Foreclosure first, because Florida runs it through the courts. The lender files, the case sits in front of a 17th Circuit judge, and nothing sells until there is a final judgment. Once there is, state law puts the sale between 20 and 35 days out unless the plaintiff agrees to push it. The sale runs online at broward.realforeclose.com, bidders post a 5 percent deposit by 3 PM the business day before, and the winner owes the balance by noon the next business day. After the clerk files the certificate of sale there is a 10-day objection window, then the certificate of title. If your seller already has a sale date, you are working against that calendar, not yours.

Probate in Broward is handled at the Central Courthouse at 201 S.E. 6th Street. Local attorneys say a personal representative can be appointed in a few weeks when the paperwork is clean, and the circuit is strict about its own forms and e-filing portal, so a sloppy filing costs time. Creditors get three months from the first published notice. If the parent passed more than two years ago, summary administration may be available, which is often how an heir who sat on a Lauderhill or Hollywood house for years finally gets it sellable. Check the homestead question early. A surviving spouse or a minor child changes who can sign.

Tax deeds work differently here than people expect. Broward's Tax Collector, not the clerk, runs the deed auctions, monthly and online. Certificates sell each June, and a holder who has waited 24 months can apply for a deed at 18 percent interest on what they put up. From application to auction is roughly two months. If the owner or the lender pays before the sale, the applicant gets made whole and the auction is off. For homestead property, the opening bid also has to include half the assessed value, which is part of why owner-occupied houses rarely get that far and why their owners pick up the phone.

Condition is where Broward surprises out-of-town buyers. A county that grew from about 84,000 people in 1950 to over 330,000 by 1960 left a lot of housing that is now 60-plus years old, so ask about the age of the roof, the panel and the drain lines on every call. In the flood pockets, ask what was touched after 2023: drywall height, flooring, whether the AC handler sat on the floor. For anything bigger than a fourplex, or a condo, ask about the 25-year building safety inspection. A building that just got its engineer's report back has a repair deadline 180 days out, and the owner knows it before anyone else does.

Here is a call that is typical for Fort Lauderdale. A woman in her sixties in a block house a few streets off the flood zone. Water came in during April 2023, she had no flood policy, and she rebuilt with savings and family help. It flooded again in the November storms. She is not behind on anything. She just does not want to watch the forecast every rainy season anymore. She wants to be closer to her daughter in Orlando by spring. The caller gets the timeline, what was repaired and what was not, and the number she needs to buy up there. That is the lead you get.

What that means for you: Broward sellers tend to be specific about why they are leaving and vague about price until someone asks the right way. Our callers ask. If they want full market value or are already signed with an agent, the lead does not go out. If they are realistic and have a reason and a date, you get them with a detailed verification note, and you are the only buyer who gets that name.