How Much Does It Cost to Sell a House in Florida?
Aug 12, 2025
You've just accepted a $415,000 offer on your Tampa home, $15,000 above asking. But between closing costs, insurance requirements, and Florida’s unique market conditions, what will you actually take home? When you receive your preliminary closing statement, you might be walking away with $35,000 less than expected.
Understanding the true cost to sell a house in Florida empowers you to make decisions that maximize your take-home pay. Here, we’ll break down the obvious and the hidden expenses so you can plan accurately and avoid closing table surprises.
Ready to sell your house fast? Get a strong cash offer today.
You might focus on your home's sale price without calculating what you'll actually pocket at closing. When you understand these expenses upfront, you can make strategic decisions that maximize your proceeds.
But there’s good news: Sellers who understand these expenses upfront consistently walk away with more money by making smarter decisions about pricing, timing, and selling strategy.
Both Amaury Leon, a Mark Spain Real Estate agent in Tampa, and Megan Hedrick, an Orlando agent, tell sellers to expect to spend between 7% and 8% of the total price in sales expenses.
For a home selling at Florida's median home price of $415,000, that translates to $29,000 to $33,000 in total costs, including:
The buying and selling agents’ commissions are the biggest chunk of this pie. Still, they sit slightly below the national average of 5.44%. On a $415,000 home, that's approximately $22,244.
Keep in mind that "commission is always negotiable," Hedrick says, but expect good agents to expect the standard range. You are also not obligated to cover the buyer’s portion of commissions, but this may make drumming up interest more difficult.
Yes, this is a substantial cost, but professional representation yields higher sale prices that offset the commission via strategic pricing, professional marketing, and skilled negotiation.
Excluding real estate commissions, closing costs average 2.3% in Florida—about $9,545 on a median-priced home. This includes:
Florida homes now take a median of 70 days to sell, 13 days longer than last year. This extended timeline increases carrying costs.
It also means sellers are more likely to pay buyer concessions. The number of single-family homes for sale has increased 7.1% year-over-year, shifting the state toward a transitional market. In Tampa, Leon notes inventory is "15 to 20 times higher than in the 2020-2022 period." But there’s still good news: "Around 75% of homes are still receiving multiple offers," he says, although buyers are "asking for more concessions."
Several expenses routinely surprise Florida sellers, adding thousands to selling costs. Keep these potential costs in mind so you can accurately budget.
Home sellers spend an average of $5,400 on pre-sale updates. But it’s usually not necessary to spend quite that much fixing your house before selling. “We love when a roof and HVAC system are repaired, but they're also very costly,” Hedrick says. “So, we will be smart and try to negotiate those in the offer. The biggest thing sellers can do is make sure their interior paint is okay. The landscaping, too: Is the lawn mowed? Does the mulch need refreshing?”
Leon agrees that landscaping and painting are top priorities, and estimates sellers will spend about $1,500-$2,000 on these repairs. Mark Spain Real Estate provides photos and virtual staging at no cost.
However, roofing may be a pre-sale must-do if your area is hurricane-prone like Tampa, Leon says. “If your house needs a new roof because it’s 18 years old, given the situations we’ve been through with hurricanes, no insurance company is going to insure that. You’re not going to be able to sell it to anybody,” he says. Better to replace it before listing, unless you plan on selling as-is.
Then, there are post-inspection repairs to consider. These can surprise sellers. Sometimes, "we get into an inspection situation and we realize the HVAC system is jacked up," Hedrick explains. It’s not always necessary to pay for a full repair during closing, but buyer’s credits will still decrease your profit.
With Florida homes on the market for 70+ days, Hedrick and Leon both estimate carrying costs will run $5,000–$9,000, including mortgage payments, utilities, HOA fees, and insurance.
Florida has the highest insurance premiums nationally, with an average premium of $5,695 for a $300,000 house. Leon notes costs have "quadrupled in the last two years" due to hurricanes; a long time spent on the market means paying more of these high-priced premiums.
More than 44% of sales include seller concessions. "Buyers are very empowered in today's market," Hedrick says. Common concessions include closing costs, repair credits, and rate buy-downs.
“It gets a little creative,” Hedrick says. Buyers might ask for “closing costs paid for, repair concession, or creative financing like rate buydowns just to get them approved for the loan.”
Strategic decisions can significantly reduce expenses without compromising sale price.
There are several ways to sell your house, all with different associated costs and expected returns.
Full-service agents require paying commission, but often generate higher prices through maximum exposure. When you choose to work with an agent from Mark Spain Real Estate, you benefit from professional marketing, skilled negotiations, and expert contract handling.
Florida has the highest percentage of all-cash sales in the country. These offers typically come 10-12% below market but provide quick closing and minimal costs.
Leon reports that sellers take Mark Spain Real Estate's Guaranteed Offer, "walk away with 80–85% of home value," versus 60–65% through wholesalers. That can be a great compromise if you need to sell quickly but still want the best possible price for your home.
FSBO homes sold for $380,000 versus $435,000 for agent-assisted sales. Selling a house without an agent presents several marketing challenges, especially in today’s market. "Relying on signs and open houses is no longer sufficient,” Leon says.
Mark Spain Real Estate's unique approach gives you something most agencies can't: multiple paths to sell, all through one trusted agent relationship. Our agents will present all of your options with complete transparency, so you can make the right financial decision for your family.
We offer three options:
Our flexibility lets you compare real numbers, not hypotheticals. You'll see exactly what each path means for your net proceeds, timeline, and stress level, so you can make the right choice.
Successful sales start with realistic planning to prevent closing surprises.
Costs to sell your Florida home often land between 8% and 10% of the total sale price. Understanding these costs ahead of time helps you and your agent to right pre-sale decisions, like interior paint or landscaping investments, so you can position your home for maximum proceeds.
Florida's unique conditions, including high home insurance and frequent hurricanes, require local expertise. The right agent actively minimizes expenses while maximizing the sale price.
Ready to see exactly what you'll walk away with when you sell your Florida home? Mark Spain Real Estate's transparent approach ensures you understand every cost upfront, so contact us for a free consultation. Whether seeking top dollar through traditional listing or needing the speed of a cash offer, we'll show you all options, plus the real numbers behind each one.
Need to sell now? Get a strong cash offer on your home today.
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