Does the North Palm Beach Median Mean Much When Condos Dominate and Many Homes Sit Empty Part of the Year? Reading the Condo Stock, the Seasonal Homes and the Conflicting Medians

Which North Palm Beach price figure should an owner trust?

None alone. Redfin's median of $597K, up 12.7%, implies about $529,725 a year earlier, and its price per square foot of $291, down 9.2%, implies about $320. Realtor.com's sold median of $730,000, up 5.80% in a month and 17.74% in a year, implies about $689,981 a month earlier and $620,010 a year earlier. Redfin's median is 18.2% below Realtor.com's, computed here, and the periods differ, with Redfin's three months ending in August and Realtor.com's single month being September.

The two price-per-foot figures also disagree. Redfin's $291, down 9.2%, sits beside a median that is up 12.7%, which suggests that the homes selling now are larger, or that more of the sales are condominiums and smaller units than a year ago. Realtor.com's $469 per square foot, up 11.81% in a year, implies about $419 a year earlier and is calculated from a different base, so the figures cannot be compared directly. The mismatch itself is the finding: the mix of what sells moves the medians more than the underlying price of any one home.

Asking prices are above both sold medians. Realtor.com's listing median of $765,000, down 1.62% in a month, implies about $777,597 a month earlier, and up 14.06% in a year implies about $670,700 a year earlier. It is 4.8% above Realtor.com's sold median and 28.1% above Redfin's. Redfin says the average home sells about 7% below its list price and goes pending in around 105 days, so asking prices are not a guide to what is paid.

The Zillow city value of $627,422, down 2.4%, implies about $642,850 a year before it was calculated, and it is 5.1% above the Redfin median. It describes the city, not the postal area, and it is the only source that shows a decline in the level. The Census median owner value of $611,400, plus or minus $52,396, is an average of owners' own estimates, and it is 6.6 times the median household income of $92,216, plus or minus $8,884. The Redfin median is 6.5 times that income.

The best guide is closed sales of nearly identical homes in the same building or on the same street in the last few months. In a postal area where condominiums outnumber detached homes, a single median blends two markets that need not move together, and an owner of a detached house on the water should not read the same figure as an owner of a condominium unit.

Two sources that agree on the direction but not the level are common in a market where a few high-value sales can move a monthly median. A waterfront house or a large condominium unit that closes in a given month can lift the figure, and a run of smaller units can pull it down. Neither page shows the distribution, so an owner should look at the freshest closed sales nearby and treat the medians as background. A pending sale at a price below recent closings is the clearest sign of where the market is now.

Sources as cited. Ratios and earlier values in this section are computed from the published figures and percentages.

How long do North Palm Beach homes wait, and how much do sellers give up?

The wait is long. Redfin shows an average of 117 days against 123 a year before, which is 6 days fewer, and says homes go pending in around 105 days, with hot homes in about 53. Realtor.com shows a median of 101 days, down 2.36% in a month, which implies about 103 days a month earlier, and down 0.96% in a year, which implies about 102 days a year earlier. Zillow's city page says homes go to pending in around 82 days.

Redfin's competition score for the area is 13 out of 100, not very competitive. Its page says that homes receive one offer on average, that multiple offers are rare, that the average home sells about 7% below list and that hot homes sell about 2% below list. It shows a sale-to-list ratio of 94.2%, down 0.18 points, 5.7% of homes selling above list, up 1.3 points, and 32.5% of homes with price drops, up 3.8 points. A discount of that size is wide by the standard of the other markets in this series.

Supply is tight, but demand is thin. Realtor.com shows 254 active listings, down 2.83% in a month, which implies about 261 a month earlier, and down 6.03% in a year, which implies about 270 a year earlier. Redfin counted 109 homes sold in August against 115, down 5.2%, computed here. At that pace, 254 listings is about 2.3 months of sales, a figure computed here from one month and so a rough one.

Rentals have shrunk, and rents are flat. Realtor.com shows 148 rental properties, down 1.04% in a month, which implies about 150 a month earlier, and down 8.95% in a year, which implies about 163 a year earlier. The median rent of $3,400, up 2.72% in a month, implies about $3,310 a month earlier, and down 0.35% in a year implies about $3,412 a year earlier. The Census median gross rent is $1,912, plus or minus $137, so listed rents are well above what the average renter pays.

