Who Pays Closing Costs in Florida, Buyer or Seller?

The standard Florida split, line by line

Florida does not have a law that forces who pays closing costs. It comes down to your contract and local county custom. That said, there is a typical pattern most deals follow.

The seller usually pays the documentary stamp tax on the deed, the real estate commission, and in most counties the owner's title insurance policy that protects the buyer. The buyer usually pays their own lender fees, the recording fee for the new deed, and costs tied to their loan like the appraisal.

Title and settlement charges are often split or assigned in the contract. Property taxes are prorated, so each side pays only for the days they owned the home that year. The one rule that beats all the others: whatever your signed contract says, that controls.

Title insurance is the line that flips by county

Owner's title insurance is the biggest swing item in a Florida closing, and it does not follow one statewide rule. In most Florida counties the seller pays for the owner's policy. In several large counties the custom flips and the buyer pays.

Miami-Dade, Broward, Sarasota, and Collier counties commonly put the owner's title policy on the buyer. The rest of the state usually puts it on the seller. This is custom, not law, so either side can negotiate it in the contract.

Because it is the most expensive single closing line, knowing which way your county leans tells you a lot about who carries the heavier cost. Always confirm the local custom with your title company before you assume.

How a Cash Flow Deals sale changes the math

With a traditional MLS sale, the seller's costs stack up fast: a 5 to 6 percent commission, owner's title insurance, doc stamps, and often repair credits or concessions to keep a financed buyer at the table. Those costs come straight out of your net.

Cash Flow Deals works differently. We connect you with a real, bank-financed buyer, not a flipper looking for a discount. You sell the house as-is, so there are no repairs and no concession negotiations. There is no agent commission, because there is no listing agent on your side. CFD is free for sellers.

Closing runs through Title Guaranty of South Florida as one clean title transfer. Cash Flow Deals is paid as a separate line on the closing statement, so the fee is transparent and never buried in your price. Your price is locked at signing.

The one transfer that keeps your costs clean

A lot of off-market buyers use a double close, where the property sells twice in a short window. Two closings can mean two sets of title and transfer costs, and the spread comes out of what you could have kept.

Cash Flow Deals uses a single title transfer. One contract, one closing, the home moves from you to the bank-financed buyer. Fewer moving parts means fewer fees and fewer ways for a deal to fall apart late.

Because your price is locked the day you sign, you are not exposed to a buyer renegotiating after an inspection or an appraisal coming in soft. You know your number going in. To see the full closing flow and exactly what hits the statement, read how it works and what happens at closing, or call 786-891-9111 to walk through your specific numbers.

Florida documentary stamp tax: what sellers actually pay

The documentary stamp tax is a Florida state transfer tax on the deed. The standard rate is $0.70 per $100 of the sale price in every county except Miami-Dade, where the rate is $0.60 per $100 plus a $0.45 surtax on most transfers. On a $300,000 sale outside Miami-Dade, the doc stamp on the deed alone runs $2,100. The seller typically pays this cost and it appears as its own line on the closing statement. It is not negotiable away from the state, but the contract can shift who covers it between buyer and seller. Source: Florida Department of Revenue, https://floridarevenue.com/taxes/taxesfees/Pages/doc_stamp.aspx, citing F.S. § 201.02(1)(a). When you sell through Cash Flow Deals, this cost and every other closing line are visible on the settlement statement before you sign.

Seller disclosure duty at closing: what you must provide

Closing costs are not only financial. Florida sellers are legally required to disclose known material defects that affect the property's value and that a buyer cannot readily observe. This duty comes from Florida Statute § 475.278 and the Florida Supreme Court's Johnson v. Davis decision, and it applies even on as-is sales. Failing to disclose a known defect can expose you to liability after closing, which is a cost most sellers never account for. The disclosure is a simple written document: what you know about the home's condition, provided to the buyer before the contract is signed. A title company handles the deed and the transfer, but the disclosure paperwork is your responsibility as the seller. When you sell through Cash Flow Deals, you tell us the real condition of the home up front, and the buyer goes in already knowing it. That removes the post-closing surprise that turns into a dispute.