Plain words
How Florida auctions really work
Short reads, written for someone about to bid for the first time. No hype, no promises, and every rule points at the statute it comes from.
Getting started · Monday, August 31
How the GovDeed score works, with the math
Four parts, fixed weights, every reason written out. What each part measures, what it cannot see, and why a 90 is not a recommendation.
Getting started · Monday, August 24
How to choose a tax sale data service
Seven questions to ask any site that sells auction data, and the honest answer GovDeed gives to each one.
Getting started · Monday, August 17
Deposits, payment deadlines, and what happens if you do not pay
Every Florida county wants money up front and the balance fast. The rules, the usual numbers, and the penalty for missing the clock.
Getting started · Monday, August 10
How to read a county auction listing
Every field on a Florida county auction page, what it means, and which ones change the math.
Tax deed · Monday, August 3
Lands available: buying the parcels nobody bid on, straight from the county
When a tax deed parcel gets no bid, Florida puts it on a list anyone can buy from. No auction, first come. What is on it, what it costs, and where to find each county's list.
Foreclosure · Monday, July 27
HOA foreclosures: the first mortgage does not go away
Association sales have the lowest opening bids on the calendar. Most of them come with a bank loan still attached. How to spot the ones that do not.
After you win · Monday, July 20
The liens that survive a tax deed, and the ones that survive a foreclosure
A sale wipes out some debts on a property and leaves others in place. Which is which depends on the kind of sale. Get this wrong and you bought someone else's mortgage.
After you win · Monday, July 13
Quiet title and title certification: why you cannot resell a tax deed house right away
The deed is real. The title insurance is not there yet. What the two fixes are, what they cost, and how long each one takes.
Tax deed · Monday, July 6
What the opening bid means, and why it is so far below the value
The opening bid is not a price. It is a debt. Here is what is in it, what is not, and what the gap to the assessed value does and does not tell you.
Tax deed · Monday, June 29
Redemption in Florida: when the owner can still stop the sale
There is no redemption after a Florida sale. Before the sale, the clock runs later than most people think. Here is exactly where it stops.
Foreclosure · Monday, June 22
Foreclosure auction or tax deed sale: the six differences that matter
Both are county auctions. They run on different laws, wipe out different liens, and pay out in different ways.
Tax deed · Monday, June 15
How a Florida tax deed sale works, step by step
From the unpaid tax bill to the deed in your hand. What happens, who does it, and where the numbers come from.