LPT RealtyFL · SL3629725
Melissa LazarREALTOR®
For home buyers in Pensacola, Florida

Looking for a home in Pensacola? Let’s find the right one.

Whether it's your first home, your next home, or where you plan to retire, buying a house is a big decision. You deserve a REALTOR® who returns your calls, tells you the truth about each home, and treats your purchase like it matters — because it does.

Contact Melissa →Read the buyer’s guide →
Melissa Lazar LLC · FL: LPT Realty (SL3629725)
How buying a home with me actually goes

Seven steps from “I’m thinking about buying” to keys in hand.

  1. 01

    We start with a real conversation

    What you're looking for, what you're working with, and what would make this home actually feel like home. No pressure, no scripts — just a real chat about your timeline, budget, and life.

  2. 02

    Get the money side sorted

    If you're not pre-approved yet, I'll introduce you to local lenders I trust. We'll look at what you can comfortably afford — not just what a bank will lend — so you shop with real numbers.

  3. 03

    Walk the neighborhoods

    Pensacola and the surrounding towns are a collection of very different pockets — each one feels different. We tour the areas before we tour homes so you know where you actually want to live.

  4. 04

    Tour homes that actually fit

    I'd rather show you four right homes than fourteen wrong ones. I'll send a curated list each week, walk every property with you, and tell you honestly what I'd worry about — bones, layout, location, resale.

  5. 05

    Write a smart offer

    When the right home shows up, I'll pull comps, talk you through what to offer and why, and write the contract. We'll cover inspection contingencies, financing terms, and closing timeline so you go in confidently.

  6. 06

    Inspection, appraisal, closing

    I coordinate the inspector, walk the home with you on inspection day, negotiate any repairs, and stay on top of the lender and title company through closing. You'll never wonder what's happening next.

  7. 07

    Keys in hand — and after

    Closing day, I hand you keys. After that, I'm still your person — for contractor referrals, the right insurance broker, or just a question about your new neighborhood five years from now.

Melissa Lazar, Pensacola REALTOR®
A bit about me

Hi, I'm Melissa.

I'm a licensed REALTOR® here in Pensacola, brokered by LPT Realty — one of the largest brokerages in the country. I take a small number of buyers at a time so I can actually show up for each of them: real conversations, honest answers, calls returned the same day.

When we work together, you get me — from the first conversation through closing day, and well after. No handoff to an assistant, no template emails.

More about me →
Where we look

The Emerald Coast, town by town.

Each town has its own personality, price point, and pace. Here's a quick look — tap any town to read the full guide.

01 / 05Read guide

Pensacola

A real downtown, six distinct historic and mid-century neighborhoods, and a daily geography that puts the bay, the airport, and the beach all within 25 minutes.

Neighborhoods inside Pensacola→
How it feels
Walkable, historic, classic
Established neighborhoods
02 / 05Read guide

Pensacola Beach

Live on the Gulf. Condos, beach houses, and the kind of mornings most people only get on vacation.

Neighborhoods inside Pensacola Beach→
How it feels
Toes-in-the-sand living
Gulf-front
03 / 05Read guide

Perdido Key

Quieter, breezier, and a little more tucked away — great for buyers who want the beach without the crowds.

Neighborhoods inside Perdido Key→
How it feels
Laid-back coastal
Condos + beach homes
04 / 05Read guide

Navarre

More space for the money, residential streets, and one of the prettiest stretches of beach on the coast.

Neighborhoods inside Navarre→
How it feels
Quieter beach town
Attainable + spacious
05 / 05Read guide

Milton & Pace

Inland, quieter, and a strong fit for buyers who want a bigger lot, a newer build, or to stretch their budget further.

Neighborhoods inside Milton & Pace→
How it feels
Quieter, inland, room to breathe
New builds + acreage
New buyer resource

A full buyer’s guide, rebuilt for the site.

The full buyer’s guide is a downloadable PDF — financing, inspections, closing, buyer mistakes, terms, and printable checklists in one place.

Download the buyer’s guide →
Buyer guide

Financing

Pre-approval, lender fit, affordability

Buyer guide

Home search

Criteria, touring, smart offers

Buyer guide

Under contract

Inspection, appraisal, title, closing

Buyer guide

Printable tools

Checklists, worksheets, moving plan

First-time home buyers, start here

The questions everyone has the first time — honest answers.

Buying your first home is exciting and terrifying in roughly equal measure. Here are the things people email me about most before they even know they're ready.

How much do I actually need for a down payment?

Less than most people think. Conventional loans can go as low as 3% down, FHA at 3.5%, and VA loans at 0% if you qualify. We'll walk through the real numbers — including closing costs, escrow, and what to keep in reserve — before you fall in love with a price tag you can't carry.

What's the difference between pre-qualified and pre-approved?

Pre-qualified is a soft estimate — useful for early conversations. Pre-approved means a lender has actually verified your income, credit, and assets and will commit to a loan amount. Sellers take pre-approved offers seriously. We get you to pre-approval before we tour homes you'd actually buy.

What does 'closing costs' really mean?

Roughly 2 – 4% of the purchase price. It covers things like the appraisal, title insurance, recording fees, prepaid taxes, and prepaid homeowner's insurance. Some of it is negotiable, some of it isn't — I'll walk you through line by line before you sign anything.

Should I waive the inspection?

Almost never. Even on a competitive offer, there are smarter ways to make your offer stand out — escalation clauses, shorter contingency windows, larger earnest money. I'd rather lose a house than have you buy one with a $40,000 problem nobody warned you about.

How long does the whole process take?

From the first real conversation to keys in hand, expect 60 – 90 days if you're financing, faster if you're paying cash. The slowest part is usually finding the right house. Once you're under contract, closing typically takes 30 – 45 days.

What if I've never owned a home before?

Then we're going to take it slow and explain everything. There are no dumb questions in my office. I'll walk you through what each document means, what each step costs, and what each deadline is for — so by closing, you understand your home, not just own it.

Ready to start looking? I’d love to help.

Send a note about what you're looking for. I'll write back personally, no auto-response, no canned PDF. We'll figure out if working together is the right call.

Contact Melissa →

And when you're ready to sell what you're leaving behind — hire me on both ends and you'll get preferred pricing and one agent across the whole move. Every engagement quoted individually. All commissions are negotiable and not set by law.

Melissa Lazar LLC · Licensed with LPT Realty LLC · FL Lic. SL3629725