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A Florida foreclosure max bid is the resale value, minus your profit, your costs, the repairs and every lien that survives the sale. Set that number before the clock starts, then add what the clerk charges on top.

1. Your maximum bid

$345,000

From comparable sales, not the listing sites.

$30,000

You cannot go inside, so pad this.

$0

Senior mortgages, unpaid assessments, taxes, municipal liens.

10%

Share of the resale value.

12.5%

Share of the resale value.

Your max bid

$237,375

There is room here.

Write this number down before the sale and do not cross it.

Where the $345,000 goes

  • Your max bid
  • Repairs
  • Surviving liens
  • Costs
  • Your profit
Deposit due at the sale (5%)
$11,869
Balance to wire by the clerk's deadline
$225,506
Costs budgeted
$34,500
Profit if you hit your numbers
$43,125

A planning tool, not advice. It is only as good as your title work and your repair estimate.

2. What the clerk adds on top

The winning bid is not the whole bill. The clerk adds a court registry fee of 3% of the first $500 and 1.5% of the rest under Florida Statute 28.24(10), and documentary stamps of $0.70 per $100 under section 201.02 (Miami-Dade charges $0.60, plus a surtax on property that is not a single-family home). Most counties also charge a sale fee.

The deposit is 5% of your bid. The rest is due on the county's deadline, which in some counties is the same day.

Deadlines by countyWhich liens survive
Winning bid
$250,000
Court registry fee
$3,758
Documentary stamps
$1,750
Clerk sale fee
$70

Cash you need, all in

$255,578

Deposit at the sale: $12,500. The rest is due on the clerk's deadline.

Registry fee under Fla. Stat. §28.24(10), documentary stamps under §201.02 at $0.70 per $100. The clerk's sale fee varies by county. Confirm current figures with the clerk before you bid.

3. What to do with the number

A max bid is only as good as the title work and the repair estimate behind it. Write it down, then check it.