I bought land in Florida long before I started obsessing over exit calculations.

Looking at it again made me ask a different question: if I sell it from Europe, what actually happens to the money at closing?

That question introduced me to FIRPTA.

The headline number can be 15%

Under the U.S. Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act (FIRPTA), a buyer generally has to withhold tax when a foreign person disposes of a U.S. real-property interest. The general rate is **15% of the amount realised**, although exceptions, different rates and adjustments can apply.

The IRS FIRPTA guidance explains the general rule and the buyer’s responsibility. “Amount realised” is not automatically the seller’s profit; it can include more than the cash that appears in a simple profit calculation.

Withholding is not necessarily the final tax bill

That distinction matters. Money can be withheld at closing even when the eventual U.S. tax liability is lower. Withholding is a collection mechanism; the final position is determined through the relevant U.S. tax process.

If the required amount should be reduced or eliminated, the seller, buyer or agent may be able to request an IRS withholding certificate. The IRS withholding-certificate guidance and Form 8288 instructions explain the process. It needs planning; I would not want to discover it after the buyer and closing date were already fixed.

Why SELL IT belongs at the beginning

I have not sold my Florida land. I am researching the exit before I need it.

How much cash would actually be released at closing? What documentation would I need as a foreign owner? Which professional handles the withholding? How long could money be tied up?

A selling price is not the same thing as walk-away cash.

That is why I think in three stages: **BUY IT. RUN IT. SELL IT.** The Spain Property Buyer Toolkit applies that same discipline to Spanish property, but the habit is useful wherever I buy.

The lesson I carried forward

Understand the exit before you enter. FIRPTA is a U.S. rule and individual circumstances differ, so a qualified U.S. tax professional should confirm the position before any sale. This is personal research, not tax advice.