Selling a House ‘As Is’ in Florida

Looking to sell a house “as is” in Florida? Whether you’ve got a fixer-upper or recently inherited a relative’s home, sometimes the goal is to skip repairs, get a fair offer, and move on.

In Florida, the concept of selling a property without negotiating repairs is so alluring that “the percentage of as-is sellers is probably 99%,” reports top real estate agent JoAnn Jacobs.

“Because the market is competitive and it’s so common, it’s just assumed most properties are being sold as-is,” she says. “Most buyers enter the market and expect to make an as-is offer anyway.”

JoAnn and her business partner and husband, Thomas “Tom” Jacobs, have sold real estate in Tallahassee, Florida, for more than 27 years and have completed the sale of 100% of their listings.

“Sellers are interested in listing their home as-is because they want a sale with an easy transaction and a lot less hassle,” says Tom.

There are typically two types of as-is sellers. “Some sellers know the house is a fixer-upper, and they want to price and sell it accordingly,” he says.

Other sellers have taken care of their home, and the house is clean, livable, and functional with no major repairs necessary. “Especially in the seller’s market, they list as-is because they don’t want to discount their house or be liable for repairs later on,” he explains.

Frequently, the inspection serves as the buyers’ safety net. “If the inspection shows some damage that nobody was aware of,”  Tom explains, “it usually results in renegotiation of the deal — either the price or the repair gets fixed.”

However, selling a house as-is usually means accepting a lower offer, and it doesn’t always prevent buyers from trying to negotiate savings. Let’s take a closer look at how to sell a house as-is in Florida, your options for getting an offer, and what to expect from the process.