How to Sell My House Fast in Miami-Dade (Without Losing Your Equity)
Read this before you take a cash offer: how fast-sale offers are priced, what you actually keep, and how to move quickly without giving away your equity.
Four ways to sell fast, and what each one costs you
A job move, a divorce, an inherited house, a payment you can't make: the reasons differ, but the question is the same. How fast can I sell, and how much do I keep? Speed and price trade against each other, and the choice you make in the first week often decides which one you get.
"I started in this business on the investor side, as a wholesaler. I went through the trainings and the boot camps, and I learned the formula investors use to price a house in trouble. I have watched too many families hand over most of their equity because nobody showed them that math. This guide shows it to you."
Norman Hodge, Broker
| Option | Typical time to close | What you give up |
|---|---|---|
| "We buy houses" cash investor or wholesaler | 1 to 2 weeks | Often a third to half of the home's value, built into the price |
| Instant-offer company | 2 to 4 weeks | A service fee plus repair deductions; compare the net, not the headline offer |
| List as-is, priced to sell | About 2 to 3 months, often faster | A little time; cash buyers still bid, but against everyone else |
| Light prep, then list | About 3 months | A few weeks and a modest budget for paint, cleaning and yard |
"We buy houses for cash": the math behind the offer
The pitch sounds good: no agent fees, no repairs, close in a week. What it leaves out is the formula many investors use to set the price. It is taught openly in investor courses, and it is called the 70% rule.
Investor's maximum offer = (value after repairs × 70%) − cost of repairs
The 30% the investor holds back covers their closing costs, holding costs and profit. If the buyer is a wholesaler, who puts your house under contract and then sells that contract to another investor, their fee comes out of your side too.
| Example home | Light repairs | Heavier repairs |
|---|---|---|
| Value once repaired | $400,000 | $400,000 |
| Repairs the investor estimates | $25,000 | $60,000 |
| 70% of value | $280,000 | $280,000 |
| Investor's top offer | $255,000 (64% of value) | $220,000 (55% of value) |
| Offer from a wholesaler taking a $15,000 fee | $240,000 (60%) | $205,000 (51%) |
That is how a "fair cash offer" lands at half to two-thirds of what the house is worth. Figures are an illustration, not a quote. Source for the formula: Lima One Capital, "The 70% Rule."
What that means for your pocket
Same light-repair home, sold as-is. Say you owe $255,000 once the loan balance, any missed payments and fees are added up.
| Cash investor | Listed as-is with an agent | |
|---|---|---|
| Sale price | $255,000 | $375,000 (as-is value: $400,000 less the $25,000 of repairs) |
| Selling costs | Buyer pays | $30,000 (8% for this example: brokerage, title, doc stamps, closing) |
| Paid to your lender | $255,000 | $255,000 |
| What you walk away with | $0 | $90,000 |
| Time to close | 1 to 2 weeks | About 2 to 3 months |
The cash buyer did not charge you a fee. You paid $90,000 instead, in the price.
The trade-off is time, and that is the whole point of this guide. A listed sale needs a few months. Start early and you can take the higher number. Wait until the last few weeks, and a fast cash sale may be the only choice left. Even then, get more than one offer and have someone on your side check the math.
How to sell fast and still get market value
- Price it from closed sales, not hopes. A home priced right from day one gets its strongest attention in the first two weeks. An overpriced home sits, and a sitting home is how sellers end up taking a cash offer anyway.
- List it as-is. You don't have to fix it. Disclose what you know, and have the roof permit date, a 4-point and a wind-mitigation report ready so buyers can get insurance.
- Let cash buyers compete in the open. Investors watch the MLS too. When your home is listed, they bid against owner-occupant buyers instead of naming their own price at your kitchen table.
- Offer the terms buyers value. A flexible or quick closing date, a short rent-back if you need time to move, and the documents ready on day one.
- Compare every offer by your net. Put price, costs, repairs, closing date and conditions side by side. The biggest number is not always the best offer, and the fastest is rarely the best-paying.
