Guide · November 9, 2026
Selling your house after you move away, or before a move for work
You can sell from another state. Offers, contracts, inspections and closing papers can all be handled from where you live, with a notary or a power of attorney for the deed.
Key points
- Most steps of a sale can be done from another state: the offer, the contract, the inspection access and the closing papers.
- A Florida online notary may notarize for a signer outside Florida by audio and video, under section 117.265.
- A Florida power of attorney needs the owner's signature, two witnesses and a notary. Arizona's needs one witness who is not the agent, and a notary.
- The IRS home sale exclusion looks at whether you owned and lived in the home for 2 of the 5 years before the sale.
- A seller who is a foreign person for US tax faces withholding, generally 15 percent of the amount realized.
- BIMINIO buys as is with one visit after you accept, and you pick a closing date from 7 to 35 days out.
What needs you, and what does not
A sale has a few steps where the owner must act: agreeing to a price, signing the contract, letting someone into the house, and signing the deed and closing papers. Everything else is done by the buyer, the title company and the county. With a little planning, each owner step can be done from where you live now.
This guide explains how, in Florida and Arizona, and the tax points to check when you move. It gives no legal or tax advice, so ask the title company, a lawyer and a tax adviser about your own case.
| Step | Can it be done from afar? | How |
|---|---|---|
| Get the offer | Yes | By phone, email and the written offer |
| Sign the contract | Yes | Ask the title company how it accepts signatures |
| Let the buyer in for an inspection | Yes | A key with a trusted person, or a lockbox |
| Answer the title company's questions | Yes | By phone and email |
| Sign the deed and closing papers | Yes, with a notary | A mobile notary where you live, or a Florida online notary |
| Receive the money | Yes | By the method on the closing papers |
Signing the deed from another state
A deed has to be signed in front of a notary. You can use a notary where you live, and send the signed papers back to the title company by courier. Ask the title company first what it needs: some papers must be signed with witnesses, and the county recorder sets its own rules for what it records.
Florida also allows online notaries. Florida Statutes section 117.265 lets an online notary who is physically in Florida notarize for a signer located anywhere, by audio and video, with the session recorded. For a signer outside Florida, the notary must confirm that the signer wants a Florida notary and Florida law to apply. Ask the title company whether it uses online notaries.
A power of attorney: someone signs for you
If you cannot sign at all, you can give someone you trust the power to sign for you. Florida Statutes section 709.2105 says a Florida power of attorney must be signed by the owner, with two witnesses, and acknowledged before a notary.
Arizona Revised Statutes section 14-5501(D) says a power of attorney for financial decisions must clearly show the owner means to create one and name the agent, be signed by the owner, be witnessed by one person who is not the agent, the agent's spouse or child, or the notary, and be acknowledged before a notary. Ask the title company to review the power of attorney before closing, because it must accept it to record the deed.
Timing a sale around a new job
When a new job sets your moving date, work back from it. Decide whether you want to sell before you leave, so you move once and carry one home, or after you leave, so you can pack without showings. A cash sale lets you pick a closing date that fits the move. A listing can take months, and you may carry two homes while it is for sale.
Count the months you might pay two housing costs: the old mortgage, tax, insurance and utilities, and the new rent or mortgage. Compare that with the price difference between a listing and a cash offer.
- Your start date at the new job
- The last day you can be in the old house
- When the new home is ready
- Any relocation money from the employer, and its rules
- The latest date you want the sale closed
The home sale tax rule after you move
IRS Publication 523 (2025) says you may exclude up to $250,000 of gain from the sale of your main home, or $500,000 for a married couple filing jointly, if you owned and lived in it for 2 of the 5 years before the sale. The 2 years do not have to be in a row.
Because the test looks at the 5 years before the sale, a house you lived in for at least 2 years can still qualify after you move out, as long as those 2 years still fall inside the 5 years before the sale. Ask a tax adviser how long you can wait, because BIMINIO gives no tax advice.
If you are moving out of the country
A seller who is a foreign person for US tax purposes faces withholding under the Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act. The IRS says the rate generally is 15 percent of the amount realized, and in most cases the buyer withholds it at closing. Withholding is not required when the amount realized is $300,000 or less and the buyer plans to live in the house under the IRS rules.
Your tax status decides whether this applies. Ask a tax adviser about it before you sign, and tell the title company early, because it affects the closing statement.
Your Florida homestead after you move
In Florida, the homestead exemption belongs to the home you live in on January 1. Section 196.031 asks that the owner hold title on January 1 and make the house their permanent home. If you move out for good, the house no longer qualifies for the next year. Section 196.011(10) asks the owner to notify the property appraiser promptly when the house is no longer entitled to the exemption, and sets back taxes, a 50 percent penalty and 15 percent interest for not doing so.
Property taxes when you sell →
Bills and papers while you are away
Keep paying the mortgage, the tax, the insurance and any HOA dues on time until closing, and set them to pay automatically if you can. A missed payment while you are busy with a move can add fees to the payoff.
When the sale starts, sign the title company's form that lets it ask your lender for the payoff. Under 12 CFR 1026.36(c)(3), the lender must send a payoff statement within 7 business days of a written request, with some exceptions. If there is a Florida HOA, it has 10 business days after a written request to issue its estoppel certificate under section 720.30851. Send both requests on the first day, so distance does not slow the closing.
Renting the house until it sells
You can rent the house out after you move, to cover the costs while you wait. That makes you a landlord from far away, with repairs, rent and state tenant rules. It also changes the sale: visits need notice to the tenant, and a lease may run past the date you want to close. The guide on rentals explains the notice rules in each state.
Selling a rental with tenants →
Caring for the house after you leave
An empty house needs someone to check on it. Keep the insurance in force and tell the insurer the house is empty. Ask a neighbor or a paid service to visit each week, keep the yard mowed so no code notice is sent, and forward the mail so tax and code letters reach you.
Selling to BIMINIO from another state
BIMINIO buys houses in Tampa, Miami, Orlando, Lakeland, Phoenix and Glendale from owners who have moved or are about to. You get a written cash offer within 24 hours, with the comparable sales we used. After you accept, there is one building inspection of under 30 minutes. There are no showings, so nobody has to keep the house ready. Leave behind what you do not want.
You pick a closing date from 7 to 35 days out, and we pay the closing costs. A licensed title company handles the closing and arranges how you sign. A cash offer is below full market value.
Relocating for work or family →
Want a number for your house? BIMINIO buys in Florida and Arizona, as is. A written offer comes within 24 hours.