The Florida Home Selling Process
Selling a Florida home is part transaction, part transition — and we treat it like both. Whether your property sits along the Gulf Coast in Sarasota County or in Central Florida near Walt Disney World, our listing agents guide you from coast to closing.
Together, we'll set a listing price after reviewing your Comparative Market Analysis (CMA). We'll advise on curb appeal and coastal presentation, market your home to qualified buyers, host showings and open houses, and negotiate the sales contract when offers come in. Throughout the entire selling journey, you'll have a seasoned coastal listing broker in your corner.
COMPONENTS OF TRADITIONAL REAL ESTATE
Traditional real estate sales involve listing your property on the open market through the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) with the help of our licensed agents. Your home is priced at current market value and actively marketed to attract a wide pool of qualified buyers — including the relocators, second-home buyers, and Florida-bound families who shape so much of today's Sarasota market.
This method typically provides greater exposure, encourages competitive offers, and often results in a stronger final sales price. Buyers can negotiate terms and include contingencies such as inspections, appraisals, and financing. While the process generally takes weeks rather than days, that timeline is what allows the market to bring you its best price — not its fastest one.
COMPARATIVE MARKET ANALYSIS
A Comparative Market Analysis, or CMA, reviews recently sold properties, active listings, and current market trends to anchor your home at a realistic starting price. We're happy to prepare your CMA at no charge when you're preparing to sell.
Because no two coastal homes are exactly alike, adjustments are made for location, condition, size, upgrades, lot features, and overall market demand. A CMA is not a formal professional appraisal — it's the pricing tool real estate agents use to position a property competitively in today's Sarasota market.
Pricing your home correctly is critical. Set the price too high and the listing tends to age, leading to future reductions. Price it too low and you leave money on the table. Depending on market conditions, some sellers choose a strong market-value price; others price slightly below market value to encourage buyer activity and stir competition.
LISTINGS AND MARKETING
Once your price is set, your property is listed on the Multiple Listing Service (MLS), which syndicates the listing to every major real estate website. A strong marketing plan goes well beyond the MLS:
-
Professional photography that captures both the home and the coastal lifestyle around it
-
Videography, virtual tours, and drone footage where the property warrants it
-
Detailed property descriptions written to attract the right buyer, not just any buyer
-
Open houses, broker tours, and private showings
-
Targeted digital advertising and social media campaigns to extend your reach
The goal is straightforward: generate enough interest that the right buyers compete for your home — not just consider it. When your property is presented correctly and exposed to the right audience, strong demand can translate into stronger offers, better terms, and a smoother path to closing.
AGENT REPRESENTATION
Sellers work with our licensed real estate agents who manage marketing efforts, coordinate showings, and negotiate with buyers on your behalf. Your individual licensed real estate agent acts as the seller’s representative throughout the transaction. Their responsibilities include advising on pricing, coordinating marketing efforts, scheduling and managing showings, screening buyers, and presenting and negotiating offers. Experienced agents also help navigate legal paperwork, disclosure requirements, and contract deadlines. They act as a buffer between the seller and buyer, helping reduce stress and avoid costly mistakes.
NEGOTIATION & CONTINGENCIES
When offers are received, sellers have the opportunity to accept, reject, or counter those offers. Negotiations may involve not only price, but also assistance with closing costs and/or prepaids, timelines, included appliances, and repair requests. Most traditional transactions include contingencies for inspections, appraisals, and mortgage approval, which are conditions that must be met for the sale to proceed.
-
Inspection contingency: Allows the buyer to request repairs or withdraw based on property condition.
-
Appraisal contingency: Ensures the property value supports the buyer’s loan amount.
-
Financing contingency: Protects the buyer if they are unable to secure a mortgage.
TIMELINE
The traditional sales process typically unfolds over several stages. Preparing the home (cleaning, staging, repairs) can take days or weeks. Once listed, the property may take anywhere from a few days to several weeks to receive an offer, depending on market conditions. After a contract is signed, the closing process usually takes 30 to 60 days, during which inspections, appraisals, and loan approvals are completed. Delays can occur due to financing issues, title problems, or repair negotiations, extending the timeline even further. However, our listing agents will work as quickly as possible to overcome and minimize any delay.
SELLER REAL ESTATE CLOSING FORMS FLORIDA
To list a property in Florida, a seller will typically sign a few key documents before the home ever hits the market. The central one is the listing agreement — most often an Exclusive Right of Sale Listing Agreement — which authorizes the brokerage to market and sell the property and sets the terms of that representation. Alongside it, sellers complete a Seller's Property Disclosure, detailing any known conditions or defects, and for condos or HOA communities, an association or governance disclosure. Depending on the situation, our team may also have sellers sign agency or brokerage relationship disclosures, a lead-based paint disclosure for homes built before 1978, and any addenda specific to the property. Getting these forms completed accurately and up front keeps the listing clean and helps the sale move smoothly once offers arrive.
-
Residential Listing Agreement: Sellers will be asked to sign an exclusive right of sale listing agreement with their broker.
-
HOA Addendum: This form discloses when a home is required to be a part of a Home Owners Association.
-
Agency Disclosure: This form explains the various forms of agency representation between you and your real estate broker.
