Short answer: FastCashAnyHome buys houses, condos and land in Florida for cash, as-is. There are no fees or commissions charged to you, no repairs and no showings, and since it’s a cash sale there’s no bank loan or appraisal on your side. You get an initial cash offer, confirmed after a quick walkthrough, and closing is 30 days or less. Call or text 267-388-0347.
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Florida has its own way of doing almost everything that touches a home sale. Foreclosures go through a judge. The homestead rules protect a family house from most creditors but also decide who has to sign. Property taxes can jump the January after a sale. And the deed itself carries a state tax that most states don’t charge. This page covers the Florida rules first, then points you to our Orlando and Tampa pages.
The Florida rules that shape a sale, with sources
Each line comes from the statute or state agency named in it, read on 2026-10-12. Laws change, and your title company or an attorney has the final word on your deal.
- Deed tax (documentary stamp tax): 70 cents per $100. That’s the rate in every county except Miami-Dade, which charges 60 cents per $100 plus a 45-cent surtax that doesn’t apply to a single-family home. Source: Florida Department of Revenue, Documentary Stamp Tax.
- Foreclosure type: judicial. Florida law says “All mortgages shall be foreclosed in equity,” which means a lawsuit and a judge, not a trustee’s auction. Source: Fla. Stat. 702.01.
- The sale date after judgment. The court orders the clerk to sell on a day not less than 20 or more than 35 days after the judgment, unless the lender agrees to a later date. Source: Fla. Stat. 45.031.
- The last chance to redeem. An owner can pay the judgment amount and prevent the sale up until the clerk files the certificate of sale (or a later time the judgment sets). After that, Florida says “there is no right of redemption.” Source: Fla. Stat. 45.0315.
- Homestead protection. A Florida homestead is exempt from forced sale by most creditors, but not for taxes on it or for the loan that bought or repaired it. Inside a city the protection covers up to half an acre; outside one, up to 160 acres. Source: Florida Constitution, art. X, sec. 4.
- Small estates. Summary administration, the shorter form of probate, is open when the estate subject to administration (not counting exempt property) is $150,000 or less, or the person died more than two years ago. The statute was amended in 2026. Source: Fla. Stat. 735.201.
- Seller notices. A seller of a home must hand the buyer a flood disclosure at or before signing the contract, and Florida contracts also carry a property-tax notice and a radon notice. Sources: Fla. Stat. 689.302, 689.261, 404.056.
- Unpaid property taxes. The county sells a tax certificate on the debt. Two years after the April 1 of the year it was issued, the holder can apply for a tax deed, and the owner can redeem any time before that deed is issued. Sources: Fla. Stat. 197.502, 197.472.
The deed tax: what it costs and who owes it
The documentary stamp tax is paid when the deed is recorded. At 70 cents per $100, a $300,000 sale carries $2,100 in deed tax. The Department of Revenue’s own example puts a $180,000 sale at $1,260.
Who pays is set by the contract, and in practice it’s usually written as a seller cost. But the Department is blunt about the law underneath: “All parties to the document are liable for the tax regardless of which party agrees to pay the tax.” So it gets paid at closing one way or another, and your settlement statement will show it on whichever side the contract put it.
Two details worth knowing. A deed in lieu of foreclosure is taxed too, on the amount of debt the lender forgives, even when the house is worth less. And a deed between spouses for the marital home after a divorce generally isn’t taxed, nor is a personal representative’s deed given under a probated will. We work out closing costs as part of each deal, so the tax is one line we talk through rather than a surprise.
Foreclosure in Florida runs through a judge
Because every Florida mortgage foreclosure is a lawsuit, there’s a paper trail you can read: the complaint, the summons, and eventually a final judgment that names the sale date. Once that judgment is entered, the clerk’s sale lands 20 to 35 days later in the normal case. The county clerk runs those sales; in Orange and Hillsborough counties, for two examples, they happen online.
Read the final judgment closely. Florida requires it to warn that there “may be additional money from the sale” after the lender and other lienholders are paid. On a homestead, the judgment must also tell the owner that you may claim that surplus yourself, without a lawyer, and without signing your rights over to anyone. People who show up offering to “help” collect a surplus for a cut are exactly who that warning is about.
