Tyson E. Sam's Guide to Selling a Home in South Florida
The Short Answer
Price the home from the closed sales that actually match it, not from what neighbors are asking, and have the insurance, permit and association answers ready before the first showing. In South Florida the deals that fall apart usually fail on the four-point inspection, the flood zone or a condo association's finances rather than on price. Work out the number you keep before you list, then let the first two weeks of showings tell you whether the price is right.
Why I Wrote This
I have spent more than eleven years in South Florida real estate, and as broker of record at BreakThru Realty I read every listing agreement, offer, contract and closing statement that moves through the company. That is a lot of sales seen from the inside, the ones that closed smoothly and the ones that nearly did not. This guide is the order I would work in if I were selling my own home here.
Start With the Number You Keep
Before we talk about a list price, I want you to know your net: what reaches your account after closing. From the sale price come the mortgage payoff, the brokerage commission (negotiable, and agreed in writing before you list), Florida's documentary stamp tax on the deed, title and settlement charges, property taxes for the part of the year you owned the home, and any association estoppel fee and unpaid dues.
The documentary stamp tax is 70 cents per $100 of the price in every Florida county except Miami-Dade, where it is 60 cents per $100 on a single-family home with a 45-cent surtax on other property types. Ask for a net sheet built on real figures before you sign anything; if the number does not work, it is better to know on day one than at the closing table.
Price From Closed Sales
Asking prices tell you what other sellers hope for. Closed sales tell you what buyers actually paid. I price from the second: the same building or street, similar size and condition, the same water and view, sold recently enough to reflect today's market. Then I adjust for what is genuinely different about your home and check the result against how fast that kind of home is selling right now.
Months of inventory is the quickest check. Under four months, sellers hold the leverage; four to six is balanced; over six, buyers do. In South Florida, single-family homes and condos in the same county often sit on opposite sides of that line, so read the figure for your segment, not the county headline.
What South Florida Buyers Check First
Insurance. A buyer's insurer usually wants a four-point inspection of the roof, electrical, plumbing and air conditioning on an older home, and gives credits for wind-mitigation features such as impact windows, shutters and roof straps. The roof's age alone can decide whether a buyer can get affordable coverage, so know it before they ask.
Flood. Buyers will ask for the flood zone, an elevation certificate if you have one, and what flood insurance costs. On the water they will also check the seawall, the dock and the bridges between you and open water.
Permits. Open or expired permits on past work surface in the title search and slow closings. Close them before you list.
For a condo, the building comes first. Since Florida tightened its condominium safety laws in 2022, buildings three stories and taller need milestone structural inspections once they reach a certain age and structural integrity reserve studies, and associations can no longer waive reserves for structural items. Buyers and their lenders read the inspection reports, the reserve study, the budget and any special assessment, levied or proposed, before they commit.
Gather the Paperwork Before the Photos
The survey; permits and warranties for major work; the wind-mitigation and four-point reports if you have recent ones; your homeowners and flood insurance declarations; a year of utility bills; and, for a condo or community association, the governing documents, the budget, the reserve information and any assessment notices. Having these on the first day turns a buyer's questions into answers instead of delays.
Florida law also expects a seller to disclose known facts that materially affect the value of the home and that a buyer could not easily see. If you know about a past leak, a roof repair or a settlement crack, write it down now. Your attorney can tell you exactly how the rule applies to your home.
Timing: The Season, Storms and Your Next Move
Seasonal residents and many relocating buyers are here from roughly December to April, and showings pick up with them. That is also when the most competing listings come out, so the right month is the one when your home and your paperwork are ready, not a date on the calendar.
Hurricane season runs from June through November. When a named storm threatens, insurers stop writing new policies until it passes, and a buyer's lender will not fund without one, so a closing can slip a few days for reasons nobody controls. Keep your own policy in force until the day you close, and if you are buying another home at the same time, leave some slack between the two dates.
Listing, a Cash Offer, or Both
Listing on the MLS puts your home in front of every buyer and every agent in the region, which is how you find the highest price. A cash offer trades some of that price for speed and certainty: no showings, no financing risk, a closing date you choose. Neither is right for everyone. What I want is for you to see both numbers side by side, net of costs, before you decide.
The First Two Weeks Tell You the Truth
A well-priced South Florida home draws its strongest interest in the first two weeks on the market. If showings are steady and nobody writes an offer, the market is telling you something about the price; if there are few showings, look at the photos, the description and the price bracket buyers search in. Listen early. A home that sits collects questions, and questions cost more than an early adjustment.
How BreakThru Handles a Listing
Every BreakThru Realty listing is priced from the recent closed sales that actually match it. The listing goes into BeachesMLS, which shares it with the major real estate websites. And before an offer is answered, a contract is signed or a closing statement is approved, I read it, so you have a second set of licensed eyes on every document and every dollar.