Selling Your Weston Home and Relocating to a 55+ Community

What should you know about selling your Weston home as a 55+ owner?

You have owned your single family home in Weston (33326, 33327, or 33331) for years, and now the yard, the square footage, and the maintenance are more than you want. The plan is simple to say and harder to run. Sell the house, keep as much of the equity and tax benefit as the law allows, and land somewhere lower maintenance that fits this stage of life. Here is how I walk a Weston seller through each piece, in the order the decisions actually arrive.

The first thing to know is that this is a sale, not a downgrade. Your single family home is the asset you are moving, and the whole process is built around protecting its value and your proceeds. Weston has held its ground as a place buyers seek out, and the Davie versus Weston price history since 2021 shows how differently these two markets have moved. For a current read on your own street, the number that matters is a fresh set of comparable sales, not a portal estimate. Confirm current values for your parcel and your neighborhood with the Broward County Property Appraiser.

Time the sale so you never carry two homes

One of the most common pressure points in a downsizing move is carrying two properties at once. You do not want a Weston mortgage and a new community payment running side by side while you wait for one to sell.

There is no universally right answer between selling first and buying first, but for most 55+ owners who are moving equity from one home to the next, selling first is the cleaner path. You know your exact proceeds before you commit to anything, and you shop with cash in hand rather than an offer that depends on your house closing.

The catch with selling first is where you live in the gap. Three tools solve it:

1. A rent back after closing. You sell, collect your proceeds, and stay in the home for an agreed period as a tenant of your buyer. That buys you weeks to close on the next place without a rushed move. I break down how this works and what it costs in the Davie and Weston seller rent back guide.

2. A bridge loan. You borrow against your current equity to buy first, then pay the bridge off when the Weston home sells. It gives you a clean offer, but you are betting the house sells inside the bridge term.

3. A short term rental in between. The least elegant option, but sometimes the calmest one, especially if the right community home has not come up yet.

Before you pick a lane, you need to know your real number. Your closing costs, title, documentary stamp tax on the deed, and any prorations all come off the top. Florida charges documentary stamp tax on the deed at closing, so confirm the current rate and your figure with Broward County. I build the full picture on my Weston and Davie seller net sheet so you see what you actually walk away with before you list, not after the closing surprises you.

One more piece of good news on the money. Florida has no state income tax and no state capital gains tax, and the federal home sale exclusion can shelter a large share of the gain on a home that was your primary residence for at least two of the last five years. For a long tenure Weston owner sitting on decades of appreciation, that exclusion is the difference between a clean move and a surprise tax bill. Run your specific gain past your tax advisor before you sign anything.

Move your Save Our Homes benefit before you lose it

If you are relocating within Florida, the most valuable thing you own after the house itself is your accumulated Save Our Homes benefit. Years of the three percent assessment cap have likely built a large gap between your market value and your assessed value. That gap is portable, and most owners have no idea how much they are carrying.

Here is how you keep it:

1. Sell your Weston home and establish your new Florida home as your homestead.

2. File the standard homestead application, Form DR-501, for the new home with the county where it sits.

3. File the portability form, Form DR-501T, at the same time to transfer your assessment difference from the Weston homestead to the new one.

4. Do it inside the window. You must establish the new homestead within three years of January 1 of the year you gave up the Weston homestead, or the benefit is gone.

Two details trip people up. Portability moves the tax benefit, not the exemption itself, so you still file for homestead on the new home separately. And if you downsize to a less expensive home, the benefit transfers proportionally rather than dollar for dollar. The Broward County Property Appraiser administers both forms and can confirm your exact transferable amount. I cover the mechanics in depth in the Save Our Homes portability guide for Davie and Weston owners. This one filing is often worth more than any repair you could make before listing, and it is the piece sellers forget in the rush to move.

Understand what a 55+ destination actually requires

Relocating to an age restricted community is a different kind of purchase than the Weston house you are selling, and the rules deserve a real look before you fall for a floor plan.

Age restricted communities operate under the federal Housing for Older Persons Act. In plain terms, the law lets a community require that most of its occupied homes include a resident aged fifty five or older, and each community sets its own exact policy inside that framework. Some allow a share of younger residents, some do not. The point is that this is a factual community rule tied to how the community qualifies under the law, not a statement about who belongs anywhere. Ask any community you are considering for its written age policy and its documentation practice, and confirm it fits your household.

