State guide · Florida
Seller closing costs in Florida
Florida's documentary-stamp tax is the seller's biggest non-commission line — and Miami-Dade plays by different rules than the rest of the state.
Pre-loaded with Florida transfer-tax math. No signup required.
Florida at a glance
- State transfer tax
- 0.7% of sale price (state rate; county or city may add more)
- Transfer tax paid by
- Seller
- Owner's title insurance
- Varies by region pays
- Closing handled by
- Title company / settlement agent
Municipal/county taxes may apply in addition to state rate.
Owner's-policy custom varies by county. Outside South Florida the seller typically pays. In Miami-Dade, Broward, Sarasota, and Collier counties the buyer usually pays — confirm with the title company before drafting the listing.
Florida closes through a title company or settlement agent. Attorneys are not required, though some sellers retain one for complex estates or out-of-state ownership.
Typical seller closing cost band
6% – 9%
Roughly 6–9% of sale price including commission. The state documentary-stamp tax (0.7%) is the largest non-commission seller line — Miami-Dade is the exception at 0.6% on single-family residential.
The Florida-specific line items
These are the costs that differ from the generic seller-closing-cost list — the ones a national calculator usually gets wrong for Florida.
Documentary stamp tax on the deed
0.7% of sale price statewide, paid by the seller. Miami-Dade County is the only exception: 0.6% on single-family residential, with a 0.45% surtax that applies to everything else.
Owner's title insurance — varies by county
Outside South Florida, the seller customarily pays owner's title insurance using promulgated rates. In Miami-Dade, Broward, Sarasota, and Collier counties, the buyer typically pays. The .io NETSheet uses regional defaults you can override.
Property tax proration (paid in arrears)
Florida property taxes run November 1 through October 31 and are paid in arrears. The seller credits the buyer for the days the seller owned the property in the current cycle — a sizable line in late-cycle closings.
HOA estoppel + transfer fees
Most Florida communities are HOA-governed. An estoppel certificate (fee capped by statute at $299 in 2024) is required at close, plus any one-time HOA transfer or capital-contribution fee. Confirm fees with management early — they routinely exceed seller expectations.
Hurricane-area considerations
Coastal sellers should expect a wind-mitigation inspection request and possible buyer requests for credits if the four-point or wind-mit report flags issues. Not a state requirement, but a near-universal post-Ian, post-Idalia market expectation.
A worked example
$475,000 sale price, typical Florida norms. Your numbers will vary — run the NETSheet for an actual estimate with your sale price, payoff, and close date.
- Sale price
- $475,000
- Mortgage payoff
- −$210,400
- Commission (5.5% total)
- −$26,125
- Documentary stamps (0.7% × $475K)
- −$3,325
- Title + settlement fees
- −$2,500
- Prorations + other seller costs
- −$1,400
- Estimated net proceeds
- $231,250
Numbers are illustrative — they don't replace a real NETSheet run with your contract terms.
Run your own Florida numbers
Pre-loaded with Florida transfer-tax rates and customary practice. Punch in your sale price, payoff, and close date — the tool fills the rest.
Frequently asked — Florida
How much are seller closing costs in Florida?
Florida sellers typically pay 6–9% of the sale price at close. The largest line is real estate commission (usually 5–6%), followed by the state documentary-stamp tax (0.7% of sale price), prorated property tax, HOA estoppel and transfer fees, and title-related fees that vary by county.
Who pays the documentary-stamp tax in Florida?
The seller pays the documentary-stamp tax on the deed — 0.7% of sale price statewide, with Miami-Dade County applying a different 0.6% rate on single-family residential. The buyer pays the separate documentary stamps and intangible tax on any new mortgage, which is not the seller's line.
Does the seller pay for owner's title insurance in Florida?
It depends on the county. Throughout most of Florida the seller customarily pays for the buyer's owner-title-insurance policy. In Miami-Dade, Broward, Sarasota, and Collier counties the buyer usually pays. Title rates in Florida are promulgated by statute, so the quoted price doesn't vary by title company.
How is property tax prorated when selling a home in Florida?
Florida property taxes run November 1 through October 31 and are paid in arrears. At close, the seller credits the buyer for the days the seller owned the property during the current tax cycle. Late-year closings (October–November) produce larger seller credits; early-year closings produce smaller ones.
What's the HOA estoppel fee in Florida?
Florida statute caps the HOA estoppel certificate fee at $299 in 2024, plus a $119 expedite fee if rushed. This is in addition to any one-time HOA transfer fee or capital contribution required by the association — those are not capped and can run $500 to several thousand dollars.
Can a Florida seller close without an attorney?
Yes. Florida closings are handled by title companies or settlement agents. Attorneys are not required and most residential closings don't use one. Sellers with complex estates, out-of-state probate, or contested titles often retain an attorney for the listing through close.
What's different about closing on a Florida condo vs. a single-family home?
Florida condos add the estoppel certificate process, the unit-owner approval rules (some condos require board approval of buyers), and potential special-assessment disclosures. Post-Champlain Towers, sellers in older buildings should expect heightened buyer due diligence on reserves and SIRS reports.
Related guides
- How to calculate seller net proceeds — the general guide that the state-specific math sits on top of.
- Seller closing costs — all 50 states + DC — quick-reference table of transfer-tax rates by state.
- Contract-to-close transaction checklist — every task between accepted offer and closing day.