We Buy Houses in El Portal, Florida

Since January 1, 2022, the Village of El Portal has sent all requests for municipal lien information to Orange Data Systems. Lien and estoppel requests both go there. You set up an account at order.orangelien.com and order online; questions go to 407-965-4245 or info@orangelien.com. The village’s page does not list a fee, so check the price when you order.

The village is clear about what this report leaves out. Orange Data reports only on liens issued by the Village of El Portal, and the village says a full search should still be made by the title company or a real estate attorney. It also says a lien must be paid before the transfer to ensure clear title.

When you sell to us, you don’t need to order any of this yourself. Our title company runs the searches when the contract is signed, and anything owed is settled from the closing, as the settlement statement shows.

El Portal’s Building Department has an Application for Certificate of Re-Occupancy, issued under Section 5-65 of the village code. The form asks for the names of the seller and the buyer, and the fee on the version updated in September 2021 is $127.86. The owner or an agent must give inspectors access within 10 days. A village inspector then checks the dwelling against the minimum standards in Chapters 5 and 24 of the code.

If the home conforms, the certificate is issued. If it doesn’t, the owner has to fix the problems under a Conditional Certificate of Re-Occupancy, and the full certificate waits until the standards are met. The certificate is not a warranty of the home’s condition. The form also warns that all unpermitted work is subject to penalties, including double fees and fines, and a village flyer says work without a permit brings an immediate fine and a stop work order.

The form does not say every sale needs this certificate, so ask the Building Department at 305-795-7880 what applies to yours. You don’t have to make repairs before you sell to us. We price the house as it stands, and the title company confirms what the village requires for closing. This is general information, not legal advice.

In August 2020 the village’s Sustainability & Resiliency Task Force sent the council its recommendations for a storm and flood plan. It proposed two internal zones. Modest to moderate flooding, up to 6 feet above sea level, could affect houses on lots up to 5 feet above sea level, along with any house with a history of water capture or poor drainage, or next to a storm drain. Major flooding, over 6 feet, could be life-threatening for houses on lots under 5 feet.

These were recommendations for the village’s own use. They are not FEMA flood maps and don’t set a flood zone or an insurance requirement. For the official flood zone of an address, use FEMA’s Flood Map Service Center.

If your lot has taken on water, tell us what happened and when. We buy the house as it stands, with that history counted in the offer, and you don’t have to raise, repair or dry out anything first.