Selling a home in Florida: how long it really takes, and what actually moves it

How long does it take to sell in Florida?

It depends enormously on where you are. Orlando and Tampa median 43 days. Fort Lauderdale medians 82.

Median across the ZIP codes of each metro, May 2026, Redfin market data.

Why is my ZIP code slower than the one next door?

Because within South Florida the spread is eightfold — from 26 days to 212 — and the pattern is consistent: luxury condominiums are slow, inland single-family homes are fast.

Across 190 South Florida ZIP codes in May 2026, the median was 80 days. The extremes:

Three forces explain almost all of it:

• Buyer pool size. A $500,000 single-family home in West Kendall has thousands of possible buyers. A $4,000,000 oceanfront condominium has dozens, and they are not in a hurry.
• Condominium supply. In a tower where twelve near-identical units are listed, you are not selling a home — you are competing on price against eleven copies of it.
• Association health. Since the 2022 reforms, buyers and lenders scrutinise reserves, milestone inspections and pending assessments. A building with an open question sells slowly at any price.

What actually determines the price?

Comparable sales in the last 90 days, adjusted for what makes your property different. Not what you paid, not what you owe, and not what the county says it is worth.

What a serious valuation looks at, in order of weight:

• Closed sales of similar homes nearby in the last three months. Older than that and the market has moved.
• Active listings — your actual competition, and what a buyer will compare you against this weekend.
• Adjustments for size, condition, age, view, and in Florida specifically: the age of the roof and whether there are impact windows. Those two change what a buyer can insure the home for, which changes what they can pay.

What does it cost to sell?

Between 7% and 9% of the price all in, and one line of that is set by the state whether you profit or not.

Two Florida notes. The documentary stamp is $0.60 per $100 in Miami-Dade, plus a $0.45 surtax that applies to condominiums but not to single-family homes. And the title policy is the seller’s in most of the state — but in Miami-Dade, Broward, Sarasota and Collier the buyer pays it, which removes it from your side of the ledger.

What should I fix, and what should I leave?

Fix what an insurer or a lender will object to. Everything else is optional and most of it does not return what it costs.

Worth doing, in Florida specifically:

• The roof, if it is near the end of its life. This is not cosmetic. An old roof can make the home uninsurable, and an uninsurable home is unfinanceable — which cuts your buyer pool to cash only.
• A wind mitigation inspection in advance. It costs a few hundred dollars and gives every prospective buyer a documented insurance discount, which is a concrete argument for your price.
• Visible water damage or active leaks. These trigger inspection findings that reopen the price.
• Cleaning, decluttering and landscaping. The cheapest return in the process.

Usually not worth doing: a full kitchen renovation before listing, a new pool, or upgrades that push the home above the price ceiling of its street. You rarely get back what you spend, and you delay the listing while the market moves.

The two things that kill Florida deals after the contract

Insurance and the appraisal. Neither is about your house being nice.

The buyer cannot insure it

The most common Florida-specific failure. The buyer’s insurance quote comes back impossible — because of the roof age, a failed four-point inspection, or the flood zone — and without a policy there is no loan. The deal ends late, after weeks off the market.

The defence is to know your own number first. Get a quote on your own home before you list, and if it is bad, find out why while you still control the timing.

The appraisal comes in low

The lender lends against appraised value. If it appraises below the contract price, the buyer covers the difference in cash, you renegotiate, or the deal dies. In condominium buildings with recent distressed sales this happens more than sellers expect.

Should I sell before I buy?

In an 80-day market, usually yes — or at least know exactly how you will bridge it.

Buying first means carrying two properties for what could be three months or more, with two sets of taxes and two of Florida’s insurance premiums. Selling first means certainty about your budget and a stronger offer, at the cost of possibly moving twice.

The middle routes:

• A sale contingency in your purchase offer. Weakens the offer, and in a slower market that is a cost you can sometimes afford.
• A post-closing occupancy agreement — you sell, then rent back from the buyer for a defined period. Common and often the cleanest answer.
• A bridge loan, if the numbers support carrying both.

What if I need to sell fast?

Price is the only lever that works reliably. Everything else buys you days; price buys you weeks.

In order of effectiveness:

1. Price it at or slightly below the comparable range from day one. The first two weeks generate the most traffic you will ever get. A listing that starts high and reduces later sells for less and takes longer than one priced right initially.
2. Remove the objections in advance — wind mitigation report, four-point inspection, insurance quote, association documents, all ready before the first showing. A buyer who can answer their own questions moves faster.
3. Offer a credit rather than a discount. Closing cost help often moves a hesitant buyer for less money than an equivalent price cut, because it addresses the cash they need on the day.
4. Consider a cash offer — knowing that convenience is priced, usually well below market. It is a real option for a genuine deadline and a bad one for impatience.