Up until the clerk files the certificate of sale, the owner can still pay what the judgment says is owed and keep the house from being sold. Selling before that point is another route. A fast sale may help some homeowners avoid a completed foreclosure, but timing matters. If a sale date is already scheduled, contact your lender, an attorney or a HUD-approved housing counselor right away. Our guide to selling a house in foreclosure covers the general picture.
Homestead: who has to sign, and what happens after a death
Florida’s homestead rules are written into the state constitution, and they reach further than the tax exemption most people think of.
If you’re married, your spouse joins in selling the homestead, even when only one name is on the deed. The constitution says the owner, “joined by the spouse if married,” may sell or mortgage it.
After a death it gets more particular. A homestead can’t be left by will away from a surviving spouse or a minor child. When the owner dies leaving a spouse and children or grandchildren, the spouse generally gets a life estate and the descendants get the remainder. The spouse can instead elect a half interest, but has to do it within six months of the death. In plain terms: an inherited Florida house often has more than one owner by law, and every one of them, or their representative, has to be part of the sale.
Better to know that before you plan the sale than at the closing table. It doesn’t stop us from making an offer. It does decide who signs the deed, and the probate attorney or title company sorts that out. If the estate is $150,000 or less outside exempt property, or the death was more than two years ago, summary administration may be the shorter path.
The tax bill that resets on January 1
Florida’s Save Our Homes rule caps how much the assessed value of a homestead can rise each year: three percent or the change in the Consumer Price Index, whichever is less. Over a long ownership, the gap between the capped value and the market value can grow large.
That gap does not travel with the house. When ownership changes, or the house stops being someone’s homestead, the property “will be subject to assessment at just value on the following January 1,” according to the Department of Revenue. Florida even makes sellers warn buyers about this with a required notice that begins, in capital letters, “BUYER SHOULD NOT RELY ON THE SELLER’S CURRENT PROPERTY TAXES.”
Why a seller should care:
- Heirs keeping an inherited house that nobody lives in may see the capped value come off, and the tax bill rise, on the next assessment.
- A seller moving to another Florida home may be able to “port” part of that savings, by setting up the new homestead within three years of January 1 of the year the old one was given up. Ask your county property appraiser.
- A buyer’s offer is built on the taxes the buyer will pay, not the ones you pay today.
This page is for general information only and is not legal, tax, or financial advice. Anyone dealing with foreclosure, probate, homestead questions, liens, divorce, back taxes, or a legal deadline should consider speaking with a qualified attorney, tax professional, or housing counselor before making a decision.
Flood history now goes on paper
Florida added a flood disclosure to state law in 2024 and amended it in 2025. The seller of a home has to tell the buyer, in a set form, whether they know of flooding that damaged the property during their ownership, whether they filed a flood insurance claim (including with the National Flood Insurance Program), and whether they received flood assistance, including from FEMA.
Honest answers to those three questions can shrink the pool of buyers who need a mortgage and flood insurance. We look at houses that have flooded as they are. If you’re weighing a repair first, our guide to selling a house with water damage walks through the math.
Condo owners: milestone inspections and HOA paperwork
Florida condos have their own checklist. A condo or co-op building three or more habitable stories tall must have a structural milestone inspection by the end of the year it turns 30, and every 10 years after. An inspection that finds repair work can mean a special assessment, and buyers ask about it.
In a homeowners’ association, the buyer’s title company will request an estoppel certificate showing what’s owed to the association, and Florida gives the association 10 business days to issue it. Unpaid dues show up there and get paid from the sale proceeds.
We buy condos, including in older buildings, and we’ll look at a unit with an open assessment as-is.
Florida housing, by the numbers
The Census Bureau’s 2024 American Community Survey puts the median value of an owner-occupied Florida home at $396,900, and 68.0% of occupied homes are owner-occupied (ACS 2024 1-year, tables B25077 and B25003).
Florida’s housing is mostly late-20th-century. The median home was built in 1990, and only 1.8% of units date from before 1940, compared with 30.1% in New York State (table B25034). Mobile homes are 7.8% of Florida housing units, and 14.5% of units sit in buildings with 20 or more units (table B25024). Newer doesn’t mean trouble-free: roofs, plumbing and storm wear are still what a financed buyer’s inspector writes up.
