Navigate Florida’s housing market with ease. Discover essential tips for selling a home in Florida, from pricing to closing processes.
For a span of several years, those attempting to sell a home in Florida were faced with a fairly simple task compared to many other parts of the country. The market was as hot as a Florida summer. Out-of-towners flocked to the state like migratory birds escaping the cold. And an over-asking-price sale was almost a guarantee. But in the final few months of 2024, the Sunshine State’s housing market has begun to balance out, with the favor even tipping toward buyers in some parts of the state.
Selling a home in Florida will now require a bit more strategy (and patience) than in years past. To help smooth the home selling process and give you a leg up over other sellers, we compiled this list of tips and tricks. Read on, study up, and happy selling!
Selling a home in Florida is like selling a home in any other part of the country in many ways. Location is key, professional real estate photography and home staging make a difference, and working with a skilled agent can determine whether your home sits for months or sells in a week.
Despite these similarities, however, there are some quirks to selling a home in Florida that are worth noting, stemming from the state’s sweltering summers and lack of a true winter season. In most of the country, particularly places that experience four unique seasons, winter tends to see a selling slowdown while spring and summer tend to be the best times of year to sell a house. However Florida, with its 60-degree winters, doesn’t do much to deter buyers from December to February. So don’t expect your chances of selling to dip simply because the temperature did. In fact, they might improve.
Another climate-related complication—hurricane season—may also impact your selling experience. Spanning the period from June to November, this season can bring everything from heavy rains to 100+ MPH winds. But whether the season brings hurricanes with it or not, potential buyers tend to be less engaged during this time. Those who are on the hunt may also be hunting for better deals on account of reduced competition.
After jotting down “hurricane season” in your calendar, there are a few steps you can take to help make your home sale a success.
Florida’s market remains strong even though demand has dipped.1 But it has, and sellers eyeing a successful sale should be mindful of current market conditions rather than nostalgic for yesterday's market, where prices were high and bidding wars were all but guaranteed.
With that said, home prices in Florida remain at a multi-year high, it’s the surge in available inventory that has put home sellers at more of a disadvantage. From 2022 to 2024, Florida’s housing inventory has doubled after seeing steady increases year over year.2 And now that potential buyers have 100,000 more homes to choose from, you’ll need to price your home to compete with all those additional sellers.
Carefully consider your home’s true market value, compare it to other recent sales in the area, or invest in a professional home appraiser to make sure that your property is priced to sell in Florida’s current market conditions.
Pricing your home appropriately may attract more buyers, but how your home presents during showings and open houses will help keep that attention.
As potential buyers encounter and walk through your home for the first time, they’ll be considering its:
Before you start showing your home or hosting an open house, you’ll want to make sure it doesn’t ring any alarm bells regarding these factors. Fortunately, this process can be easier than you think.
For curb appeal, spend a weekend tackling landscaping and other outdoor oddities. Retouching the paint on shutters, pressure washing the driveway, and even replacing an aging mailbox can help your home make the perfect first impression with potential buyers.
Cleanliness may take a bit more time, as you’ll want to be sure every surface gets the proper attention. Even dust on a difficult-to-reach light fixture can signal to buyers that maintaining the home will be a challenge.
Creating a comfortable atmosphere will help encourage visitors to spend more time in the home, especially during stifling Florida heatwaves. Close some downstairs vents to funnel cool air toward any upstairs spaces and offer guests bottles of cold water to help combat the heat.
Lastly, how liveable your space is at first glance will depend on how well your home was staged. With walls draped in family photos and art with a very specific point of view, the home may feel liveable to you, but not so much to a potential buyer. An inviting yet depersonalized approach to home staging allows guests to envision their lives in the home, instead of being constantly reminded of yours.
Unlike other states, Florida sellers aren’t required by law to complete a seller’s property disclosure form. However, willingly disclosing this information can protect Florida sellers from liability while ensuring that buyers know exactly what they’re signing on for in the real estate transaction.3
In Florida, where cracks and leaks from storm damage tend to be more prevalent, there may be more disclosures for sellers to make. If you’re worried about these disclosures pouring cold water on a potential home sale, keep in mind that disclosures are typically included with the multiple listing service (MLS) listing, meaning any buyers expressing interest in your property should already be fully aware of its defects.
In the event that defects were addressed and repaired, you should also provide any prospective buyer thorough documentation of this repair. That way, if the problem arises for the new buyer, you’re likely to be absolved of any negligence or wrongdoing.
Just like Floridians can expect to find an alligator in any body of water larger than a puddle, you can expect certain challenges as you traverse the process of selling a home in Florida. Knowing what to expect and how to address these challenges can help you move forward with confidence.
Snowbirds. Hurricane season. 100-degree, 100-percent-humidity summers. These factors and others contribute to Florida’s highly seasonal demand for housing. Rather than viewing these as obstacles, however, try to view them as the foundation of your strategic selling plan.
