Buying Before Selling in Miami and Fort Lauderdale
Program and regulatory figures verified September 19, 2026. Details change; confirm your scenario with us.
South Florida is the one part of the state where the county you are buying in changes the tax arithmetic, and where a large share of the housing stock is condominium.
The numbers
For the month ending August 2026, the Miami and Fort Lauderdale metro carried a typical home value of $475,830, down 0.5% over the year, with a mean 98 days to pending. That is nearly twice the national benchmark of 53 days, and it is the number that makes contingent offers difficult across South Florida.
The value trend is worth noting for what it is not. At down 0.5% South Florida held up better over the year than Cape Coral at down 4.4% or Punta Gorda at down 4.9%. The overlap risk here is more about time than about price.
The Miami-Dade rate, which applies nowhere else
Florida charges documentary stamp tax on deeds at $0.70 per $100 of consideration everywhere except Miami-Dade County, where the Department of Revenue sets it at $0.60 per $100 when the property is a single-family residence. If the Miami-Dade property is anything other than a single-family residence, the rate is $0.60 plus a $0.45 surtax per $100.
So in Miami-Dade the property type changes the deed tax. A single-family residence is cheaper than the statewide rate; a condominium or other property type is more expensive. Given how much of the Miami-Dade market is condominium, that is not a marginal distinction.
Note that this is the deed stamp, paid on the transfer. The mortgage doc stamp of $0.35 per $100 and the 2 mill intangible tax apply the same way here as in the rest of the state, and they are what matter when you are recording a lien against the departing home.
What 98 days does to the plan
Days to pending measures list to pending, so a South Florida seller should be planning on that plus a closing period. Structures have to be sized against that reality rather than against a hopeful one.
In practice, a 98 day metro pushes toward either carrying both payments where income allows, or toward rental conversion when the overlap looks likely to stretch. A short bridge sized to a 60 day sale is the structure that gets people into trouble here.
Insurance, which moved in the right direction
South Florida carries the heaviest insurance load in the state, and it sits inside the debt ratio. The direction has improved: Citizens received approval for average reductions of 14.1% in Broward, 14.0% in Miami-Dade and 11.9% in Palm Beach, part of a statewide average reduction of 8.7% effective in spring 2026 at renewal.
Get the actual quote on the actual address early. In this metro it moves the qualifying math more than anywhere else in Florida.
Loan limits
Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach all use the 2026 baseline one-unit limit of $832,750. None is designated high-cost; Monroe County is the only Florida county above baseline. Given a metro typical value of $475,830 the limit is not binding for most buyers here, but it becomes live quickly in the coastal and waterfront segments.
See the jumbo page if your price is above the line, or the portability page for the tax benefit you may be carrying with you.
Frequently asked questions
How long do homes take to sell in Miami and Fort Lauderdale?
A mean of 98 days to pending for the month ending August 2026, compared with a US benchmark of 53 days. Days to pending measures list to pending, so a closing period is additional. That gap is the main reason contingent offers are difficult in South Florida.
Is the documentary stamp tax different in Miami-Dade County?
Yes, for deeds. The statewide deed rate is $0.70 per $100 of consideration, but Miami-Dade is $0.60 per $100 when the property is a single-family residence, and $0.60 plus a $0.45 surtax per $100 for anything else. The mortgage doc stamp of $0.35 per $100 is the same across Florida.
Is Miami-Dade a high-cost county for loan limits?
No. Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach all use the 2026 baseline one-unit conforming limit of $832,750. Monroe County is the only Florida county designated above baseline for 2026, at $990,150.
Did South Florida home values fall over the past year?
Slightly. The Miami and Fort Lauderdale typical home value was $475,830 for the month ending August 2026, down 0.5% over the year. That is a milder decline than most Florida metros, several of which fell by 2% to 5%.
Mike Certo · NMLS #260555 · Cornerstone First Mortgage NMLS #173855 · Equal Housing Lender. Educational content about financing, not a loan commitment and not legal, tax, or real estate advice. Homestead eligibility, portability, and landlord-tenant rules change and depend on your facts; your county property appraiser, your CPA or a Florida attorney, and your real estate agent each handle their own part. Loans are subject to borrower and property qualification.