What Will I Net Selling My House in Central Florida?

How do I figure out what I'll actually walk away with when I sell my Orlando home?

Your net proceeds are your contract price minus every cost deducted before the wire hits your account: your mortgage payoff, broker commission, Florida Documentary Stamp Tax on the deed, title and settlement fees, prorated property taxes, HOA estoppel and dues, and any concessions or credits you've agreed to give the buyer. The structure is the same whether you're selling a $400,000 townhome in Ocoee or a $750,000 pool home in Windermere, but the exact dollar on every line is unique to your property, your loan balance, and your contract terms.

What Gets Deducted on a Florida Seller Net Sheet

Here's what I walk every seller through before we even talk about list price. Understanding the categories first keeps you from being surprised at the closing table.

Your mortgage payoff (and any liens)

This is usually the largest deduction. Your payoff is not your current statement balance, it includes per-diem interest through the projected closing date and any prepayment fees. If you have a home equity line of credit or a second mortgage, those pay off at closing too. Your lender provides an official payoff quote; I always recommend ordering it early so there are no surprises on the settlement statement.

Broker commission

Broker fees are fully negotiable and not set by lawthere is no standard, typical, or customary rate. The listing-side fee is agreed to in your listing agreement. Any compensation a seller chooses to offer a buyer's agent is optional and separately negotiated; it is not automatically part of the transaction, and offers of compensation are no longer shared on the MLS. If you want to know what commission would look like for your specific sale, that's a conversation to have directly with me before you sign anything.

Florida Documentary Stamp Tax on the deed

Florida imposes a Documentary Stamp Tax on deeds at a statutory rate of 70 cents per $100 of consideration (or fractional part). This rate is set by state law and applies uniformly across Orange, Seminole, Lake, Osceola, Polk, and every other Central Florida county when property is transferred. According to the Florida Department of Revenuethere are no county add-ons to this particular deed tax, it's the same statewide.

Who pays it? The Florida Bar's consumer guidance notes that under the standard Florida Realtors/Florida Bar residential contract, Doc Stamps on the deed are commonly charged to the seller, but this is a matter of contract and can be negotiated between the parties. Confirm how it's allocated in your specific purchase agreement.

Title insurance and settlement/closing fees

In the Orlando and Central Florida market, closing happens through a title company or real estate attorney acting as the settlement agent. That company handles the title search, coordinates lender documents, and prepares the Closing Disclosure or settlement statement.

Who pays which title fees depends on which contract option is selected and how it's negotiated. In many Central Florida transactions, the seller chooses the title company and pays the owner's title insurance premium and the settlement fee. In other scenarios, the buyer selects the closing agent and covers those costs. This is negotiable, don't assume one way or the other until you've read your contract.

The Stellar MLSwhich covers most of Central Florida, is the data backbone local agents and title companies use when preparing pre-listing net sheet estimates.

Prorated property taxes

Florida property taxes are paid in arrears, which means at closing you'll owe the buyer a credit for the portion of the current tax year that you owned the home. The exact proration depends on your county's millage rate and the closing date. For Orange County properties, assessed values and millage breakdowns are available through the Orange County Property Appraiser. For homes in Lake, Osceola, or Polk counties, check those counties' respective property appraisers for the figures your title company will use.

This line can move meaningfully depending on whether you close in January versus November, a later closing date means a larger tax proration credit to the buyer.

HOA estoppel fees, dues, and special assessments

If your home is in a community with a homeowners association, and in master-planned communities like Lake Nona, Horizon West, Waterleigh, or Stoneybrook West, it almost certainly is, your closing will include an HOA estoppel certificate fee and a proration of dues. Under Florida Realtors legal guidancethe estoppel certificate is the official document that confirms what you owe the association at closing. If there are any outstanding balances or special assessments, those appear on your net sheet too.

Buyer concessions and repair credits

Any credits you've agreed to give the buyer, for repairs, closing cost assistance, or price adjustments after inspection, come directly off your net. This is one of the most variable lines on the sheet and one of the most negotiable. I covered this in detail in my post on handling inspection repairs and buyer concessions in Central Floridaworth reading before you go under contract.

The Net Sheet Structure at $400K, $500K, and $750K

I can't publish dollar amounts for your costs here, every line depends on your loan balance, your HOA, your county's millage rate, your contract terms, and what you negotiate. What I can show you is the structure a Central Florida title company uses, so you know exactly what to expect when your agent or closing officer prepares your actual estimate.

The only way to get a real number is to run the actual figures. When I sit down with a seller, I don't show up with a sales pitch, I show up with a business plan, and that plan includes a preliminary net sheet built on your specific loan balance, your HOA documents, your county's current millage rate, and a realistic read of what the market will bear on price and concessions.

Why list price and net proceeds are not the same number

This is the conversation I have with nearly every seller before we go live. Your list price is a marketing number. Your contract price is what a buyer agrees to pay. Your net proceeds are what's left after every deduction above. The gap between list price and cash in hand can be significant, and it's different at $400K than at $750K, because some costs scale with price (Doc Stamps, commission) while others are relatively flat (settlement fees, estoppel).

