Broward County has closing customs that differ from much of Florida. Knowing who pays for title insurance, who picks the title company and what each side pays helps you close on time and avoid surprises.
Who Pays for Title Insurance in Broward County?
Unlike most Florida counties, where the seller customarily pays, in Broward County the buyer customarily pays for the owner’s title insurance policy. Broward shares this custom with Miami-Dade, and the standard Florida Realtors/Florida Bar contract has a Miami-Dade/Broward option for it. Custom is not law: your signed contract decides who pays.
The owner’s title insurance policy protects you, the buyer, against defects in the title that existed before you bought the property. If a problem surfaces after closing, such as a forged deed from years ago, a missing signature on a prior transfer or an unreleased lien, the policy covers your legal defense and reimburses covered losses for as long as you own the property.
Lender’s title insurance is a separate policy required by your mortgage lender. You pay for it too, but it protects only the lender and ends when the loan is paid off. When it is issued at the same time as the owner’s policy, Florida’s simultaneous-issue rate applies: $25 for coverage up to the owner’s policy amount, plus any endorsements the lender requires.
Who Chooses the Title Company in Broward?
Customarily, the buyer does. You are not locked into a lender’s or seller’s preferred vendor. When you hire a title company, it:
- Orders and examines the title search
- Issues the owner’s and lender’s policies
- Prepares the deed, closing statement and closing documents
- Coordinates with your lender, the agents and any association
- Conducts the closing, disburses funds and records the documents
How to choose: ask your real estate agent for recommendations, read Google reviews (Complete Choice Title holds a 5.0-star Google rating and an A+ BBB rating), and call to confirm the company handles your property type. Buying a condo? Make sure they order the association estoppel early. Buying commercial property? Confirm they close commercial deals.
What Do Sellers Pay in Broward County Closings?
- Documentary stamp tax on the deed: $0.70 per $100 of the sale price. Broward has no county surtax; only Miami-Dade uses a different rate. On a $500,000 sale, that is $3,500.
- Real estate commissions, per the listing agreement
- Payoff of any existing mortgage, plus the fee to record the satisfaction
- HOA or condo estoppel certificate fees
- Prorated property taxes and association dues through the closing date
- Attorney fees, if the seller hires separate counsel
Under Broward custom, the seller does not pay for the buyer’s owner’s title policy.
What Do Buyers Pay in Broward County?
- Owner’s title insurance premium (Florida’s promulgated rate)
- Lender’s title policy ($25 simultaneous issue) plus endorsements
- Documentary stamp tax on the promissory note: $0.35 per $100 of the loan amount
- Florida intangible tax on the mortgage: 0.2% of the loan amount
- Recording fees, lender fees, appraisal, survey (if required) and homeowner’s insurance
On a $400,000 mortgage: $1,400 in note stamps plus $800 in intangible tax.
Title Insurance Rates Are Set by the State
Florida Administrative Code rule 69O-186.003 sets title insurance premiums, so the premium is the same whether you use Complete Choice Title, a national title company or any other title agent. On a $500,000 purchase, the owner’s policy is $2,575 everywhere in Florida.
What varies is service: how fast the search comes back, how problems get solved and whether you can reach the person handling your file. Get your own numbers with our closing cost calculator.
Timeline for Broward Closings
- Week 1–2: Your agent sends the signed contract and escrow deposit to the title company, which orders the title search and any association estoppel.
- Week 2–3: The title commitment is issued, listing every mortgage, lien, easement and restriction that must be cleared or excepted.
- Week 3–4: Title issues are resolved, your lender gives final approval and the closing is scheduled.
- Closing day: Documents are signed in person or with a mobile notary, lender funds arrive and the deed and mortgage are executed.
- After closing: The deed and mortgage are recorded in Broward County’s Official Records.
Common Title Issues in Broward
- Association liens and special assessments: unpaid condo or HOA dues can become liens that must be paid before closing.
- Open or expired permits and code liens: common on renovated homes and found through a municipal lien search.
- Tax certificates: unpaid prior-year property taxes must be redeemed before title transfers clean.
- Gaps in the chain of title: older properties sometimes have missing or defective prior transfers that need a corrective deed or affidavit.
- Construction liens: a contractor who was not paid for work on the property may have recorded a lien.
Finding these during the search and clearing them before closing is the title company’s job. The owner’s policy is your protection if something was missed.
Why Local Expertise Matters
Broward runs from waterfront homes in Fort Lauderdale to established neighborhoods in Plantation, condos in Deerfield Beach and investment properties in Pompano Beach. Each comes with its own associations, permits and title questions. Complete Choice Title Services is based in Miami Lakes, a few miles south of the Broward County line, and closes across Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties.
Next Steps: Prepare for Your Closing
- Settle who pays and who chooses in the contract. Broward custom says the buyer pays and picks, but the contract is what counts.
- Open the file early. The sooner the title company has the contract, the sooner the search and estoppel are ordered.
- Review the title commitment. Ask about every exception you do not understand.
- Bring what you need to closing: a photo ID and your funds by wire or cashier’s check as instructed. Always confirm wiring instructions by phone with a number you already know.
- Ask questions. Our FAQs answer the ones we hear most.
Ready to Close?
Whether you’re buying your first home in Broward County or your tenth investment property, understanding local customs puts you in control. Contact Complete Choice Title Services or call (305) 603-8393 to talk to Luis or Yeni.
Closing elsewhere in South Florida? See our guides to Miami-Dade County closing customs and Palm Beach County closing customs.
Before you close, also check for open permits and city liens that a title search can miss. See our guide to open permits and municipal liens in South Florida. Not a standard purchase? We also close short sales, FSBO sales, foreclosure and REO purchases, 1031 exchanges and commercial deals.
Sources: Florida Department of Revenue, Documentary Stamp Tax; Florida Statutes 201.02, 201.08 and 199.133; Florida Administrative Code 69O-186.003.