The overall shape is a market that is slow and negotiable. A seller who prices at the level of a year ago is likely to wait, and a seller who accepts a discount to list sells in about three months. A private buyer who closes on a date the owner picks offers a way to skip the wait.

Season matters in this part of Florida. Many buyers and owners are in town in the cooler months and away in the summer, and the pages do not report figures by season, so this is an inference about the setting. A seller who lists in the summer may find fewer buyers touring, and a seller who waits for the winter may find more, though more competing listings arrive at the same time. A private sale takes the season out of the question, since a buyer can act without a tour.

Sources as cited. Earlier values and differences are computed from the published percentages.

Who owns a home in North Palm Beach, and how many are part-time?

Owners are the large majority of occupied homes. Of 9,725 occupied homes, 7,201 are owner-occupied, 74.0%, and 2,524 are rented, 26.0%. Of 13,413 units, 3,688 are vacant, 27.5%: 362 are for rent, 9 are rented and not yet occupied, 154 are for sale only, 206 are sold and not yet occupied, 2,668 are held for seasonal or occasional use and 289 are vacant for other reasons. Seasonal homes are 19.9% of all units.

Tenure is mixed. Of 7,201 owner households, 221 moved in during 2023 or later, 3.1%, 1,186 between 2020 and 2022, 16.5%, 2,831 between 2010 and 2019, 39.3%, 1,617 between 2000 and 2009, 22.5%, 871 in the 1990s, 12.1%, and 475 before 1990, 6.6%. Those who bought before 2010 are 41.1%, so a large group of owners have held for years.

The population is old. Of 18,817 people counted, 2,175 are under 18, 11.6%, 735 are 18 to 24, 3.9%, 1,520 are 25 to 34, 8.1%, 1,515 are 35 to 44, 8.1%, 5,310 are 45 to 64, 28.2%, and 7,562 are 65 or older, 40.2%. The margin on the total is plus or minus 581. Two in five residents are 65 or older, and owners of that age may be weighing a move closer to family or into care, which is an inference from the age mix.

Owner debt is light. Of 7,201 owners, 3,220 have a mortgage, 44.7%, and 3,981 do not, 55.3%. Among owners with a mortgage and a computed figure, 1,260 of 3,142 spent 30% or more of income on housing, 40.1%, and 801 spent half or more, 25.5%. Among owners without a mortgage, 1,101 of 3,885 spent 30% or more, 28.3%, and 638 spent half or more, 16.4%. Taxes, insurance and association fees weigh on owners with no debt.

Renters carry a heavy burden. Of 2,524 renters, 2,262 with a computed figure, 1,322 spent 30% or more of income on rent, 58.4%, and 835 spent half or more, 36.9%. Of 7,201 owner households, 50 live in a home with no bedroom, 502 in a one-bedroom, 2,695 in a two-bedroom, 2,572 in a three-bedroom, 1,098 in a four-bedroom and 284 in one with five or more. Two- and three-bedroom homes are 73.1% of owner homes.

A fifth of the stock held for seasonal or occasional use means that many owners live elsewhere for much of the year. Those owners often sell for reasons of their own, such as a change in how often they visit, the cost of insurance and taxes, or a move to be near family, and they tend to want a clean, quick closing without managing showings from a distance. That is an inference from the vacancy and age mix, and it describes a seller who may value a closing date the owner chooses.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimates, tables B01001, B25003, B25004, B25038, B25042, B25070 and B25091, via Census Reporter. Shares are computed here.

How old is the North Palm Beach stock, and how much of it is condominiums?

Most of it is mid-century. Of 13,413 units, 82, or 0.6%, were built in the 1940s, 1,390, or 10.4%, in the 1950s, 3,257, or 24.3%, in the 1960s, 3,362, or 25.1%, in the 1970s, 2,347, or 17.5%, in the 1980s, 861, or 6.4%, in the 1990s, 809, or 6.0%, in the 2000s, 991, or 7.4%, in the 2010s and 314, or 2.3%, in 2020 or later. None were built before 1940. The median build year is 1976, and 60.3% were built before 1980.

Condominiums and apartments are a large part. Of 13,413 units, 4,100 are detached, 30.6%, 799 are attached, 6.0%, 295 are in two-unit buildings, 452 are in buildings of three or four, 584 in five to nine, 818 in ten to nineteen, 2,675 in twenty to forty-nine and 3,336 in fifty or more. Another 328 are mobile homes and 26 are boats or recreational vehicles. Units in buildings of twenty or more are 44.8% of the stock.

