Florida conventional one-time construction loan

Melvin List (NMLS 243087, Florida LO524), a Tampa-based loan officer with C2 Financial Corporation (NMLS 135622), originates conventional one-time-close construction loans in Florida. Call or text (813) 629-5478. Primary residence, second home, or 1–4 investment. This is Florida origination, not a nationwide construction license.

A conventional one-time close is one loan. It buys the lot or uses equity in a lot you already own, pays a licensed general contractor on inspection draws, and converts to a permanent conventional mortgage when the certificate of occupancy is issued. You close once. There is no second closing and no re-qualification at the end of the build. Two-close construction is the fallback when the contractor cannot support draws — not the first look.

This is not a VA loan and it is not $0 down. Down payment, credit, reserves, and mortgage insurance follow the occupancy and the current overlay. A primary home, a second home, and an investment property are not the same LTV. We quote the structure on the scenario. Above the 2026 conforming limit — $832,750 in most Florida counties, $990,150 in Monroe — the file is jumbo construction, not a standard conforming build.

Investment construction is still a conventional file: documented income and the overlay, not a DSCR loan that ignores tax returns. A finished rental that qualifies on rent is DSCR. A 5+ unit or commercial building is a different page. Occupancy has to match how you will use the house.

Florida-specific: wind, flood, elevation, and a lender-approved licensed general contractor. Owner-builder is not the first look. The builder contract is fixed-price, not cost-plus, unless the overlay says otherwise. Permitting in Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Orange, Duval, and Southwest Florida belongs in the draw schedule. Send the lot, the builder, the county, and whether this is a primary, second home, or investment.