A cash purchase of Florida real estate - outside of any court sale process - typically runs through a standard purchase contract, a title company or real estate closing attorney, and a title search, ending in a recorded deed. It is a materially different process from a judicial sale: there is a negotiated contract, a due diligence period, and normal title insurance, rather than an as-is sale with no inspection contingency.
| Documentary stamp tax on the deed | $0.70 per $100 of purchase price statewide - $0.60 per $100 for single-family property in Miami-Dade County, plus surtax for other property types there |
|---|---|
| Title search and title insurance | Owner’s title policy premium, set by state-filed rates; often negotiated between buyer and seller as to who pays |
| Title/closing agent fee | Charged by the title company or closing attorney handling the transaction |
| Recording fees | Charged by the county to record the deed |
Purchase price, closing date, what is included (fixtures, appliances), any inspection or due diligence period, and financing contingency (typically waived or absent on a genuine cash deal). The Florida Realtors/Florida Bar contract form is one common template, though contracts are negotiable and not required to use any specific form.
The due diligence or inspection period, when included, is the buyer’s main protection on a standard purchase - it does not exist on an as-is judicial sale, which is one of the largest practical differences between the two acquisition paths.
A title company or a real estate closing attorney, chosen by negotiation between buyer and seller. That party runs the title search, prepares closing documents, holds and disburses funds, and records the deed with the county.
Florida allows either a title company or an attorney to close a transaction - unlike some states that require an attorney - which is part of why closing costs and process can vary noticeably between deals.
A state tax on the deed transferring the property, generally $0.70 per $100 of the purchase price statewide, with Miami-Dade County at $0.60 per $100 for single-family residential property (plus an additional surtax for other property types there). By custom the seller typically pays it in most of Florida, though this is negotiable in the contract like any other closing cost.
UNVERIFIED: local custom on who pays documentary stamp tax varies by county and market and is ultimately whatever the contract states - do not assume a default without confirming for the specific transaction.
An owner’s title insurance policy protects the buyer against a defect in the chain of title that a title search did not catch - an undisclosed lien, a forged prior deed, an heir who was never properly cleared - that surfaces after closing. The premium is a one-time cost at closing, set by state-filed promulgated rates in Florida rather than freely priced.
This differs from a purchase where standard title insurance is not readily available without extra steps first - a distinction covered in more detail in our guide on title insurance and quiet title actions for tax deed purchases.
There is no fixed timeline - it depends on the contract terms - but a cash deal with no financing contingency and a clean title commonly closes in one to three weeks from contract to closing, faster than a financed purchase because there is no lender underwriting or appraisal to wait on.
The title search itself, and clearing anything it turns up, is usually the pacing item on a cash deal rather than financing.
It skips lender-required protections specifically - an appraisal, lender-mandated title insurance, and underwriting review - which some buyers mistakenly treat as their own due diligence. A cash buyer who wants an independent valuation, a full inspection, or a survey has to arrange each of those themselves; nothing requires it the way a lender would.
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