Which seller lists sell in Florida? 65 counties, counted
By Josh MillerUpdated 4 min readAcross the Florida counties we could measure, the list that sold best was owners with a foreclosure filed: about 13 of every 100 sold off-market within 12 months, against about 1.1 for a house picked at random. Free and clear owners, the most-mailed list, sold at about 1.4 per 100.
Across 65 Florida counties with records we could trust, about 1.2 of every 100 single-family homes sold off-market in an arm's-length sale over 12 months, about 81,588 homes, and about 27 of every 100 sales went without an MLS listing. Which of those sellers could you have found on a list first? We counted every list in every Florida county with enough records to measure.
The count, list by list
| List | Of every 100, sold | Any house, at random | Counties | Owners on it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Foreclosure filed | 13.1 | 1.1 | 20 | 10,353 |
| Listing expired or cancelled | 8.0 | 1.2 | 41 | 70,185 |
| Lien filed against the property | 4.8 | 1.2 | 28 | 27,812 |
| Behind on taxes, 5 or more years | 4.2 | 1.3 | 8 | 8,587 |
| Behind on taxes, 2 to 4 years | 3.6 | 1.3 | 46 | 167,036 |
| Sitting vacant | 2.5 | 1.2 | 28 | 77,298 |
| High equity, living elsewhere | 1.5 | 1.3 | 60 | 892,565 |
| Owns it free and clear | 1.4 | 1.3 | 65 | 2,518,103 |
| Judgment against the owner | 1.2 | 1.3 | 11 | 15,293 |
| Owner 65+, living elsewhere | 0.8 | 1.3 | 38 | 242,022 |
Source: GoForClose count of off-market, arm's-length deeds in county records. A county is counted for a list only where the list was big enough to measure; lists measurable in fewer than 3 Florida counties are left out. Counties whose records don't mark MLS sales are left out entirely.
What stands out
Foreclosure filings lead. About 13 of every 100 owners with a foreclosure filed sold off-market within a year, across 20 counties, ahead of expired listings at about 8. Florida's long court process gives investors months to reach these owners. Duval County, Jacksonville, stood out: about 19 of every 100 foreclosure owners and 8 of every 100 lien owners sold off-market within a year.
Florida sells on the MLS. Only about 27 of every 100 sales in the measured counties went off-market, one of the lowest shares we saw. The off-market pond is smaller here, so the list matters more.
The biggest counties
| County | Listing expired or cancelled | Foreclosure filed | Lien filed against the property | Sitting vacant | Owns it free and clear | Any house |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miami-Dade County | 12.8 | 10.2 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 1.2 | 1.1 |
| Hillsborough County | 5.7 | 13.2 | 3.5 | 3.4 | 1.4 | 1.2 |
| Broward County | 9.9 | 9.2 | 4.4 | 1.8 | 1.2 | 0.9 |
| Palm Beach County | 6.7 | 9.2 | 3.6 | 1.5 | 0.8 | 0.7 |
| Orange County | 6.2 | 11.0 | 3.3 | 2.6 | 1.2 | 0.9 |
Source: GoForClose count of off-market, arm's-length deeds in county records.
How Florida forecloses
Florida forecloses through the courts. The lender files a lawsuit and records a lis pendens, and a judge has to enter a judgment before the clerk sells the house, which often takes a year or more. That sets how long a pre-foreclosure owner has, and how long you should keep writing. What the filing is called, state by state. This is general information, not legal advice.
Check your county
The state number hides real differences between counties. Or see when each list sells in any Florida county.
Questions investors ask
What is the best motivated seller list in Florida?
Across the Florida counties we could measure, owners with a foreclosure filed: about 13 of every 100 sold off-market within 12 months, across 20 counties. A house picked at random sold at about 1.1 per 100.
How many homes sell off-market in Florida?
About 81,588 single-family homes sold off-market in an arm's-length sale over 12 months across 65 Florida counties we could measure, about 1.2 of every 100 homes and 27 of every 100 sales.
Should I mail free and clear owners in Florida?
Not first. Free and clear owners sold off-market at about 1.4 per 100 within a year across 65 Florida counties, about the rate of a random house. Lists that start with a filing sold far better.
Does Florida foreclose through the courts?
Florida forecloses through the courts. The lender files a lawsuit and records a lis pendens, and a judge has to enter a judgment before the clerk sells the house, which often takes a year or more.