Own a Florida lot that owes HOA dues or has a CDD on the tax bill? See how those get cleared at closing with an estoppel, and how to sell the lot as-is.
You own a vacant lot in a Florida subdivision that charges dues, or that has a CDD on the tax bill. The lot sits empty and the bills keep coming anyway. Maybe you have even fallen behind. You can still sell it, and the money owed gets sorted out at closing, not out of your pocket in advance. Here is how it works.
Not every subdivision is the same. Some, like Marion Oaks, have no association at all. Others charge a full yearly fee on a lot with nothing built on it.
If yours has a mandatory homeowners association, the dues apply whether you ever build or not. And unpaid dues do not just vanish. They can become a lien on the lot, which has to be cleared before or when you sell. Falling behind is common and it does not trap you, but it does need to be handled.
A lot of Florida owners mix these up. They are two separate things and a lot can have one, the other, both, or neither.
An HOA is a homeowners association. It charges dues and runs the neighborhood rules. A CDD is a community development district. It is a special district that borrowed money to build the roads, water lines, and drainage when the subdivision was created, and it charges an assessment to pay that debt back over time.
The key difference for you is where it shows up. HOA dues are billed by the association. A CDD assessment shows up as a line on your county property tax bill. So if you see a CDD charge, it rides along with your taxes.
This is the part that gives people relief. You do not clear the dues or the CDD out of your own pocket first. It happens as part of the sale.
For the HOA, the title company requests an estoppel certificate. That is a signed statement from the association that lists exactly what is owed on the lot as of a certain date. Florida law makes the association provide it within ten business days, and it caps what they can charge for it. The title company then pays the association out of the sale money and gets a clear payoff.
For the CDD, because it sits on the tax bill, it is handled with the taxes at closing, the same way any property tax is.
So at a normal closing the title company adds up the dues, the CDD balance, and any back taxes, pays them from the sale money, and pays you the rest. The liens come off as part of the sale.
If you are behind, that is common and it does not block a sale. The past-due amount simply comes off the top of the price at closing, along with any interest or fees the estoppel lists. You are not asked to bring that money to the table first.
What it does affect is the number. A lot that owes years of back dues, or that carries a heavy CDD balance, is worth less, because whoever buys it inherits those costs going forward. That is honest and it is part of any fair offer.
You do not have to catch up the dues, settle with the association, or clear the CDD before you sell. A cash land buyer takes the lot with the dues and the CDD attached and sorts it out through the title company.
We are a small, private Florida company. We put vacant residential land under contract and see it through to closing at a licensed title company. We are not agents. We do not list your lot.
The price we can offer is below full retail, and the dues and any CDD balance come off on top of that. We tell you that up front. In exchange there is no fee, no commission, and no showings, and you stop the yearly bills for good.
You can also list the lot with a Florida agent or sell it yourself. On a lot with light dues and real demand, that may put more in your pocket. We will tell you honestly which road looks better. If you want to check the value first, here is how to find what your lot is worth.
Write to us. The parcel number is ideal. A street name, or a block and lot, works too.
We do the county homework ourselves, at no cost to you, and we can help sort out what the dues and any CDD actually are.
You get a written offer. Take your time with it.
A licensed title company handles the closing. It pulls the estoppel, settles the dues, the CDD, and any back taxes, clears the title, and pays you.
Yes. Owing HOA dues does not stop a sale. At closing the title company requests an estoppel certificate from the association, pays what is owed out of the sale money, and pays you the rest. You do not have to catch up the dues from your own pocket first.
It is a signed statement from the homeowners association listing exactly what a lot owes as of a certain date, including dues, any special assessments, and fees. Florida law makes the association provide it within ten business days of a request and caps what they can charge for it. The title company uses it to pay the association a clear amount at closing.
A CDD is a community development district. It charges an assessment to repay the debt from building the subdivision's roads and utilities, and that assessment shows up on your county property tax bill. Because it rides with the taxes, it is settled at closing the same way property taxes are.
Yes. Being behind is common and does not block a sale. The past-due amount, plus any interest or fees on the estoppel, comes off the top of the price at closing. It does lower what the lot is worth, because the buyer takes on the ongoing dues, but you can still turn it into cash.
No. You can list the lot with a Florida agent or sell it yourself. The price we can offer is below full retail, and we say so openly. We will tell you honestly if listing is likely to get you more.
Write, call, or type a few lines. A real person, not a call center.
A few lines about your land is plenty.
If we miss your call, leave a message. We call back, usually within one business day.
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