Hernando · Pasco · Citrus · Hillsborough
Almost nobody owes money against a house and has the cash to clear it first. You don't need to. Liens get paid out of the sale proceeds at closing — which means the thing stopping you probably isn't actually stopping you.
This is the single most common misunderstanding I run into. People assume they need to clear the back taxes, satisfy the judgment, or settle the code fines before anyone will touch the property. You don't. The title company identifies everything owed, and it comes out of the proceeds at closing.
What's owed affects the number you walk away with. It doesn't decide whether a sale can happen.
Worth knowing the timeline, because people often think they're further along than they are — or further behind.
Florida property taxes are due November 1 and become delinquent on April 1 of the following year. The county then advertises and holds a tax certificate sale, typically at the end of May, where an investor pays the taxes and takes a certificate against the property.
That certificate holder has to wait two years from the delinquency date before they can apply for a tax deed. Even then, the owner can redeem by paying what's owed any time before the property is actually sold at the public auction.
So one year behind is not an emergency. Three years behind with a tax deed application filed is a different conversation, and one worth having quickly.
These are the ones that genuinely surprise people. Code fines commonly accrue daily, and on a property that's been vacant a while they can grow to exceed what the house is worth. I've seen liens larger than the land value sitting on a lot nobody has driven past in years.
Here's the part worth knowing: municipalities will often negotiate code liens down substantially when a property is being sold to someone who will actually fix the violations. That conversation is a normal part of what I do. A number that looks fatal on paper frequently isn't.
I pay for the title search. If something turns up that you didn't know about — and that happens more often than not — you'll know about it, whether or not we end up doing business.
Sometimes the numbers don't work, and I'll tell you plainly when that's the case rather than stringing it out. Even then there are usually options: negotiating liens down, a short sale, or in some cases walking away in a way that's cleaner than letting it run to a tax deed. None of those are things I can promise from a web page, but they're worth a conversation before you assume there's nothing to be done.
I buy property for my own account. I'm not an attorney and nothing here is legal advice — for your specific situation, talk to a Florida attorney. I work with several and I'm glad to point you toward one.
No. They're paid out of the sale proceeds at closing. It affects what you net, not whether you can sell.
In Florida, a tax certificate holder can apply for a tax deed two years after the delinquency date, and you can redeem any time before the property is actually auctioned. One year behind is routine. If a tax deed application has been filed, call rather than email.
Often not. Municipalities frequently negotiate code liens down when the buyer is going to fix the violations. It's a normal part of these deals and worth trying before you give up on the property.
Common, and fixable. An unreleased mortgage needs curative work to clear, which I'll usually handle and often pay for, because I need clean title as much as you do.
I do. And whatever it turns up, you'll know about it either way.
It can, which is exactly the kind of thing a title search surfaces. Tell me what you know about and we'll find out about the rest before it becomes a surprise at closing.
Most people are guessing at the number. I'll pull it properly, and you keep what I find.