not pencil, you will hear that too.
Working with us
Are you licensed outside Florida?
Yes, Gregg is licensed in both Florida and Alabama, which matters on the western side of our market where Perdido Key transitions into Orange Beach and coastal Alabama, where Gregg is a top-producing Baldwin County agent for Gulf Shores and Orange Beach. One agent can cover both sides of the line.
I am military or PCSing. Is that a different process?
Same team, deeper toolkit. Gregg is a retired Air Force officer, and our dedicated military division at PensacolaMilitaryHousing.com carries more than 90 guides on BAH, VA loans, and base-by-base housing, plus sight-unseen buying support built for PCS timelines.
How do I get started?
Call or text (850) 266-5005, email [email protected], or use the contact form. The first conversation is 15 minutes, free, and pressure-free: your goals, your timeline, and whether we are the right fit. If we are not, you will get pointed in the right direction anyway.
“He provided much more than we ever expected from a realtor.” · Darin Vazquez, Google review
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Work through the next decision
Interviewing agents? How to choose a Realtor in Pensacola has the twelve questions, Gregg's answers and the license lookups.
Sources and planning notes
The financing, tax and transaction-cost answers updated in this review were checked September 26, 2026. Confirm program availability with a participating lender, property taxes with the county property appraiser, and insurance with a licensed agent. Your signed agreements control transaction deadlines. Biography and service descriptions reflect Gregg's published professional information.