The Florida As-Is Residential Contract, Explained for Sellers

What an as-is contract actually means in Florida

In Florida, the most common home-sale agreement is the as-is version of the standard residential purchase contract. As-is means one specific thing: you are selling the home in its present condition, and you are not agreeing to make repairs or hand the buyer money to make them. If the inspection turns up a bad roof, an old water heater, or a cracked driveway, you are not on the hook to fix it. The buyer takes the house as it sits.

Sellers love that part, and it is real. But as-is is narrower than people think. It removes your duty to repair. It does not remove your duty to be honest about what you already know. And it does not, by itself, stop the buyer from walking away. Those two limits are where most as-is confusion comes from, so take them one at a time.

You still have to disclose what you know

Florida law has long held that a home seller must disclose facts that materially affect the property's value and that the buyer cannot easily see or discover for themselves. An as-is clause does not erase that rule. If you know the house floods in heavy rain, that there was a past roof leak, or that the AC quit last summer, you are expected to disclose it even when the sale is as-is.

Think of it this way: as-is protects you from having to fix problems. It does not protect you from hiding them. Honest disclosure also protects you, because the most common reason an as-is deal blows up after closing is a buyer who claims you concealed something. Write down what you know and put it in front of the buyer in writing. A clean disclosure is cheaper than a dispute. For the exact paperwork, see our guide on the documents you need to sell a house in Florida.

The inspection period and the right to cancel

The Florida as-is contract gives the buyer an inspection period, a set number of days to inspect the property at their own cost. Here is the catch that surprises sellers: during that window, the buyer can cancel for any reason, or no reason, and get their deposit back. As-is does not lock the buyer in. It locks you out of repair obligations, but the buyer still holds the early exit.

What the buyer usually does instead of canceling: come back and ask for a price reduction or a credit. You are free to say no, since the contract does not require you to give anything. But that back-and-forth is exactly where a clean number can quietly shrink. Knowing the inspection period exists, and that it is a negotiation point and not a repair order, keeps you from giving away money you never owed.

Price at signing versus price at closing

A signed contract sets a number, but on a traditional as-is deal, that number is not always the number you walk away with. Between signing and closing, the inspection period, an appraisal, or a financing condition can all become reasons to renegotiate. As-is describes the home's condition and your repair obligations; it does not, by itself, prevent price negotiations.

With Cash Flow Deals, you choose between the Fast Cash Offer, where we buy your house as-is and close, and the Premium Cash Offer, where a pre-approved FHA or conventional buyer we already have, ready to go, pays more and buys directly from you. With Premium, only what the buyer's lender requires gets fixed. We cover repair costs, and we figure out a way, so nothing comes out of your pocket. Those repair costs are settled from the sale proceeds, from our share rather than your number. With Fast Cash, you have no repairs to make.

For either offer, the number is agreed before any work starts, and it changes only if you agree. The one exception: if something structural surfaces that was not visible or disclosed before we signed — foundation issues, hidden moisture, old wiring, cast-iron drain failure — we re-cost it and bring the number back to you. You decide. You can walk away. We disclose what we know at offer time so this almost never happens.

If the Premium buyer's loan falls through, that is our problem, not yours, and you can still take the Fast Cash Offer at its own number instead of the Premium Cash Offer. See how it works and what happens at closing for the full path.

How the closing works on an as-is sale

A title company handles the deed, lien payoffs and settlement statement. With Cash Flow Deals, your transaction closes through Title Guaranty of South Florida in a single title transfer, directly from you to the buyer you choose under your offer.

You choose between the Fast Cash Offer and the Premium Cash Offer. With Fast Cash, we buy your house as-is and close. With Premium, a pre-approved FHA or conventional buyer we already have, ready to go, pays more and signs a new contract directly with you. Title passes directly from you to that buyer, and their lender funds the purchase.

Cash Flow Deals is free for sellers. Our fee appears as its own separate line on the closing statement, in plain view. Anything owed against the house is paid first from the sale proceeds, then you receive your agreed number, and we are paid last from what remains. On Premium, repair costs and other transaction costs come from our share, not your number. We cover repair costs, and we figure out a way, so nothing comes out of your pocket. Only what the Premium buyer's lender requires gets fixed, with the costs settled from the sale proceeds. With Fast Cash, you sell as-is without making repairs.

The number is agreed before any work starts, and it changes only if you agree. The one exception: if something structural surfaces that was not visible or disclosed before we signed — foundation issues, hidden moisture, old wiring, cast-iron drain failure — we re-cost it and bring the number back to you. You decide. You can walk away. We disclose what we know at offer time so this almost never happens. Want a second number before you sign any as-is contract? Call us at 786-891-9111 and compare.

Cash Flow Deals' Offer Process:

1. Send your address to Cash Flow Deals and we confirm your path within 24 hours, before any as-is contract gets signed, so you know your options first.

2. We review your home's as-is condition and county comps, then give you the Fast Cash Offer and Premium Cash Offer together so you can compare what you receive and choose.

3. If you accept an offer, your written agreement explains the number, conditions and closing process. The number is agreed before any work starts, and it changes only if you agree. The one exception: if something structural surfaces that was not visible or disclosed before we signed — foundation issues, hidden moisture, old wiring, cast-iron drain failure — we re-cost it and bring the number back to you. You decide. You can walk away. We disclose what we know at offer time so this almost never happens. You close through Title Guaranty of South Florida in one title transfer. If the Premium buyer's loan falls through, that is our problem, not yours, and you can still take the Fast Cash Offer at its own number instead of the Premium Cash Offer.