Pricing your home right from day one matters here, too. If you overprice and then chase the market down with reductions, you don't just lose time, you often end up with a lower contract price and more buyer leverage on concessions. That double hit narrows your net more than most sellers expect. I wrote about this directly in my post on why Orlando sellers need to stop pricing like it's 2022.

The 2026 Central Florida market context

According to Realtor.com's 2026 National Housing ForecastU.S. existing-home prices are projected to rise modestly by about 2.2% in 2026, with national supply forecast to increase roughly 9% year-over-year, moving the market closer to balanced conditions at around 4.6 months of supply. Those are national figures. Central Florida's trajectory can differ materially, which is why neighborhood-level knowledge matters more than any national headline when you're deciding on price and timing. Your net sheet has to be built on what's actually happening in Ocoee or Dr. Phillips or Clermont right now, not on a national average.

Seller Disclosure: What You're Required to Tell Buyers in Florida

This doesn't show up on the net sheet as a dollar line, but it absolutely affects your liability and your closing. Florida does not have a single mandatory state-form disclosure statute for all residential sales, but sellers are legally obligated to disclose known material defects that are not readily observable to the buyer. This obligation comes from Florida case law, most notably Johnson v. Davisand from general fraud principles. The Florida Bar's consumer pamphlet on buying a home covers this clearly.

In Central Florida specifically, failure to disclose known issues, sinkhole activity, past flooding, major structural problems, is a real litigation risk. Buyers and their agents take disclosures seriously here. I always advise sellers to be thorough and honest; the cost of a disclosure conversation is nothing compared to the cost of a post-closing dispute.

Frequently Asked Questions

What costs get deducted from my sale price on a Florida seller net sheet?

The main deductions are your mortgage payoff(s), broker commission (negotiated in your listing agreement), Florida Documentary Stamp Tax on the deed at the statutory rate of $0.70 per $100 of the sale price, title insurance and settlement fees (allocation depends on your contract), prorated property taxes through closing, HOA estoppel fees and dues proration, and any buyer concessions or repair credits negotiated in the contract. Every line is specific to your transaction, a title company prepares the final figures.

In Central Florida, who pays the title company fees and owner's title insurance?

It depends on the contract. In many Central Florida transactions, the seller selects the title company and pays the owner's title insurance premium and the settlement fee. In other scenarios, the buyer chooses the closing agent and those costs shift accordingly. This is a negotiable term in the Florida Realtors/Florida Bar contract, confirm how it's allocated in your specific agreement before assuming anything.

How does the Florida Documentary Stamp Tax affect my net when I sell in Orlando?

Florida's Documentary Stamp Tax on deeds is set by state law at 70 cents per $100 of the sale price (or any fractional part), and it applies uniformly across every Central Florida county, including Orange, Seminole, Lake, Osceola, and Polk. Under the standard residential contract, this cost is commonly charged to the seller, though it is negotiable. The title company calculates the exact amount based on your final contract price.

Are property taxes and HOA dues prorated at closing when I sell in Orange or Seminole County?

Yes. Florida property taxes are paid in arrears, so at closing you'll owe the buyer a credit for the portion of the current tax year you owned the home. HOA dues are typically prorated as well, and the association issues an estoppel certificate confirming any outstanding balances or special assessments. The exact tax proration depends on your county's millage rate and the closing date, the Orange County Property Appraiser is the source your title company will use for Orange County properties.

If I still have a mortgage, how does the payoff show up on my seller net sheet?

Your mortgage payoff appears as a deduction from your gross sale proceeds on the settlement statement. It's not your current statement balance, it includes per-diem interest accrued through the projected closing date and any applicable fees. Your lender provides an official payoff quote, which the title company uses to calculate the exact deduction. If you have a HELOC or second mortgage, those pay off at closing too.

What's the difference between my list price, contract price, and cash in hand at closing?

Your list price is what you market the home for. Your contract price is what a buyer agrees to pay, which may be higher or lower after negotiation. Your net proceeds are what's left after all deductions, payoff, commission, taxes, title fees, concessions, and prorations, are subtracted from the contract price. The gap between list price and cash in hand can be substantial, which is why running a preliminary net sheet before you list is one of the most important steps in the selling process.

Get Your Personalized Net Sheet Before You List

The structure above tells you what to expect. The only number that actually matters is yours, built on your loan balance, your HOA, your county's millage rate, and a realistic contract price for your specific home in today's Central Florida market.

I prepare a detailed preliminary net sheet for every seller before we agree on a strategy. It's part of the business plan I bring to every listing appointment, and it's how you go into the sale knowing exactly what you're working with. Schedule a consultation with the Eve Metlis Team and we'll run your numbers together.

Equal Housing Opportunity. Eve Metlis is licensed with Watson Realty Corp., regulated by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR). This article is general information only and is not legal, tax, or financial advice. All information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Readers should confirm their own costs, tax obligations, and transaction details with their attorney, tax advisor, lender, or closing officer. Broker fees and commissions are fully negotiable and not set by law.