Robert Barnette NMLS ID 486758

03/13/2026

The Tallahassee Lenders' Consortium, Inc. is a fantastic local resource if you need help to rebuild or improve your credit score.

02/19/2026

🚨🚨🚨 IMPORTANT REMINDER: 🚨🚨🚨

If you purchased a new primary residence in 2025, the deadline to file for your homestead exemption is March 1st.

Over the past two days, I have reached out to over 50 customers I helped finance a primary residence last year, in 2025. I did this to make sure they filed their homestead exemption with the corresponding county property appraiser's office. The homestead exemption decreases the taxable value of your home, saving around $600 a year off your property tax bill, and it caps how much the taxable value can increase from one year to the next, which helps significantly as your home appreciates in value. Out of all the people I contacted, 17 had not completed the homestead request as of yet, and as of this post, I am just waiting on confirmation of completing the homestead filing from just a few.

The process is simple, and most counties allow you to file online. However, you do need to have the address on your driver's license updated to your new primary residence. Per Florida law, you are required to update your driver's license within 10 days of moving into a new address.

I encourage every real estate agent and mortgage lender that reads this to reach out to their closed customer database over the next couple of days to make sure your customers do not miss out. If you have friends or family that purchase last year, please check with them to make sure they have already filed. I will post links to the various area property appraiser offices in the comments below.

01/30/2026

🚨! ! ! Listing Alert ! ! !🚨

4112 Castellan Dr, Tallahassee, FL, 32308

"Location, convenience and low-maintenance living come together in this well-located NE Tallahassee townhome! Situated across the street from Costco, Walmart and CMX movie theater this home has unbeatable access to shopping and dining as well as the everyday essentials. Perfect for today's busy lifestyles. Inside you will find a functional layout featuring 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. This includes a lower level bedroom ideal for a bottom floor primary, guest room or office. The cozy gas fireplace anchors the living room and the abundant windows and high ceiling make the living space feel open, airy and comfortable! Step outside to enjoy a fenced back yard and deck perfect for pets, entertaining or just unwinding from a long day! This home is also part of a low maintenance community which makes homeownership even easier. Whether you are buying your first home. looking for a smart, centrally located investment this townhome offers comfort, convenience in Tallahassee's most accessible areas!"

Contact DeAna Herndon with eXp Realty at 850-519-0599 for information or to schedule a viewing appointment. Feel free to contact me by phone at 850-322-1325 or by email at [email protected] for any mortgage financing questions.

4112 Castellan Dr, Tallahassee, FL 32308 is for sale. View 46 photos of this 3 bed, 2 bath, 1308 sqft. townhome with a list price of $234900.

12/30/2025

I had my last closing for 2025 today. Thank you to the 71 families who allowed me to help them on their journey to homeownership over this past year. Thank you to all the realtors who trusted me with their clients. Thank you to all the title agents, appraisers, inspectors, and insurance agents who make this all possible. Thank you to my exemplary team here at loanDepot, including my business partner, Ron Byrom, and production assistant, CJ Fagan.

It was a great 2025, and we are already heading into a fantastic January in 2026. If I can help you achieve your financial goal of homeownership in the new year, please reach out and I will be glad to help.

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE !!!

11/27/2025

Wishing you a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with gratitude and time with loved ones.

11/12/2025

In the past two days, I have been asked by two different customers about the 50 year mortgage proposal floated by the administration. So without going into the politics, let just look at the facts and math of a 50 year fixed mortgage.

For historical context, a 40 year mortgage was previously tried. There was even a 40 year mortgage, where the first 10 years was interest-only. This meant that after 10 years, the principal balance was the same but then you had the payments increase to include the principal for another 30 years. Needless to say, neither or these options were widely used and did not catch on.

Here is what the math looks like for a 50 year mortgage: If you were to take out a $300,000 mortgage today at a 6.25% interest rate, the principal and interest portion of the payment would be $1847.15 (this does not include escrows for taxes, homeowner's insurance, or mortgage insurance). If you were also able to take out a 50 year mortgage at the same interest rate as the 30 year, the payment would go down to $1634.92, which is only about $212.23 less per month. However, on the 30 year fixed if you just make the minimum payments over the life of the loan, the total amount of interest charged would be $364,975, but on the 50 year it would be $680,952, almost double the amount of interest. You would also be much slower to increase the equity in the home because that $212.23 difference is going straight towards principal. Also, keep in mind the interest rate for a 50 year term would more than likely be higher than a 30 year, which makes the monthly payment savings lower, and the lifetime difference in interest higher.

The reason that this 50 year mortgage was floated was because there is an issue with home affordability at this time, caused by inflation, rising prices, and higher interest rates. Since the 2008 recession, new home construction has not meet the needs of our increasing population. This is a situation of the supply is not meeting the demand. Economics 101 teaches you that if you have scarcity of supply and higher demand, prices will rise. If payments were lowered by offering a longer term, or by lowering interest rates, it would further increase the demand side of the equation as more people would become eligible to purchase, but not help the supply side. There needs to be supply-side solutions to housing affordability, which is a post for another time. For now, a 50 year fixed option is not the right solution for housing affordability.

Feel free to provide a comment below with any questions, and if I can ever help you with your mortgage needs, please feel free to call me at 850-322-1325.

11/10/2025

loanDepot and partners across the country are teaming up to make homeownership more accessible with FHA Payment Abatement**, giving qualified buyers no mortgage payments for the first 3 or 6 months after closing. Want to see if you qualify? Call us today.

https://www.loandepot.com/rbarnette?utm_source=TE&utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=175322-2523a&ldec=Retail_TE_Social_175322-2523a&loid=rbarnette

11/07/2025

In anticipation of the official loan limit change on January 1, 2026 by the Federal Housing Finance Authority (ahead of the expected announcement around November 2025), loanDepot is increasing standard conforming loan limits to $819,000!

11/01/2025

Daylight Saving is here again, don't forget to change your clocks ("fall back" 1 hour).

10/31/2025

Have a safe and fun-filled Halloween!