-
Sellers Real Property Disclosure Statement: Sellers are obligated by law to disclose all personally known material defects about their home to the buyer.
-
Lead Based Paint Disclosure: This form is required by law only for homes built prior to 1978.
-
Radon Gas: A seller must notify the buyer of the radon risk on at least one document, form, or application executed.
-
Foreign Investment in Real Property Act "FIRPTA": A tax form required by the IRS withholding 15% of the gross sales price for payment of foreign national seller's taxes thus preventing them from expatriating the proceeds before it can be taxed. The remainder of these funds will be returned upon filing a U.S. tax return for that year. For additional information on FIRPTA, click on the button below:
Contact Us Today!
SELLER CLOSING COSTS FLORIDA
Selling a home in Florida comes with closing costs that typically run 6%–10% of the sale price once real estate commissions are included. The largest line items are commissions, the state documentary stamp tax on the deed (70 cents per $100 of the sale price in most counties), owner's title insurance, title and settlement fees, prorated property taxes, and any concessions negotiated with the buyer. In Sarasota County, customs can vary by location — and several of these costs are negotiable in the purchase contract — so the smartest first step is a personalized seller's net sheet that shows what actually lands in your bank account after the sale.
At closing or settlement it is customary to make an adjustment between buyer and seller for property taxes and other expenses such as the homeowners association dues and any special assessments.
The taxes which are payable annually and in arrears will not be paid when the settlement occurs so the borrower will have to pay the seller's portion of the property taxes the following December 1st when they become due. However, the seller owned the home for part of the year, thus the taxes will be prorated accordingly and will be paid by the seller to the buyer for the portion of the year in which they owned the home at closing. This amount will show up as a credit on the settlement statement, and the seller will count this amount as a deduction from sums payable to the seller.
Similar adjustments are also made for homeowner association dues and any special assessments although the billing periods for these are often paid on a quarterly basis. These "prorations" are paid in advance so the seller will have to be credited with any prorated amount at settlement.
Your homeowners' insurance policy can be canceled as of the day of closing. The insurance company will refund any unused portion of prepaid premiums. The same goes for any unused balances paid into an escrow account. The loan servicer will refund the money to you upon your mortgage being satisfied.
You will also have to notify all utility companies of the change in ownership and you may want to ask for a special reading on the day of settlement. Be sure to leave your new address for any final billing to be mailed.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Real answers to the questions Sarasota home sellers ask us most.
What is a Comparative Market Analysis (CMA)?
How long does it take to sell a home in Sarasota?
The traditional selling process unfolds in stages. Preparing the home — cleaning, staging, and any repairs — can take days or weeks. Once listed, the property may take anywhere from a few days to several weeks to receive an offer, depending on market conditions. After a contract is signed, the closing process typically runs 30 to 60 days while inspections, appraisals, and loan approvals are completed.
What are typical seller closing costs in Florida?
Seller closing costs in Florida generally run 6%–10% of the sale price once real estate commissions are included. The largest line items are commissions, the state documentary stamp tax on the deed, owner's title insurance, title and settlement fees, prorated property taxes, and any concessions negotiated with the buyer. Several of these costs are negotiable in the purchase contract, which is why we always start with a personalized seller's net sheet.
What is the Florida documentary stamp tax on a home sale?
Florida charges a documentary stamp tax on the deed at 70 cents per $100 of the sale price in most counties. This is a one-time closing cost, not a recurring tax, and is most often paid by the seller — though it can be negotiated in the purchase contract.
A Comparative Market Analysis reviews recently sold properties, active listings, and current market trends to position your home at a realistic starting price. Adjustments are made for location, condition, size, upgrades, lot features, and overall market demand. A CMA is not a formal appraisal — it's the pricing tool real estate agents use to set a competitive list price. Our team prepares CMAs at no charge for sellers preparing to list.
What disclosures does a Florida home seller have to provide?
Florida sellers are legally required to disclose all personally known material defects through a Seller's Property Disclosure Statement. Additional disclosures apply depending on the property: an HOA addendum for homes inside a homeowners association, a lead-based paint disclosure for any home built before 1978, a radon gas notice, and agency or brokerage relationship disclosures. Foreign sellers also complete IRS FIRPTA documentation.
What is FIRPTA withholding for foreign sellers?
FIRPTA (the Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act) is an IRS rule that withholds 15% of the gross sales price when the seller is a foreign national. The withholding is held against the seller's U.S. tax liability and the remainder is returned after filing a U.S. tax return for that year.
What contingencies can a buyer include in a Florida purchase contract?
Most traditional Florida purchase contracts include three standard contingencies. An inspection contingency lets the buyer request repairs or withdraw based on the property's condition. An appraisal contingency ensures the property value supports the buyer's loan amount. A financing contingency protects the buyer if they're unable to secure a mortgage. Each of these is a condition that must be met for the sale to proceed to closing.
Why sell a Sarasota home with a local coastal brokerage?
Sarasota's market draws relocators, second-home buyers, and Florida-bound families from across the country, and coastal properties along the Gulf Coast need a different marketing approach than inland homes. As a local Sarasota brokerage, we know how to position waterfront and coastal lifestyle properties, where the active buyer pools are, and which Sarasota County customs (negotiated costs, condo and HOA documentation, flood-zone considerations) actually move a sale forward.