By Prop Hunters · Updated October 16, 2026 · Miami Lakes, FL
You can sell a house in Miami three main ways: list it with an agent, sell it directly to a cash buyer, or sell it as-is to an investor. Listing can bring the best price for a move-in-ready home but takes time, repairs and showings; a direct sale is simpler when the house needs work or your situation is complicated. Start by finding out what you own, what you owe and what condition the house is in.
Before you talk to anyone, pull together the basics. Look up your parcel on the Miami-Dade Property Appraiser site to confirm the owner of record, folio number and assessed value. Check the Clerk’s records for recorded mortgages, liens or court cases, and ask your lender for a payoff amount. If the house is in an HOA, ask for the balance and any special assessments.
If the house is in a city rather than unincorporated Miami-Dade, ask that city’s building department about open permits and code cases — they can follow the property to the buyer.
Best when the house is in good shape and you have time. Expect showings, buyer inspections, an appraisal if the buyer is financing, and agent commissions, which are negotiable and vary by agreement. Repairs the buyer asks for after inspection are often negotiated as credits.
Best when the house needs work, you want privacy, or timing matters. There is no buyer mortgage to fall through, no showings and typically no repairs, but the price reflects the condition and the buyer’s costs. See how cash buyers calculate offers.
You can list a house as-is with an agent. The price is set to reflect the condition, and buyers will still inspect. Read what selling as-is means in Florida.
Florida sellers have a duty to disclose known facts that materially affect a home’s value and are not readily observable to the buyer, and an “as-is” clause does not remove that duty. Since October 1, 2025, a residential seller must also give the buyer a flood disclosure at or before signing the contract (Fla. Stat. § 689.302). If the home was built before 1978, federal lead-based paint disclosure rules also apply.
At closing, the title company or closing attorney prepares the deed, pays off your mortgage and liens from the proceeds, and calculates the state documentary stamp tax on the deed. Rates vary by county, and Miami-Dade has its own rate structure, so let your closing agent calculate it. Florida does not require you to use an attorney for a standard residential closing, though one is wise if probate, divorce or liens are involved.
There is no single answer. A listed sale depends on price, condition, buyer financing and the inspection and appraisal. With a direct cash sale you and the buyer agree on a closing date.
No. You can sell as-is. The price will reflect the condition, but you are not required to fix, clean out or stage the house.
No, Florida does not require an attorney for a standard residential closing. A title company or closing attorney handles the paperwork. If probate, divorce, liens or a foreclosure are involved, talk to an attorney.
Yes. The mortgage is paid off from the sale proceeds at closing. If you owe more than the house is worth, see our guide to short sales.
This guide is general information, not legal or tax advice. Florida law changes, and every situation is different — talk to a Florida attorney or tax professional about yours.