What you actually walk away with at the closing table.

Florida charges documentary stamp tax on the deed at $0.70 per $100 of the sale price in every county except Miami-Dade, which has its own rate. On a $450,000 sale that is $3,150, and by custom it is a seller cost across most of the state. It is separate from the recording fees and from the tax on any new mortgage, which the buyer pays.

It is negotiable and it is regional custom. In most of Central Florida the seller customarily pays for the owner’s title policy and chooses the closing agent; in parts of South Florida that flips to the buyer. Florida uses a promulgated rate, so the premium itself does not vary between companies at a given price — what varies is the settlement and search fees layered on top, and those are worth comparing.

Florida bills property tax in arrears — the bill that arrives in November covers the year that is ending. So at closing you credit the buyer for the portion of the year you owned the home, and they pay the whole bill when it comes due. It usually shows up as a debit against your proceeds rather than a cheque you write, which is why it surprises sellers who were not expecting it on the settlement statement.