Yes, FloridaMortgageRates.com is a legitimate, licensed mortgage operation, and you don’t have to take that on faith. Duane Buziak, NMLS #1110647, operates this site as a Florida-licensed mortgage broker serving clients statewide, and his license status is publicly verifiable in about five minutes. This article walks through exactly how to confirm that, what loan programs the site specializes in, and why broker independence matters if you’re comparing Florida mortgage options in Tampa, Orlando, Jacksonville, Miami, or Sarasota.
Verifying the License Behind FloridaMortgageRates.com
The single most reliable way to confirm any mortgage professional’s legitimacy is the NMLS Consumer Access database, a public registry maintained by state and federal regulators. Search Duane Buziak’s individual NMLS number, 1110647, or the sponsoring company, and you’ll see the license status (active or inactive), the states where authorization is current, the sponsoring company’s NMLS ID, and any disciplinary actions on file. This is the same tool state regulators expect consumers to use, and it’s not something a broker can edit or spin.
Duane Buziak, NMLS #1110647, is inline-verifiable through that same lookup. Confirm three things when you check: that the individual license is active, that the sponsoring company license is also active, and that the record shows no unresolved disciplinary history. If any of those fields look off, that’s your signal to ask questions before sharing personal financial information.
A common point of confusion is location. FloridaMortgageRates.com is correctly described as a Florida-licensed mortgage broker serving clients statewide, not a “local Tampa broker” or “Orlando office.” Duane does not work from a physical Florida branch, and that’s not a red flag. It’s how most modern wholesale mortgage brokerages operate: licensing determines where a broker can legally originate loans, not whether they sit behind a desk in your zip code. A borrower in Jacksonville, a DSCR investor in Tampa, and a jumbo buyer in Miami are all served under the same statewide Florida license, with the same regulatory oversight, regardless of where the broker’s desk physically sits.
Beyond self-reported claims and licensing records, independent third-party coverage is another useful signal. Duane’s work has been covered by the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, a regional newspaper with no financial relationship to the brokerage. Press coverage like this doesn’t replace an NMLS check, but it does add a layer of outside verification that a borrower can find without relying on anything the broker’s own website says.
DSCR Investor and VA Military Loan Specialties
Legitimacy shows up in program depth, not just in a clean license record. FloridaMortgageRates.com specializes in two borrower types that a lot of retail lenders handle poorly: real estate investors and military borrowers.
DSCR loans, short for Debt Service Coverage Ratio, qualify Florida rental property investors based on the income the property itself generates rather than the borrower’s personal W-2 or tax return income. That structure matters in Tampa and Orlando, where purchase-market growth is increasingly driven by investors and self-employed buyers who don’t fit a conventional bank’s income-documentation box. A guideline framework for how investment property cash flow factors into qualification is outlined in Fannie Mae’s Selling Guide, though DSCR-specific non-QM programs typically follow separate wholesale lender guidelines rather than agency rules directly.
VA loans serve military borrowers, a population heavily concentrated around Jacksonville given its naval and Coast Guard presence. VA financing allows qualified veterans and active-duty service members to buy with no down payment in many cases and more flexible credit standards than conventional financing. Full eligibility and entitlement details are published directly by the VA’s home loan program page, which is worth reading directly rather than relying on secondhand summaries.
Miami’s market adds another layer: jumbo loan amounts above conventional limits and foreign national scenarios for international buyers purchasing Florida property. A broker who can credibly discuss DSCR cash flow underwriting, VA entitlement rules, and jumbo/foreign national structuring in the same conversation is demonstrating the kind of program breadth that a single-product retail lender usually can’t match. That breadth is itself a form of legitimacy: it reflects wholesale access to multiple underwriting guidelines rather than one bank’s internal rulebook.
A Worked DSCR Cash Flow Example
Numbers make this concrete. Suppose a Tampa investor is evaluating a $350,000 single-family rental with a signed lease at $2,600 per month in gross rent. This is an illustrative example, not an actual client file, but the math mirrors how DSCR underwriting actually works.
To calculate DSCR, a lender compares gross monthly rent to PITIA, which stands for Principal, Interest, Taxes, Insurance, and Association dues if applicable. Assume this property carries an estimated PITIA of $2,350 per month once taxes, homeowner’s insurance, and a mortgage payment are factored in. The DSCR ratio is:
$2,600 rent ÷ $2,350 PITIA = 1.10 DSCR
A ratio of 1.0 means the rental income exactly covers the housing payment. Most DSCR programs look for something in the 1.0 to 1.25+ range, with pricing and terms often improving as the ratio climbs higher, consistent with the investor cash-flow qualification concepts described in Fannie Mae’s investment property guidance linked above. At 1.10, this hypothetical Tampa property would clear many DSCR minimums, though the exact threshold, reserve requirements, and rate impact vary by individual wholesale lender and loan-to-value.
