Pre-Foreclosure Homes in South Florida: How to Find Them

A pre-foreclosure is a home whose owner has been served with a foreclosure lawsuit but has not lost it yet. Here is how the Florida process works, where the information actually comes from, and how to reach these owners before anyone else does.

A Florida foreclosure starts when the lender files a lawsuit and records a lis pendens, a public notice that the home is the subject of litigation, at the county clerk's office. From that filing until the clerk sells the home at auction, the home is in pre-foreclosure, and that period commonly lasts a year or more. Crucially, the owner still owns it. Nobody has to sell, nothing is listed, and there is no pre-foreclosure section of the MLS, which is why no website can hand you a complete list of pre-foreclosures for sale: almost none of them are for sale. What exists instead is public record. Lis pendens filings are searchable through the Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach county clerks, and paid data services repackage those same filings as leads. Reaching those owners means direct contact, which in Florida is regulated: homeowners in foreclosure are protected by the Foreclosure Rescue statute and by the Do Not Call rules, and a clumsy approach is both illegal and ineffective. The realistic ways in are the short sales already on the market, an auction bid at the courthouse, and a patient, compliant outreach campaign to owners who have just been served. We run all three, and we will tell you honestly which one fits what you are trying to do.

Pre-Foreclosures That Are Actually for Sale: Short Sales

These are short sale listings, not a pre-foreclosure list. A short sale is a pre-foreclosure whose owner has decided to sell before the auction, which makes it the only part of the pre-foreclosure market you can tour, inspect and finance today.

47 listings, newest first.

Pre-Foreclosures: Frequently Asked Questions

Can I see a list of pre-foreclosure homes for sale?
Not as listings, because a pre-foreclosure is a court filing rather than a home on the market. The owner has been sued but has not decided to sell, so there is nothing in the MLS to show you. Sites that advertise pre-foreclosure listings are showing you county lis pendens filings, which are public record, or short sales, which is what the list on this page is.
Where does pre-foreclosure data actually come from?
The clerk of court in each county. When a lender sues, it records a lis pendens against the property, and that filing is public. Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties all publish searchable official records. Commercial data services buy or scrape those records and sell them back as leads, which is why the same names appear on every paid list.
How do I buy a home in pre-foreclosure?
Three routes. Buy a short sale, where the owner has already chosen to sell and the lender is involved, which is the only route with an inspection, financing and title insurance. Bid at the clerk's foreclosure auction, which is cash, as-is and sight-unseen. Or approach the owner directly and buy before either happens, which takes time and has rules attached.
Is it legal to contact a homeowner in foreclosure?
Yes, within limits, and Florida takes those limits seriously. Chapter 501 of the Florida Statutes regulates foreclosure-related rescue services and what can be promised, federal and state Do Not Call rules restrict cold calls and texts, and any equity-purchase agreement with a homeowner in default carries disclosure and cancellation requirements. We keep this outreach compliant, in writing, and run by the broker.
I am the homeowner and I have been served. What are my options?
More than you think, and they shrink as the case moves. You can reinstate the loan by paying the arrears, apply for a modification or forbearance with the servicer, sell the home on the market if there is equity, sell it as a short sale if there is not, or hand the property back through a deed in lieu. Selling before the judgment usually protects your credit better and, where there is equity, puts the surplus in your pocket instead of the clerk's registry. We will look at the numbers with you and tell you where you stand, with no obligation and no fee.
Will you tell me what my home is worth if I am behind on payments?
Yes, and it is free. Ask for a valuation or a cash offer through the forms on this page. If a straight sale nets you more than a cash offer we will say so, even though that is the slower path for us, because the point is that you make the decision with real numbers in front of you.

Foreclosures by Type of Sale

Foreclosures by County

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