Houses and condominiums face different tests. A detached house of the 1960s or 1970s may need a new roof, new electrical work or impact windows, and a buyer's inspector will list them. A condominium unit in an older building raises questions about reserves, special assessments and the building's own repairs, and in this part of the country insurance costs are a large question for both. Those are inferences from the age of the stock, and the pages do not report them.

Because so many homes are old and so many are condominiums, price comparisons need care. A seller should compare a home with true peers, matching type, size, age, condition and, for condominiums, the building. A buyer will do the same and price any gap. In a slow market with price cuts, the first seller to cut often sets the price for the building or the street.

A seller who would rather not have an inspector's list and an association's paperwork negotiated through months of showings can choose a private buyer, who looks at the home, prices it with its needs and closes on the owner's date. The owner should still gather two or three closed sales of comparable homes, so that any offer can be weighed against what a public sale would likely bring.

Because insurance, special assessments and older systems are common concerns in an older coastal stock, buyers often ask for more concessions than the price suggests. A discount to list of about 7% on Redfin's page is consistent with that, though the page does not say why. A private buyer who prices a home as it stands, with its roof and windows and its building's reserves, can often skip the back-and-forth that follows an inspection on a public sale. Readers comparing markets can also read the South Naples brief and the Palma Ceia brief.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimates, tables B25024, B25034 and B25042, via Census Reporter. Shares are computed here.

What should a North Palm Beach owner ask before choosing a listing or a private sale?

Five questions are worth asking. Is my price based on closed sales of comparable homes in the last few months, and not on a median that differs by source? Can I carry the home for three months or more? What will a buyer's inspector or an association find? What do the fees cost? And what date do I need to close?

Fees are simple arithmetic, and no rate is assumed here. Each 1% of a $450,000 sale is $4,500, of a $725,000 sale is $7,250 and of a $1,200,000 sale is $12,000. Three percent is $13,500, $21,750 and $36,000, and five percent is $22,500, $36,250 and $60,000. On the Redfin median of $597,000, 1% is $5,970, 3% is $17,910 and 5% is $29,850. On the Census median owner value of $611,400, 1% is $6,114, 3% is $18,342 and 5% is $30,570.

A private sale has no showings and no neighbors talking about it, which is the first benefit. The second benefit is a closing date that fits the seller, which helps a household that needs time to find a new home. The third and fourth are no commission costs and no closing costs, and the fifth is no inspection repairs.

In a slow market with discounts to list, an owner is right to compare a listing with a private offer. The comparison includes the weeks on market, the chance of price cuts, the carrying cost of a home that waits, including taxes, insurance and any association dues, and the cost of repairs. Only the owner can supply those numbers.

Maison Off-Market buys luxury homes and estates directly from their owners and speaks only to sellers. It does not say that a private sale always beats a public listing. If you would like a private, no-obligation offer for a home in North Palm Beach, call 401-219-4207 or use the contact form on this site.

Sources as cited. Fee illustrations are arithmetic only and assume no commission rate.

Methodology and limitations

Each page's date, title and place were read before use. The Redfin page covers the three months ending August 2026, and its nearby-area comparisons were not used. The Realtor.com page carries key indicators as of September 2026 with changes over one month and one year, and its sold median differs from Redfin's by a wide margin, so both are shown; its neighborhood tables list individual condominium buildings, one with an outlying value, and were not used. The Zillow page covers the city, not the postal area, and was updated on May 31, 2026, so it is a dated benchmark. Only established data publishers and the Census are cited. Percent changes were taken as published, earlier values were computed by dividing by one plus or minus the change, and every ratio and sum was computed in code. Census Reporter figures are five-year averages and carry margins of error; the median owner value is plus or minus $52,396.

Conclusion

The record for North Palm Beach, as far as the pages allow, is an older, condominium-heavy postal area with a sold median between $597K and $730,000 depending on the source, waits of three to four months, sales at a wide discount to list on Redfin, shrinking supply, a fifth of all homes held for seasonal use and two in five residents aged 65 or older. The useful number for an owner is a closed sale of a comparable home in the same building or on the same street in the last few months, and a private buyer can price the home as it stands and close on the owner's schedule.