Malabar · Selling guide
Selling a home in Malabar
What happens, in order, and what it costs. No jargon.
Free · Agents who know Malabar · Every step in one app
Malabar is a small town between Palm Bay and the Indian River, known for larger lots.
The steps
- Know your number. Your agent compares recent Malabar sales to set a price. Check what you still owe on your mortgage, so you know what you'd keep.
- Get the home ready. Fix small things buyers notice: leaks, lights, paint. A clean, bright home photographs better.
- Tell the truth about the home. Florida requires sellers to share known problems that affect the value and aren't easy to see.
- List it and show it. Photos, listing, showings. In CloseHive you see every showing and can block times that don't work.
- Choose an offer. Look at more than the price: the loan type, the inspection period and the closing date. CloseHive lays offers side by side, with what you'd keep from each.
- Inspection and appraisal. The buyer inspects; the lender's appraiser checks the price. Repairs or credits get agreed in writing.
- Closing day. The title company pays off your mortgage, pays the costs, and sends you the rest.
Malabar in numbers
- The typical home here is valued at about $451,100, which is 33% higher than Brevard County as a whole ($339,600).
- The typical home here was built around 1993, about 33 years ago. Ask about the roof's age early, because Florida insurers look at it closely.
- 99% of homes are lived in by their owners, more than the county's 77%. Homes here change hands less often, so good ones can go quickly.
- So few homes in Malabar are rented that the Census can't report a typical rent here. Nearly every home is lived in by its owner, so listings come up less often than in bigger cities.
At a typical Malabar price of about $450,000, Florida's deed tax is $3,150 and the owner's title policy is about $2,325. Typical value here is 3.5 times the typical household income, compared with 4.3 for the county.
Malabar next to its neighbors
Of its closest neighbors, Palm Bay is valued lower than Malabar.
Florida costs, in plain words
- Deed tax (documentary stamps): 70 cents per $100 of the price. In Brevard County the seller usually pays it.
- Owner's title insurance: protects the buyer if someone later claims the home. Florida sets the price. In Brevard County the seller usually pays it.
- Agent pay: what you pay agents is always negotiable. You agree to it in writing before you list.
- Property taxes: Florida bills them at the end of the year, so you credit the buyer for the days you owned the home this year.
Questions sellers ask
Who pays closing costs when selling a home in Malabar?
In Brevard County the seller usually pays the deed tax (70 cents per $100 of the price) and the buyer's owner's title insurance policy. The buyer usually pays their loan costs. Everything is negotiable in the contract.
How much is the deed tax on a $450,000 home in Florida?
Florida's documentary stamp tax on a deed is 70 cents per $100 of the price, so about $3,150 on a $450,000 home.
Do I have to tell buyers about problems with my home in Florida?
Yes. Florida law requires sellers to tell buyers about known problems that materially affect the value and are not easy to see. Homes built before 1978 also need a federal lead paint disclosure.