Broker Alex Silva specializes in short-sale negotiation. From Voyance’s Orlando office, he works as a short sale agent for Miami-Dade sellers, in English, Spanish, or Portuguese.
What’s different about a short sale in Miami-Dade
A Miami short sale specialist follows the usual Florida lender steps. What’s local is the court, the Clerk’s online auction, and often a condo association.
Miami-Dade foreclosures are heard in the Eleventh Judicial Circuit. If you’re served with foreclosure papers, you generally have 20 days to file a response with the court. Call a Florida attorney right away. Listing the home doesn’t pause the case.
After the judge signs a final judgment, the auction is usually 20 to 35 days away. A short sale often takes several months, so it helps to start before there’s a judgment.
Condo safety laws and association balances
Inspections and reserves
- Condo buildings with three or more habitable stories need a state milestone inspection by the end of the year they turn 30.
- Miami-Dade’s own building recertification generally starts at 25 years for those buildings within 3 miles of the coast.
- They also need a structural integrity reserve study at least every 10 years. Associations generally can no longer vote to skip or cut those reserves.
- That often means higher dues or special assessments, which can lower what buyers pay. Alex points this out when the lender values the home.
Association balance
- The association’s estoppel certificate states what you owe. That’s normally paid at closing, because a buyer would otherwise owe it too.
- Your lender must approve paying this balance. If the lender won’t pay all of it, Alex negotiates with the association. You or the buyer may have to pay the rest.
Alex Silva, broker
Voyance Real Estate is led by its broker and owner, Alex D. Silva, who has more than 30 years in real estate and holds Florida broker license BK3153327.
Short-sale negotiation is his specialty: lender approvals, second liens, and valuation disputes.
He works with homes, condos, rentals, and commercial property across Central and South Florida, in English, Spanish, and Portuguese.
Miami short sale questions
My foreclosure auction date is set. Is it too late for a short sale?
It may not be too late, but time is short. Usually the lender has to agree to postpone the auction, and it may not. For a main home, federal rules can pause the auction if your servicer got your complete short-sale application more than 37 days before the sale date. There are exceptions. Call a Florida attorney today.
Will a short sale cost me anything?
Usually not out of pocket. The lender normally agrees to pay the commission and closing costs from the sale, but some ask you to contribute. Whether you’d still owe the rest depends on the approval letter, so have a Florida attorney read it.
Will I owe taxes after a short sale?
Possibly. Forgiven debt is generally taxable, and you may get a Form 1099-C. The main-home tax break ended for debt forgiven after 2025, unless the lender agreed in writing before 2026 to forgive it. It never covered rentals or second homes. Ask a CPA about insolvency and other exceptions.
Official sources: Miami-Dade Clerk foreclosures · HUD-approved housing counselors · IRS Publication 4681 · Florida condo dues law (718.116)
General real estate information, not legal, tax, or financial advice.
Owe more than your Miami-Dade home is worth?
Tell Alex the property, what you owe, and any auction date.