If you are behind on payments: how your options narrow
The day you miss a payment, you have more choices than you will ever have again. Florida foreclosures go through the courts, so there is a timeline, and it runs in one direction.
| Stage | When it usually happens | What is still on the table |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 3 missed payments | Months 1 to 3 | Almost everything: catch up, a repayment plan, forbearance, a loan modification, a refinance, or a full-price sale on the open market |
| Past 120 days late | Month 4 and later | Federal rules let the lender file for foreclosure once you are more than 120 days behind (12 CFR 1024.41). A market sale still works, and the clock is running |
| Lawsuit filed and served | Often months 5 to 8 | You have 20 days to respond to the court papers. A sale or a loan workout can still happen |
| Final judgment | Often a year or more in Miami-Dade | The court sets a sale date 20 to 35 days out (Fla. Stat. 45.031). That is too short for most financed buyers |
| Auction and certificate of sale | Days after the sale | You can still pay off the debt until the clerk files the certificate of sale (Fla. Stat. 45.0315). If the home sold for more than was owed, you may claim the surplus |
A listed sale at full market value needs roughly 30 to 60 days to find a buyer and 30 to 45 more to close. Start while you still have that time.
| Option | What it is | Best when |
|---|---|---|
| Repayment plan | You pay the missed amount over a few months on top of your regular payment | The hardship is over and your income is back |
| Forbearance | The lender lowers or pauses payments for a set time | The hardship is short |
| Loan modification | The lender changes the loan terms to make the payment affordable | You can pay, just not the current payment |
| Sell on the open market | List the home and sell at market value | You have equity and a few months before a sale date |
| Short sale | The lender agrees to accept less than is owed | You owe more than the home is worth |
| Deed in lieu | You hand the home back to the lender instead of foreclosure | Keeping or selling is not realistic |
Only your lender can approve a repayment plan, forbearance or modification. Call your servicer and ask for a "loss mitigation" application.
Red flags, and free help
Red flags:
- Anyone who wants money up front to "save" your home. You do not have to pay anyone to help you avoid foreclosure.
- "Sign the deed over to us, and you can rent it back and buy it back later." Florida strictly regulates these deals. Never sign over your deed without your own attorney reading it first.
- "Stop paying your lender and pay us instead."
- Any guarantee that foreclosure will stop.
Free help:
- HUD-approved housing counselors, free: HOPE Hotline, 888-995-4673, 24/7.
- Miami-Dade County Mortgage Relief Program: up to $3,500 toward late mortgage payments, HOA fees, insurance or utilities for eligible homeowners. Call 305-438-4161 to check whether it is taking applications.
- A Florida attorney if you have been served with court papers. The 20-day deadline is real.
This week: your checklist
- Get your home's value from recent closed sales (realhodge.com/home-value).
- If you have a mortgage, ask your servicer for a written payoff amount.
- If you are behind, request a loss-mitigation application and call the HOPE Hotline.
- If you were served, write down the 20-day response date and call an attorney.
- Put every offer side by side by what you would net and when.
- Do not sign anything from someone who knocked on your door or mailed you an offer until someone on your side has read it.
If selling is the right move, Real Hodge Group is paid a commission only when your home sells, at the closing table, under a written listing agreement. Never up front. Want it on paper? Get the free PDF of this guide from the form on this page.
Frequently asked questions
How fast can I sell my house in Miami-Dade?
A cash investor can often close in 1 to 2 weeks. A home listed as-is and priced from recent closed sales typically finds a buyer in 30 to 60 days and closes 30 to 45 days later; a cash buyer found through the listing can close sooner.
How do "we buy houses" companies calculate their offer?
Many use the 70% rule: the home's value after repairs times 70%, minus the repairs. On a $400,000 home needing $25,000 of work, that is $255,000, about 64% of value, before any wholesaler fee.
Are "we buy houses" companies legit?
Many are real businesses, and some sellers need their speed. The issue is price: compare any cash offer with what the home would net listed as-is, get more than one offer, and have someone on your side read the contract.
Can I sell my house as-is in Florida?
Yes. You can list and sell as-is, disclosing what you know about the home. Having the roof permit date, a 4-point and a wind-mitigation report ready helps buyers get insurance.
Can I still sell if I am behind on my mortgage?
Yes. You can sell at any point until the clerk files the certificate of sale after a foreclosure auction, but a full-price market sale needs a few months, so start early.
Do I have to pay anything up front?
No. Real Hodge Group is paid a commission only at closing, under a written listing agreement. Never pay anyone up front to save your home.
Need to sell, and soon?
Get a free, private conversation with Norman. We will look at what your home would sell for, what you owe and how much time you have, then lay out every option, including the ones that do not involve us. If selling is the right move, we are paid only at closing. Never up front.
Norman Hodge — Broker · CIPS · SRS. 15+ years closing cross-border Miami transactions. Certified International Property Specialist.
Consuelo Hodge — Co-Founder · Broker Associate. Specialist in international and luxury transactions.
