Start here: which clock is ticking?
Find your situation, then read the guide that fits.
Florida statutes and Duval County procedures verified September 2026.
Guides for your situation
Start with the one that sounds like you. Each one covers the clock, your options, and what to watch for.
Probate and heirs
Inherited a house
Probate, heirs, and a house nobody asked for.
Foreclosure
Behind on the mortgage
Florida makes the bank go to court. That's your advantage, if you use the time.
Moving on
Need to sell, any reason
A job in another state, a growing family, a house you're tired of carrying. No court, no deadline, just a decision.
Know your position
Five short guides that work for any situation.
Your numbers
Know what it's worth
Everyone who phones you already did this. Now you can too.
What buyers say
Red flags
The lines you will hear from buyers, what each one means, and what to do.
Scams to avoid
Traps
The schemes that find people who need to sell, and the Florida law that's on your side.
Our end of the deal
What we carry
Easy for you isn't the same as easy. Here's the work we take off your plate.
Use it first
Free help
Counselors, legal aid, emergency money and property fraud alerts. All free.
Every situation at a glance
The clock that matters and the top 3 options, best fit first.
Need to sell, any reason (job, family, downsizing, tired of the house)
The clock that matters
No legal clock. Your clock is the next chapter: the start date, the lease, the closing on the next house. Set it yourself, in writing.
Top 3 options, best fit first
- List with an agent if the house is ready and you have 60 to 120 days
- Sell to a direct buyer if you need a date, certainty, or to skip the work; get paid, then move
- Rent it out if you can be a landlord from where you're going
Inherited a house, no probate opened
The clock that matters
Mortgage, taxes (due Nov 1), insurance keep running. Creditors: 3 months after notice is published; 2-year absolute bar.
Top 3 options, best fit first
- Open the right probate (summary if the estate is under $150K or death over 2 years ago; formal otherwise) and sell during it
- Keep or rent: retitle first
- Buy out siblings at appraised value
Behind on mortgage, no lawsuit yet
The clock that matters
Lender can't file until you're more than 120 days late (federal rule). Every month adds fees.
Top 3 options, best fit first
- Reinstate, repayment plan, forbearance
- Loan modification (free through the servicer or a HUD counselor)
- Sell: you keep the equity
Foreclosure filed (lis pendens)
The clock that matters
20 days to answer. Judgment, then sale 20 to 35 days later. Redemption ends when the certificate of sale is filed.
Top 3 options, best fit first
- Complete loss-mitigation package more than 37 days before the sale (the sale can't proceed until it's answered)
- Sell before the sale date
- Short sale or deed in lieu with a written deficiency waiver, or Chapter 13
Sale date is set
The clock that matters
35 days or less. Redeem until the certificate of sale, then a 10-day objection window, then the certificate of title, then the writ: 24 hours to leave.
Top 3 options, best fit first
- Pay off or close a sale inside the window; close, get paid, stay
- Chapter 13 stay (only if you can fund a plan)
- Let it go, then claim the surplus yourself (free)
HOA or condo threatens a lien
The clock that matters
45-day lien notice, then 45-day foreclosure notice, then foreclosed like a mortgage. Homestead is NOT a defense. Fines under $1,000 can't become a lien.
Top 3 options, best fit first
- Pay, or a written payment plan
- Sell; arrears paid at closing
- Dispute improper fines (14-day notice and a hearing are required)
Code enforcement fines or lien
The clock that matters
$250 or $500 per day (up to $5,000) until compliance. Lien lasts 20 years. Can't foreclose a homestead, but blocks any sale or refinance.
Top 3 options, best fit first
- Comply, then the City Lien Reduction Program
- Sell as it sits to a buyer who takes the violations
- Contest at the magistrate hearing
Divorce
The clock that matters
Court dates set the pace; a joint mortgage accrues against both credit files.
Top 3 options, best fit first
- Sell and split
- One spouse refinances and buys out
- Hold jointly on a written schedule
Tired landlord, non-paying tenant
The clock that matters
Uncontested eviction about 4 to 6 weeks; every month is lost rent.
Top 3 options, best fit first
- Sell with the tenant in place
- Cash for keys, then sell
- Evict, then sell or re-rent
Vacant house, squatters
The clock that matters
Vandalism, insurance denial, code fines. Florida's 2024 law: sheriff removal by affidavit (§82.036).
Top 3 options, best fit first
- Secure, insure, sell
- Sheriff removal, then sell
- Rent it
Job loss, medical, relocation, military
The clock that matters
Same mortgage clock. Active duty, on loans from before service: SCRA 6% interest cap, and no foreclosure without a court order until 1 year after service.
Top 3 options, best fit first
- Forbearance or repayment plan
- Sell before default
- Rent it, or sell with post-closing occupancy
Uninhabitable (fire, hoarding, insurance dropped)
The clock that matters
Insurer deadlines; code enforcement; carrying costs with no use.
Top 3 options, best fit first
- File the claim, then decide
- Sell as it sits
- Demolish and rebuild (rarely pencils)
Reverse mortgage came due
The clock that matters
30 days to respond; about 6 months to sell or pay, extensions to about 12. Keep it for the lesser of the balance or 95% of appraised value.
Top 3 options, best fit first
- Sell; keep any equity
- Pay 95% and keep
- Deed in lieu; no deficiency (non-recourse)
Underwater
The clock that matters
Same foreclosure clock. Deficiency: the lender has 1 year after the sale to sue; owner-occupied capped at judgment minus market value.
Top 3 options, best fit first
- Loan modification or forbearance
- Short sale with a deficiency waiver in writing
- Deed in lieu with a waiver
Seven ground rules
- The clock beats the price. Every situation has a date after which options disappear.
- Do the equity math before anyone does it for you. (see the Know what it's worth guide)
- Know what it's worth in 30 minutes, before you take any call. (see the Know what it's worth guide)
- There are only five exits: keep · sell normally · sell fast as it sits · hand it back with a written deficiency waiver · let it go, and still claim your surplus.
- Why your phone is ringing: a lis pendens, a probate filing or a tax delinquency is public record within days. Being contacted isn't the problem. Signing before you know your position is.
- Vet any buyer in 15 minutes: an active Florida entity on Sunbiz · a Florida address and phone · a title company you can call yourself · proof of funds on request · a contract you're free to take to a lawyer. Never sign a deed anywhere but a closing table. (see the Red flags guide)
- Free help exists. Use it first. (see the Free help guide)
This guide explains Florida procedure in plain language. It isn't legal advice. For your situation, talk to a lawyer; free options are in our Free help guide.
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