Selling a House in Orlando

We buy houses in Orlando and surrounding Central Florida communities. This page explains which local offices hold the records on your property and what to check before you sell.

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Quick answer

The first thing to find out about an “Orlando” house is whether it is actually inside the City of Orlando. A large share of Orlando mailing addresses are in unincorporated Orange County or in a neighboring city, and that decides which office handles code enforcement, permits and liens on your property. Once you know, you can look up what is open against the house and choose between repairing, listing and selling as-is with real information.

City of Orlando, or Orange County?

A mailing address ending in “Orlando, FL” is set by the post office, not by city limits. Places such as Pine Hills, Conway, Union Park and much of the area around the attractions use Orlando addresses but are governed by Orange County, and small cities such as Belle Isle and Edgewood sit inside the same zip codes.

To check, search your address on the Orange County Property Appraiser site. The parcel record shows the taxing jurisdiction, along with the owner of record, legal description, assessed value and sales history. It matters because:

  • Inside city limits, the City of Orlando handles code enforcement and building permits.
  • In unincorporated Orange County, the county does.

What to look up before you sell

Code cases and liens

For property inside the city, City of Orlando Code Enforcement lets you look up a case by address or parcel, get lien payoff information and pay a lien online. The city’s Code Enforcement Board will consider a request to reduce a fine only after the property has been brought into compliance. Our guide to selling a house with code violations or liens in Florida explains how fines become liens.

Open and expired permits

Older Orlando houses often carry a permit that was pulled years ago and never closed. The city has a specific process for this: see Conduct a Title Search on the city’s permitting pages. For unincorporated addresses, use Orange County permits and licenses.

Historic districts

Orlando has locally designated historic districts near downtown, including Lake Eola Heights and Lake Cherokee, as well as individual landmarks. Exterior changes and demolition in these areas generally need review by the city before work starts, which affects what a buyer can do with the house. Check the city’s Historic Preservation page to see whether your property is covered.

Deeds, mortgages and recorded liens

Recorded documents for Orange County, including deeds, mortgages, judgments and recorded liens, are kept in the official records maintained by the Orange County Comptroller. This is where you confirm whose name is on the deed, which matters most with an inherited house.

Official property resources for Orlando

Selling costs and considerations

Orlando’s housing ranges from 1920s bungalows near downtown to 1950s and 60s block homes and recent subdivisions, and the age of the house shapes the sale. Insurers in Florida commonly ask for a four-point inspection on older homes, covering the roof, electrical, plumbing and air conditioning, and a buyer who cannot insure a house usually cannot finance it. On the cost side, a traditional sale typically involves agent commission, which is negotiable, plus title and closing costs, any repairs a buyer asks for, and the taxes, insurance and utilities you pay until closing.

As-is versus a traditional sale

Listing usually brings the highest price when the house is insurable, financeable and shows well. An as-is cash sale usually brings less, in exchange for no repairs and a shorter timeline, which can matter with an open code case or a house a lender will not finance. Put your own figures into the cash sale vs traditional sale calculator to see what each would leave you.

Property problem guides

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Matthew Buys Houses is a private home buyer and is not affiliated with the City of Orlando, Orange County or any government office. Office procedures and web addresses change, so confirm details with the office itself. This page is general information, not legal advice.