BreakThru Realty

Cost to Sell a House in Key Biscayne

Know what you would keep from your Key Biscayne sale, line by line, before you decide to sell.

Every cost a Key Biscayne seller pays at closing, what each one is, who customarily pays it in Miami-Dade County, and how to estimate what you keep.

Reviewed by Tyson E. Sam, Founder and Broker of Record, BreakThru Realty, Florida License 3565210

Selling a house in Key Biscayne has costs a seller can plan for: the Florida documentary stamp tax, title and closing charges, association estoppel fees, prorated property taxes and the brokerage commission. This page works through each one against the live Key Biscayne sold prices, so the net proceeds are not a surprise at the closing table.

Key Biscayne Market at a Glance

Updated November 7, 2026 from BeachesMLS.

Newest Key Biscayne Homes for Sale

The 30 newest homes, condos and townhomes on the market in Key Biscayne, straight from BeachesMLS. The 30 listings on this page run from $419,000 to $19,750,000, with a median of $1,792,500, about $1,121 per square foot, and they have been listed a median of 20 days.

  • The communities with the most listings here are Key Colony (5), Biscayne Key Estates (3), Cape Fla Sub (2), Casa Del Mar (2) and Key Biscayne Vi (2), 14 of the 30; the others are spread across 14 more communities.
  • By type: 23 condos and 7 single-family homes.
  • Bedrooms run from studios to 7, a median of 2; they were built between 1964 and 2025, a median of 1979, and 5 in the last ten years.
  • 11 of the 30 have a pool, and 16 are on the water.

See every Key Biscayne home for sale with map and filters.

Single-family homesCondos & townhomes
Active listings36102
Median list price$7,774,500$1,550,000
Median list price per sq ft$1,981/sq ft$1,035/sq ft
Average days on market169 days127 days
Sold in the last 90 days833
Median sold price (90 days)$5,060,312$1,500,000
Sale price as % of list price95.1%94.6%
Months of inventory13.5 months9.3 months
Median sold price vs. a year ago+18.4%+16.3%

Source: BeachesMLS. Active listings as of November 7, 2026; sold figures cover closings in the last 90 days, compared with the same 90 days one year earlier. Not an appraisal. How these figures are calculated.

The Costs of Selling a House in Key Biscayne, in Order of Size

For most Key Biscayne sellers the list runs: the mortgage payoff, the brokerage commission, the Florida documentary stamp tax on the deed, title and settlement charges, property taxes for the part of the year you owned the home, association fees and estoppel charges where there is an association, and whatever you agree with the buyer after inspection. None of them is paid up front. They are deducted from the sale price on the closing statement, and what is left is wired to you.

Documentary Stamp Tax in Miami-Dade County

Florida charges a documentary stamp tax on every deed, customarily paid by the seller. In Miami-Dade County the rate is 60 cents per $100 of the sale price for a single family home; other property types pay an additional county surtax of 45 cents per $100. On the median Key Biscayne single family home sale of $5,060,312, the 60-cent rate comes to about $30,362. The rest of Florida pays 70 cents per $100, so a Miami-Dade single family seller pays slightly less than a seller across the county line.

Title Insurance and Closing Charges in Miami-Dade County

Who pays for the owner's title insurance policy is a matter of local custom, and it is written into the contract. In Miami-Dade County the buyer customarily chooses the title company and pays for the owner's policy, which is the opposite of most of Florida and saves a Key Biscayne seller a meaningful line on the closing statement. The seller still pays a settlement fee, the title search where the contract assigns it, a municipal lien search, and the cost of clearing anything it turns up, such as an open permit or an unpaid utility balance. All of it is negotiable, so read the contract rather than relying on custom.

Property Taxes, Association Fees and Assessments

Florida property taxes are paid in arrears, so at closing the seller credits the buyer for the taxes from January 1 to the closing date; the later in the year you close, the larger that credit. If the home is in a condominium or a homeowners' association, the association charges for an estoppel certificate showing what is owed, a fee capped by Florida statute, and any unpaid dues are settled at closing. In Key Biscayne's older condominium buildings, ask early about special assessments tied to the milestone inspection and the structural reserve study: the contract decides whether the seller or the buyer pays one that has been levied but not yet billed.

Repairs, Credits and Preparing the Home

After the inspection, most buyers ask for repairs or a credit. South Florida insurers care about four things, the roof, the electrical panel, the plumbing and the air conditioning, so a buyer's four point inspection tends to decide what is asked for. Knowing the roof's age and having permits closed before you list removes most surprises. Preparation costs (cleaning, paint, landscaping, staging) are optional, and we tell you which ones the Key Biscayne comparables say will come back in the price and which will not.

