How Long Does a Short Sale Take in Florida?

Based on multiple current Florida-specific sources, the honest range is 3 to 6 months for most straightforward short sales, with some running as long as 8-9 months when multiple lien holders or a complex loan situation are involved. Here's where the time actually goes.

Finding a buyer is usually the fastest part — once a home is priced correctly, it's not unusual to have an accepted offer within the first month.

The lender's initial review is where most of the timeline lives. After your agent submits the short sale package — purchase agreement, hardship documentation, buyer's proof of funds — the lender typically takes 30 to 60 days just to review it, order their own valuation, and assign a negotiator. This step alone often takes as long as everything else combined.

Negotiation over price and terms with the lender commonly runs another 2 to 4 weeks once their valuation is in hand.

Closing typically happens within 30 to 45 days of a written approval letter — approval letters generally expire in that same window, so once you have one, everyone needs to move.