Palm Beach County Home Prices Rose 6.7% in Sept 2026
Palm Beach County just had one of those months where the headline and the reality don't quite match. Prices went up. Sales went down. And mortgage rates are sitting above 7%. If you only read one of those three facts, you'd come away with the wrong idea about what's happening up there.
So here's what the September 2026 numbers actually say, and what I'd do with them if I owned a home in Palm Beach County right now.
The numbers, straight from the September report
MIAMI REALTORS® + RWorld released its Palm Beach County September 2026 stats on October 16, pulled from its MLS. Here's what jumped out to me:
- Single-family median price: $656,000, up 6.7% from $615,000 in September 2025.
- Condo and townhouse median: $310,000, up 3.3% from $300,000.
- Closed sales: 1,914 total, down 3.3% year over year (1,132 houses and 782 condos/townhomes).
- Active listings: 10,339 at the end of September, down 17.2% from a year ago. Single-family listings fell almost 20%.
- Months of supply: 3.6 for single-family homes, 6.8 for condos.
- Days to contract: 43 for houses (down from 51) and 53 for condos (down from 65).
- Cash buyers: 51.4% of all sales. Condos were 61.1% cash.
Fewer sales, but higher prices and less inventory. That combination usually means sellers are holding out and the buyers who are left are serious.
Houses and condos are living in two different markets
I keep saying this about Broward, and Palm Beach County is showing the same split, maybe even more clearly.
At 3.6 months of supply, single-family homes lean toward sellers. Inventory dropped by roughly one in five listings compared to last September. If you've got a well-kept house in a good school zone in Wellington, Jupiter, or west Boca, you're in a decent spot.
Condos are a different conversation. At 6.8 months of supply, that market is balanced at best, and in a lot of older buildings it feels like buyers have the upper hand. The median still crept up 3%, but I'd guess a chunk of that is the newer, well-funded buildings pulling the number up while older buildings with big assessments sit.
A condo owner in Boynton Beach called me a couple of weeks ago asking why their unit hadn't had a single showing in a month. The building's reserve study was still "in progress," and buyers' agents were skipping it. That's the reality right now. Paperwork sells condos as much as the view does.
Half the buyers aren't even looking at rates
This is the part people outside South Florida don't get. According to the same September report, 51.4% of Palm Beach County sales were cash. The association's regional vice president pointed out the county leads the nation in cash purchases.
Freddie Mac's survey for the week of October 29, 2026 had the 30-year fixed at 7.24% and the 15-year at 6.60%. Both dipped from the week before, but they're still a lot higher than the 6.17% we saw on the 30-year a year ago. Nobody knows where rates go next, me included.
For a cash buyer, none of that matters. For a first-time buyer financing a townhouse in Lake Worth Beach, it matters a lot. So the market is really two crowds: cash buyers who are still active at the top, and financed buyers who are getting squeezed. MIAMI REALTORS® chief economist Gay Cororaton said as much, noting upper-end buyers have stayed active even while high rates hurt everyone else.
The high end is wild, by the way. The county logged 179 sales of $10 million or more through mid-October, the most in any calendar year on record. That's not most of my clients, but it tells you money is still moving into the county.
What sellers are actually getting
One stat I watch closely: the median single-family home sold for 95% of its original list price in September, and condos got 93%.
Read that carefully. That's the original list price, so it includes every price cut along the way. On a $656,000 house, a 5% gap is about $33,000. Sellers who priced right on day one tend to land closer to asking. The ones who priced for the "Zillow said" number usually end up cutting anyway, just a month or two later.
What I'd do if I were selling in Palm Beach County this winter
Snowbird season is starting, and that's traditionally when Palm Beach County gets busiest. Here's my honest advice:
- House sellers: You've got the upper hand, but don't push it too far. Price off nearby sales from the last 60 days, not what sold last spring. Homes are going under contract in about six weeks, so if you're past 45 days with no offers, the price is the problem.
- Condo sellers: Get your milestone inspection, reserve study (SIRS), and budget documents in hand before you list. If there's a pending assessment, disclose it up front and think about crediting part of it. I'd rather take a smaller net than sit for six months.
- Everyone: Have your wind mitigation and four-point inspections ready. Buyers' insurance quotes drive their offers more than people realize.
And if you're buying
Houses are still competitive, so don't expect to lowball a good one. Condos are where you can negotiate. If you're financing, ask about a seller-paid rate buydown instead of a price cut. With rates over 7%, a couple of points can shrink your monthly payment more than a few thousand off the price would. I'm not a lender, so run the numbers with yours, but I've watched this work on real deals this year.
So is now a good time?
If you own a single-family home in Palm Beach County, I think the next few months are a solid window. Inventory is down, prices are up, and seasonal buyers are on their way. If you own a condo, it can still sell, but only with clean paperwork and a realistic price.
If you want to know what your home would actually sell for today, start with a free home valuation here. It takes about two minutes. Then email me at eduardosellsfl@gmail.com and I'll put together a personal market analysis using the comps on your street, not a county average.