Where we buy in Florida
We buy houses across Florida. Three metros have their own pages so far, because the county processes are different enough to matter.
Orlando sits in Orange County, where foreclosure auctions run online through the Clerk while tax deed sales are handled by a different office, the County Comptroller. The City of Orlando’s Code Enforcement Board also has a reduction process for code fines that a seller should know about before paying one off. See Sell My House Fast in Orlando.
Tampa sits in Hillsborough County, where the Clerk runs online foreclosure sales every weekday and tax deed sales on Thursdays. After Hurricanes Helene and Milton, the city mailed substantial damage letters to owners in flood hazard areas, and the 50% rule shapes what a damaged house is worth. See Sell My House Fast in Tampa.
Jacksonville is most of Duval County, consolidated with the city, and the Duval Clerk runs foreclosure sales online every weekday. See Sell My House Fast in Jacksonville.
Somewhere else in Florida, from a Panhandle lot to a mobile home on its own land? Call us the same way. Our full list of area pages is on Where We Buy. For a lot or acreage with no house on it, see our page on selling land.
How selling to us works
- Call or text 267-388-0347, or fill in the form. The address, the rough condition, who lives there and what’s going on are enough to start.
- You get an initial cash offer. We look at recent nearby sales, the shape the house is in and what it would take to fix. A quick walkthrough confirms it, and if something changes the number, a person explains what and why.
- A neutral title company closes it. It handles the deed, the payoffs and the money. Closing is 30 days or less, with flexible closing dates so you can move on your terms.
- You’re paid at closing. No fees or commissions to you. A mortgage, liens or back taxes come out of the proceeds, as in any sale.
We buy houses with tenants in place, on the leases as written; our guide to selling a rental with tenants covers that side. And if your house is in good shape and you have time, listing it may well net you more. Our as-is selling guide lays out both paths honestly.
Florida FAQ
How much is the deed tax when I sell a house in Florida?
Seventy cents per $100 of the price in every county except Miami-Dade, which charges 60 cents plus a surtax that doesn’t apply to single-family homes. On a $300,000 sale that’s $2,100. The contract says who pays it, though by law all parties to the deed are liable.
How long does a Florida foreclosure take?
It depends on the court, because Florida foreclosures are lawsuits. What the statute does fix is the end: once a final judgment is entered, the clerk’s sale is normally set 20 to 35 days later, and the right to redeem ends when the certificate of sale is filed.
Does my spouse have to sign if the house is only in my name?
If it’s your Florida homestead, yes in most cases. The state constitution lets a married owner sell the homestead only with the spouse joining in.
We inherited Mom’s house and Dad is still alive. Can we sell?
Usually, but the sale has to include everyone the law gives a share. When an owner dies leaving a spouse and children, the spouse often holds a life estate and the children the remainder, so both sign. A probate attorney can confirm who holds what before you list or accept any offer.
The house flooded in a hurricane. Will you still make an offer?
That doesn’t stop us from making an offer. You’d fill out Florida’s flood disclosure either way, and the damage becomes part of how we price the house rather than something you fix first.
Do you charge fees or commissions?
No fees or commissions to you. Liens, back taxes or a mortgage come out of the sale proceeds at closing, and we work out closing costs as part of each deal.
Sources
- Florida Department of Revenue, Documentary Stamp Tax, read 2026-10-12
- Florida Statutes 702.01, 45.031 and 45.0315, read 2026-10-12
- Florida Constitution, art. X, sec. 4 and Florida Statutes 732.401, read 2026-10-12
- Florida Statutes 735.201, summary administration, read 2026-10-12
- Florida Department of Revenue, property tax exemptions and Save Our Homes guide PT-112, read 2026-10-12
- Florida Statutes 689.302, 689.261 and 404.056, read 2026-10-12
- Florida Statutes 197.502 and 197.472, read 2026-10-12
- Florida Statutes 553.899 and 720.30851, read 2026-10-12
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 1-year, Florida, read 2026-10-12
FastCashAnyHome · 267-388-0347 · We buy houses in Florida · General information, not legal or tax advice. No obligation.