Florida property and family wealth — across borders, handled right.
Foreign buyers, overseas families, and Florida owners with ties abroad face a second layer of rules most local firms never touch: FIRPTA withholding, foreign-ownership reporting, U.S. estate tax on a single condo, and probate that has to open twice. Truestead Law closes the gap — combining Florida real estate and estate counsel with cross-border tax-aware structuring.
Serving clients across Florida and abroad — by video, phone, and appointment. Consultations available with translation arranged.
One firm for both sides of the transaction.
Cross-border matters fail when they're split across people who don't talk to each other — a realtor who doesn't know FIRPTA, a closing agent who's never seen a foreign-owner affidavit, an estate planner who forgets that a $60,000 exemption applies. Truestead keeps the Florida real estate, the U.S. tax exposure, and the estate plan in one set of hands, and brings in foreign-law co-counsel or of-counsel when a matter reaches into another country's law.
Arthur Simpson, Esq. — Florida attorney and licensed real estate broker (Florida Bar #529265), and a member of the International Law Section of The Florida Bar. Truestead pairs in-house Florida real estate and estate experience with vetted co-counsel for foreign-law questions.
Cross-border Florida matters we take on.
Representation for non-U.S. buyers of Florida homes, condos, and investment property — title, contract review, entity titling, and a closing that survives later tax and immigration scrutiny.
For foreign sellers and the buyers who must withhold: correct 15% / 10% / 0% determinations, withholding certificates (Form 8288-B) to free up trapped cash, and clean IRS remittance. FIRPTA guide →
Florida's foreign-ownership law restricts certain buyers near military and agricultural land. We screen the deal, prepare the required buyer affidavit, and keep your purchase compliant. Foreign-buyer guide →
Plans for non-resident owners and mixed-nationality families — minimizing U.S. estate tax on U.S.-situs assets (a $60,000 exemption, not $13.99M), coordinating with foreign wills and treaties. Cross-border estate guide →
When an owner living abroad or in another state dies holding Florida property, we open and resolve the Florida ancillary administration and clear title. Ancillary probate guide →
Choosing and forming the right vehicle — LLC, corporation, or trust — to hold Florida real estate for liability, privacy, FIRPTA, and estate-tax efficiency. Holding-structure guide →
Clear scope, clear fees, no surprises across time zones.
Flat or hourly — agreed in writing first. Transactional cross-border work (closings, FIRPTA certificates, entity formation, estate documents) is quoted up front. You know the scope and the fee before we begin, and we work around your time zone.
One firm responsible to you. When a matter reaches into another country's law — a foreign will, a tax treaty position, local-law title questions — we associate qualified co-counsel or of-counsel and remain responsible for the Florida side of your matter. You're told in writing who is doing what.
Built to hold up later. A foreign-buyer closing isn't done when the deed records — it has to survive the eventual sale (FIRPTA), the owner's death (estate tax and probate), and any immigration or reporting review. We structure for all of it at the start.
Consult
We map your situation — who owns what, where you're tax-resident, and what you're trying to do — and flag the cross-border issues.
Structure
We recommend the titling, entity, and estate approach that fits the transaction and your tax position, in writing.
Execute
We handle the Florida closing, FIRPTA filings, entity formation, or estate documents — coordinating foreign counsel where needed.
Protect
We leave you with a plan that anticipates the sale, the estate, and the reporting that comes years later.
Whether a particular transaction or plan is right for you depends on facts only an attorney and your tax advisor can evaluate after reviewing your specific situation, residency, and home-country law. This page is general information, not legal or tax advice, and does not create an attorney-client relationship. We coordinate with your accountant or engage a cross-border tax professional where a matter requires it.
From the closing table to the next generation.
Buying in Florida is the beginning, not the end. We're also a Florida estate, real estate, and elder law firm — so the same firm that closes your purchase can title it to protect you from U.S. estate tax, build the trust that keeps it out of double probate, and counsel the family that inherits it. One relationship, across the whole arc of owning property in Florida from abroad.
Cross-border Florida questions, answered.
Yes. There's no citizenship or residency requirement to buy most Florida real estate, and foreign nationals can own outright. The exception is Florida's SB 264 (Fla. Stat. §§ 692.201–692.205), which restricts certain buyers tied to a short list of "countries of concern" from buying agricultural land or property near military and critical infrastructure, with broader limits on buyers domiciled in China. A buyer affidavit is now required at closing. Most foreign buyers are unaffected — we confirm before you sign.
The default is 15% of the gross sales price, withheld by the buyer and sent to the IRS. It's 10% if the price is $300,001–$1,000,000 and the buyer will use it as a residence, and 0% at $300,000 or less for a buyer-residence. Because withholding is on the gross price, not your gain, it often exceeds the actual tax — so we apply for a withholding certificate (Form 8288-B) to reduce it to what's really owed and free up your cash.
Potentially a large one. A non-resident, non-citizen who dies owning Florida real estate directly gets a U.S. estate-tax exemption of just $60,000 — not the ~$13.99M U.S. citizens get — with rates up to 40%. A $700,000 condo held in your own name could generate a six-figure U.S. estate-tax bill. The right holding structure or an applicable treaty can reduce or remove that exposure, but it has to be set up correctly, ideally before purchase.
Usually yes, for the Florida real estate. Florida real property owned by someone who lived in another state or country generally must pass through Florida ancillary administration (Fla. Stat. § 734.102) to clear title — even when a foreign will exists and probate is opening in the home country. A revocable trust, the right deed, or a holding entity set up in advance can avoid a separate Florida probate entirely.
It depends on your goals — liability, privacy, FIRPTA mechanics, and especially U.S. estate-tax exposure pull in different directions, and the "obvious" answer (a U.S. LLC) does not by itself solve the estate-tax problem for a foreign owner. We evaluate your residency, home-country law, and plans for the property, then recommend a structure in writing and coordinate with your tax advisor.
Tell us about your Florida property and where you call home.
A focused consultation to map the cross-border issues and the path forward — buying, selling, planning, or settling an estate. We work across time zones.