How Do I Sell My South Florida Home Before Making Aliyah?

Selling a South Florida home before Aliyah is a scheduling problem first and a pricing problem second. The flight date is fixed, the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration paperwork has its own clock, and the house has to be priced so that it goes under contract inside the window you actually have. Families who start with the calendar, then price to the calendar, leave with proceeds wired to an Israeli account and no Florida property to manage from 6,000 miles away. Families who start with a number they read online often leave with a house still on the market.

In 2025, 4,150 people made Aliyah from North America through Nefesh B'Nefesh, the highest figure since 2021 (Nefesh B'Nefesh, December 2025). A meaningful share leave from Florida, and most of them own the home they are leaving. This page is the working timeline we use with those families across Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties.

Price my home correctly A hand-prepared opinion of value within one business day, or call 561-395-8418.

When should I list if my Aliyah date is fixed?

Count backwards from the flight, then add a month. A correctly priced house or condo in South Florida commonly goes under contract within one to two months. A financed buyer then needs 30 to 45 days to close; a cash buyer can close in two to three weeks. Condos add association approval, which in some buildings takes another two to four weeks. Put together, four to five months before departure is comfortable. Three months is tight but workable at the right price. Under three months, plan to close from Israel from the start rather than hoping to beat the flight.

Pricing decides whether the calendar holds. Every week a home sits above the market is a week you do not have. We prepare an opinion of value by hand for your specific property, house and condo data kept separate, and we tell you what price clears the market inside your window. It is not an appraisal and no computer generates it.

What should I fix before listing, and what should I leave?

Fix what a buyer's inspector will write up; leave what a buyer will change anyway. In South Florida that means roof condition and age, air-conditioning, water heater, visible water intrusion, permits that were never closed, and, for houses, the wind-mitigation items that drive the buyer's insurance quote. Kitchens and bathrooms are rarely worth renovating in a three-month window. Open permits are worth closing: they surface in the buyer's title search and can stall a closing while you are already in Israel.

For condos, the building's milestone inspection and structural integrity reserve study are now part of every buyer's due diligence, and a pending special assessment is negotiated in the contract, not discovered at closing. Order the association's documents when you list, not when you have a contract.

How does closing work if I am already in Israel?

You do not need to fly back. Florida recognises remote online notarization: you appear by video before a Florida RON notary and sign electronically. The alternative is a mail-away package signed before a notary in Israel, which the title agent will want authenticated, or a power of attorney drafted for Florida real property and approved by the title underwriter before closing, not in the final week. Proceeds are wired; verify wire instructions by calling a number you already have, never one that arrives by email.

Someone local still has to open the door for the photographer, the inspector, the appraiser and the buyer's final walk-through. We attend the inspection and the appraisal in person. Confirm who handles physical access before you sign a listing agreement with anyone.

What about U.S. tax when I sell before or after moving?

Your status on the day of closing decides the withholding question. FIRPTA withholding applies when the seller is a foreign person for U.S. tax purposes. A U.S. citizen remains a U.S. person after Aliyah and signs a certification of non-foreign status; a green-card holder or a non-citizen who gives up residency may not. Capital gains follow federal rules, including the primary-residence exclusion if you qualify. Israel taxes its residents on worldwide income, subject to the U.S.-Israel income tax treaty and to the benefits new immigrants receive under Israeli law. None of this is advice from us; it is the list of questions to put to a CPA who handles cross-border clients before you list, because the answers can change your timing.

Should I keep the home and rent it out instead?

Sometimes, and the math is different once you live abroad. The homestead exemption and the Save Our Homes assessment cap belong to a permanent Florida resident living in the home. When Florida stops being your permanent residence the exemption ends, the assessed value can reset toward market, and property tax and insurance become the numbers that decide whether the rental works. We set out the decision in rent or sell after Aliyah. If you keep it, selling from Israel later is workable but slower.

What it looks like when it works

Opinion of value and timeline call four to five months out. Listing paperwork e-signed. Repairs limited to inspection items and open permits. Photography, a local access plan, and an active marketing window. Contract with a defined inspection period. RON or mail-away closing, proceeds wired, keys handed to the buyer while you are unpacking in Israel.

Gia Freer, Broker of Record at PBP Real Estate, LLC, licensed in Florida since 2000, and Grant Freer, Owner and Broker Associate, made Aliyah themselves in July 2023 and divide their time between South Florida and Israel. We have sold for families leaving and bought for families arriving, and we know which steps can be done from Israel and which cannot.

Related guides

• Selling a Florida home from Israel
• Rent out or sell after Aliyah
• Buying or selling South Florida property from abroad (hub)

Start with the number. Price my home correctly and we will come back within one business day with an opinion of value and a listing timeline built around your date. Or call 561-395-8418.

This page covers the real estate side of selling a Florida home before or after emigrating and is not legal or tax advice. FIRPTA, capital gains, Israeli tax on foreign income, and powers of attorney should be reviewed with a qualified attorney or CPA.