Here’s where process matters as much as the math. Before locking into a single quote, an investor can request a soft credit pull mortgage pre-approval, meaning no hard inquiry hits their credit file. A no hard inquiry mortgage pre-approval lets a borrower test a scenario like this one against multiple wholesale lenders’ DSCR guidelines simultaneously, comparing minimum DSCR thresholds, reserve requirements, and rate spreads, without the multiple hard inquiries that traditionally accompany rate shopping. That’s the mechanism behind NoTouch Credit Pull: a mortgage pre-approval without hard pull damage, so an investor can Dare to Compare real numbers before committing to a single lender’s terms.
Broker Independence vs. Bank and Single-Shelf Lenders
A retail bank typically offers its own in-house loan products and pricing. A wholesale mortgage broker like Duane Buziak instead shops a borrower’s scenario across hundreds of wholesale lenders, each with its own guidelines, pricing, and program overlays. That structural difference is a big part of what separates a broker’s value proposition from a single bank branch’s.
| Feature | Florida Wholesale Broker (FloridaMortgageRates.com) | Typical Florida Retail Bank |
|---|---|---|
| Lender access | Hundreds of wholesale lenders compared per file | One institution’s in-house products only |
| DSCR / Non-QM availability | Multiple DSCR and non-QM options across lenders | Often limited or unavailable |
| VA loan expertise | Dedicated VA processing familiarity, Jacksonville military focus | Varies by branch staff experience |
| Self-employed / investor flexibility | Cash-flow and bank-statement programs available | Frequently restricted to W-2/tax-return underwriting |
| Credit-safe rate shopping | Soft-pull, no-hard-inquiry comparison process | Typically requires a hard pull to quote |
| Physical branch requirement | None; statewide Florida licensing | Often tied to local branch footprint |
The practical impact shows up most for two borrower types: self-employed investors whose tax returns understate real cash flow, and VA borrowers whose credit profiles don’t fit a conventional bank’s overlay even though they meet VA program minimums. A retail bank’s underwriters are bound by that single institution’s rulebook. A broker who can route a file to whichever of hundreds of wholesale lenders fits the borrower’s actual scenario has more room to say yes where a bank says no.
None of this works, though, if comparing options costs the borrower credit score points every time. That’s the purpose behind soft-pull mortgage pre-approval: it lets a borrower Dare to Compare DSCR terms, VA entitlement structuring, or jumbo pricing across multiple wholesale lenders through one broker relationship, without stacking hard inquiries on their credit file in the process.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is FloridaMortgageRates.com a legit mortgage broker?
Yes. It’s operated by Duane Buziak, NMLS #1110647, a Florida-licensed mortgage broker whose license status and sponsoring company can be verified directly through NMLS Consumer Access.
Who operates FloridaMortgageRates.com?
Duane Buziak operates the site as a Florida-licensed mortgage broker serving clients statewide, sponsored by Coast2Coast Mortgage, LLC, NMLS #376205.
Is FloridaMortgageRates.com a bank or a broker?
It’s a mortgage broker, not a bank or direct lender. That means it shops a borrower’s scenario across hundreds of wholesale lenders rather than underwriting from a single institution’s in-house products.
Does checking rates through FloridaMortgageRates.com hurt your credit?
No, when the initial comparison uses a soft credit pull. A soft pull mortgage broker process, sometimes called NoTouch Credit Pull, allows rate and program comparison without a hard inquiry hitting your credit file.
What loan programs does FloridaMortgageRates.com offer?
The site specializes in DSCR investor loans, VA loans for military borrowers, jumbo and foreign national financing for higher-value properties, and conventional and FHA options for Florida homebuyers.
Is Duane Buziak licensed outside Florida?
Yes, in several additional states, but FloridaMortgageRates.com is built specifically around Florida borrowers, and this site’s focus stays on Florida loan programs and Florida markets.
How do I verify Duane Buziak’s NMLS status myself?
Visit NMLS Consumer Access and search NMLS #1110647. Confirm the license shows as active, note the sponsoring company, and check for any disciplinary history on file.
How does soft-pull mortgage pre-approval actually work?
A soft credit pull mortgage pre-approval reviews your credit profile without generating a hard inquiry, letting a broker estimate eligibility and compare DSCR or VA scenarios across multiple wholesale lenders before you commit to a formal application.
Legitimacy in mortgage lending isn’t a marketing claim, it’s a public record. Checking NMLS #1110647 on NMLS Consumer Access takes less time than filling out a loan application, and it’s the same step any Florida regulator would tell you to take before sharing income documents or authorizing a credit pull. Once you’ve confirmed the license, the next reasonable step is testing your own scenario, whether that’s a DSCR rental purchase in Tampa or a VA purchase near Jacksonville, without putting your credit score at risk.
Your dream home in Florida is closer than you think. Let’s turn your homeownership goals into reality with a personalized mortgage solution designed for your unique journey. Get your credit-safe consultation today and discover the loan options that fit your life, backed by trusted guidance every step of the way.