The property itself is usually where the biggest adjustment lands. Many of the lower maintenance homes inside these communities are villas or condominiums rather than single family houses, which means a monthly association fee, shared walls in some cases, and rules on everything from exterior paint to rentals. That trade can be exactly right when you are done with a big yard, but it is a real change from a single family home you controlled top to bottom. Before you write an offer, read the association documents the way you would read a contract. Look at the reserves, any pending special assessment, and the fee history. I walk through how to do that in the HOA documents and special assessment review guide, because a healthy community and an underfunded one can look identical from the model home.

None of this changes the core job. You are selling a single family home in Weston, and my work is to price it against real comparable sales, market it through the Coldwell Banker network, and protect your proceeds through closing. Where you go next is your call, and I help you plan the relocation so the two sides of the move line up. As a Broker Associate with Coldwell Banker operating out of the Weston office that serves Weston, Davie, Southwest Ranches, and Cooper City, I track sale prices, days on market, and sale to list ratios at the community level, not just the ZIP code level, because that is what a specific street decision requires.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I sell my Weston home first or buy the new place first?

For most 55+ owners moving equity from one home to the next, selling first is cleaner. You know your exact proceeds and you make a stronger offer without a home sale contingency. Cover the gap with a rent back after closing, a bridge loan, or a short term rental so you are never carrying two homes at once.

Can I keep my Save Our Homes tax savings when I move within Florida?

Yes, if you act in time. File Form DR-501T along with your new homestead application to transfer your accumulated Save Our Homes assessment difference to your next Florida home. You must establish the new homestead within three years of January 1 of the year you left the Weston home. Confirm your exact transferable amount with the Broward County Property Appraiser.

Will I owe capital gains tax when I sell a home I have owned for decades?

Florida charges no state income tax or state capital gains tax. The federal home sale exclusion can shelter a large share of your gain if the home was your primary residence for at least two of the last five years. Long tenure owners with major appreciation should run the exact figure past a tax advisor before closing.

Are 55+ communities near Weston made up of single family homes?

Some are, but many of the lower maintenance homes in age restricted communities near Weston are villas or condominiums rather than single family houses. That usually means a monthly association fee and shared community rules. Decide whether that trade fits before you commit, and read the association documents closely first.

What does the 55+ age rule actually mean for buying there?

Age restricted communities qualify under the federal Housing for Older Persons Act, which lets them require that most occupied homes include a resident aged fifty five or older. Each community sets its own exact policy within that framework, so ask for the written age rule and how the community documents it before you write an offer.

Talk to a Davie Real Estate Expert

Anthony Spitaleri is a Broker Associate with Coldwell Banker and a Davie native who works out of the Weston office serving Weston, Davie, Southwest Ranches, and Cooper City. He builds the full seller net sheet, maps the Save Our Homes portability filing, and lines up the relocation timing for every owner selling a single family home and moving to their next chapter. If you are weighing a sale in Weston and want the numbers before you decide, the next step is a direct conversation. Schedule a free 15-minute strategy call and plan the move with every figure known.

Anthony Spitaleri

Living in Davie Florida

954-235-5783

Davie, Florida

livingindavieflorida.com

About Anthony Spitaleri

Anthony Spitaleri is a Broker Associate with Coldwell Banker, one of the most established residential real estate brands, founded in 1906. A Davie native who returned home in 2025 after 13 years in Miami Beach, Anthony specializes in luxury homes and estates above $1 million, acreage and equestrian properties with no HOA, and relocation buyers moving to Davie from out of state. He created livingindavieflorida.com, the most in-depth independent Davie real estate resource available, with in-depth coverage of Davie’s gated communities, acreage and equestrian properties, and luxury estates, plus original weekly market data, interactive tools, Town Council recaps, and a 24/7 AI concierge. Anthony has been licensed in real estate since 2013 (BK3281907), is a Certified Strategic Coach through Coaching Services International (CSI), an active member of the Davie Cooper City Chamber of Commerce, and a weekly volunteer at Bit by Bit Therapeutic Riding Center in Davie.

Written by Anthony Spitaleri, Broker Associate with Coldwell Banker and a Davie native.