During the off-season, spend time getting your home in tip-top shape so that it’s game-ready when the weather cools down and the market heats up. Tackle home improvement projects, like improving curb appeal with fresh landscaping or a new coat of paint. Conduct extensive market research to see where your home sits relative to others like it. And get your house staged and photographed by professionals so your listing stands out when it’s ready to go live.
If you don’t want to wait around for the right time to sell, you might find yourself taking things day by day while navigating the selling process in the midst of hurricane season. But while this approach will require some added flexibility, you may be able to play these weather considerations to your advantage.
First, you’ll want to make sure your home is ready to take on whatever the rainy season brings. Trim back trees that could pose a threat to your roof (or nearby powerlines) and make sure your storm shutters are fully functional. These will not only protect your property’s condition but also stand out in a listing, as buyers with hurricane season on the brain will be paying extra attention to storm-resistant features.
Before your listing goes live, explore how to integrate virtual showings into your sales strategy. For potential buyers who might not be able to make it to an open house, this provides them with the next best thing and ensures they can still explore your space while hunkering down at home.
Because Florida does not have a state income tax, many sellers assume that the sales process will be similarly tax-free. But between remaining property taxes, transfer taxes, and capital gains taxes, there can be quite a few tax implications to navigate.
For qualifying single homeowners, this exemption allows for up to $250,000 in increased value before capital gains come into play. Married, joint-filing homeowners get $500,000 in profit while remaining free of tax liability. If your home’s value has increased significantly since you bought it, double-check your eligibility status and tax bracket to understand how you might be impacted.5
Between weather-dependent market conditions, legal requirements, and taxes, selling a home in Florida won’t quite be a stroll on the beach, but the right real estate agent can help simplify the process. So, how do you find the right agent for you? Try these three tips.
Given all the variables that influence Florida’s market, it’s crucial to enlist the help of a real estate agent with deep market expertise. Their experience will help you navigate ebbs and flows throughout all four seasons, ensuring that you get the best price for your home, whether you’re in the thick of hurricane season or enjoying the perfect spring weather that keeps Floridians around (and keeps tourists coming back for more.)
Don’t just stop at Florida realtors—look for ones with experience in your specific area, who know how your neighborhood has developed over the years and how this growth has impacted your property value. The Tampa market will differ from the Miami market, and both will require different considerations than the Orlando market. Find as local of an expert as possible to give your sale the best shot at success.
In your search for the right real estate professional, you should also be analyzing how different agents have fared when it comes to selling properties like yours. Sure, they might be able to close on mid-century modern homes in Sarasota in a matter of days, but how have they done when it comes to charming Florida-style bungalows? As you comb through this track record, look for things like price decreases, days spent on the market, or delistings and relistings.
These factors will tell you all you need to know about who you want to work with, and who might not be the right fit for your real estate transaction.
Where there’s a hot real estate market, people are looking to profit off it unscrupulously. And just because someone is promising to sell your home quickly and for more than your asking price doesn’t mean that they’re licensed to do the job. Be cautious, as this could be part of a real estate scam.
Like in many other places, Florida law prohibits selling a home without a real estate license, and doing so is a felony that carries with it a hefty fine (and potentially even jail time.) To protect yourself from fraud, make sure the person you’re working with is properly credentialed using the online licensing portal at MyFloridaLicense.com. A licensed professional can also assist you in reviewing the real estate contract to ensure your interests are protected.
Selling a home in Florida can mean conducting extensive market research, navigating the impacts of weather-dependent seasonal shifts, and finding the right real estate agent to help lighten the load. It’s no surprise, then, that many Florida homeowners are opting for Truehold’s sell-and-stay transaction instead.
With our sell-and-stay transaction, you skip the traditional sales process. No scouting for an agent, no home staging costs, and no carefully timing your sale to avoid inclement weather and get your property in front of more buyers. This process lets you simply sell your home and then continue living there as a renter while meeting the conditions of the lease.* You get your home equity, the freedom of renting, plus the peace of mind that comes from knowing property insurance and essential home repairs are no longer your responsibility.
Depending on your goals, a sell-and-stay transaction can be the best way to sell your home in Florida. Chat with one of our representatives today to see if this approach is right for you.
Disclaimer*: After the home sale, you must comply with the terms of your lease to continue living in the home. This includes making timely payments on your rent for your minimum lease term (which ranges from 6 – 24 months).
Sources:
1. Houzeo. Florida Real Estate Market: What to Expect in 2024 and 2025? https://www.houzeo.com/blog/florida-real-estate-market/
2. Redfin. Florida Housing Market. https://www.redfin.com/state/Florida/housing-market
3. HomeLight. What Must Be Disclosed When Selling a House in Florida? https://www.homelight.com/blog/seller-disclosure-form-florida/
4. SmartAsset. Florida Property Tax Calculator. https://smartasset.com/taxes/florida-property-tax-calculator#etF1ojVofY
5. HomeLight. Taxes on Selling a House in Florida: What to Expect. https://www.homelight.com/blog/taxes-on-selling-a-house-in-florida/
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