Taxes on the Gain, and Foreign Sellers

Florida has no state income tax, so any tax on your gain is federal. Owners who lived in the home as their main residence for two of the last five years can usually exclude up to $250,000 of gain, or $500,000 for a married couple filing jointly; investment and second homes do not qualify, which is where a 1031 exchange comes in. If the seller is a foreign person, the buyer is generally required under FIRPTA to withhold 15% of the sale price for the IRS unless an exception or a withholding certificate applies, something to plan for months before closing. This is general information, not tax advice; confirm your position with a CPA.

Estimating What You Keep

Net proceeds are the sale price less the mortgage payoff and the costs above. We prepare a written estimate for your address before you decide anything, using a valuation from matching Key Biscayne sales and the actual Miami-Dade County charges, and we put a guaranteed cash offer beside it if you want to compare a certain, as is sale with a listing. Request it with the form on this page.

Key Biscayne Costs Beyond the County Norms

Selling on Key Biscayne adds a few costs a mainland sale may not. The village runs its own building department, so open or expired permits for an addition, a pool, a dock or new windows show up in the lien search and must be closed out before the buyer's lender will proceed. Canal homes draw a seawall and dock inspection, and a tired seawall becomes a negotiating point. Older houses below flood elevation draw insurance quotes that can reshape an offer, so a current elevation certificate and wind mitigation report are worth ordering early. For a condo, the association charges for the estoppel certificate and the application package. If a Key Biscayne seller is a foreign person for tax purposes, federal FIRPTA withholding applies at closing.

Selling a Key Biscayne Condo or Association Home

Selling a Key Biscayne condo runs on the association's calendar. Buyers in the older buildings ask early for the milestone inspection, the structural integrity reserve study, the current budget and any special assessment, and in multi-association communities such as Key Colony, the Commodore Club and the Ocean Club they want the documents for your building, not for the whole community. Many buildings screen and approve the purchaser, and some hold a right of first refusal, so the contract should allow time for both. Lenders review the building as well as the buyer, and a building with open repairs can narrow the field to cash. Assemble the full document package before you list, and your Key Biscayne sale moves at the buyer's pace rather than the board's.

When Key Biscayne Sellers Close Fastest

Key Biscayne sales follow two calendars. Seasonal and second-home buyers are on the island in the winter months, when condo showings pick up and oceanfront apartments draw the most attention. Families time house purchases around the school year so they can move before classes start at the K-8, which makes late spring a common window for contracts on village homes. Hurricane season, from June to November, adds a risk: when a storm is named, insurers pause new policies and a closing can slip. Condo sales also wait on association approval, so a Key Biscayne condo contract needs more days between signing and closing than a house sold to a cash buyer.

Recently Sold in Key Biscayne

The newest closings in Key Biscayne, with the sale price, closing date and days on market for each.

Recently sold homes in Key Biscayne

What Is Your Key Biscayne Home Worth?

Request a free valuation built on recent Key Biscayne sales, or a full comparative market analysis before you list. No fee, no obligation, and a licensed broker answers within one business day.

Cost to Sell: Frequently Asked Questions

How much does it cost to sell a house in Key Biscayne?
Apart from the mortgage payoff, a Key Biscayne seller pays the brokerage commission, the Florida documentary stamp tax on the deed, title and settlement charges, prorated property taxes, any association estoppel fee and unpaid dues, and whatever repairs or credits are agreed after inspection. Everything is deducted at closing; nothing is paid up front. We prepare a written net proceeds estimate for your address before you decide.
How much are documentary stamps on a home sale in Miami-Dade County?
In Miami-Dade County the documentary stamp tax on a deed is 60 cents per $100 of the sale price for a single family home, with an additional 45-cent surtax per $100 on other property types. On the median Key Biscayne single family home sale of $5,060,312, the 60-cent rate is about $30,362. The seller customarily pays it.
Who pays for title insurance in Miami-Dade County, the buyer or the seller?
By local custom the buyer chooses the title company and pays for the owner's policy in Miami-Dade County, as in Miami-Dade and Broward generally. In most other Florida counties the seller pays. It is a custom, not a law, so the contract controls.
Do I pay capital gains tax when I sell my home in Florida?
Florida has no state income tax, so any tax on the gain is federal. If the home was your main residence for two of the last five years you can usually exclude up to $250,000 of gain, or $500,000 for a married couple filing jointly. Second homes and rentals do not qualify. This is general information, not tax advice; confirm it with a CPA.
Do I have to make repairs before I sell?
No. You can sell as is, and the standard Florida as is contract gives the buyer an inspection period rather than a repair obligation. Repairs become a negotiation after the inspection, usually settled with a credit. If you would rather avoid showings and inspections altogether, ask us for the guaranteed cash offer and compare it with the listing estimate.

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