Market Intelligence · November 2026
The Palm Beach market, measured carefully
Palm Beach’s four MLS areas recorded 102 distinct MLS-reported home sales from November 4, 2025 through November 3, 2026. The median sold price was $12,500,000, and the median sold price per living square foot was $3,196. Active inventory was 60 listings on November 3, 2026. The area medians differ substantially: The North End $11,580,600; Midtown & In-Town $11,693,750; The Estate Section $25,825,000; The South End $14,430,000. The combined median blends properties across these MLS areas. Cash purchases made up 88.2% of closings with known buyer financing (90 cash / 102 known; 0 unknown). These figures cover single-family homes, townhouses and villas; condos and co-ops are excluded. South Palm Beach and Manalapan are outside the four-area home totals. Condominium building reports are available separately in Coastal Condos. Year-to-date figures elsewhere use a separately labeled period.
MLS areas 5001–5004 · Data through November 3, 2026The current evidence
Three figures that frame the market
Palm Beach single-family and attached homes sold for a median of $3,191 per living square foot in 2026 year-to-date, 165% above 2019 and 2.2% below the 2022 median.
Since 2024, 48% based on 431 listing attempts of concluded listing attempts in these four areas ended without a sale: 207 expired, canceled or withdrawn attempts against 224 closed attempts.
The trailing-year median sold prices were The North End $11.58M; Midtown & In-Town $11.69M; The Estate Section $25.82M; The South End $14.43M. These MLS-area medians combine properties with different settings, housing types and characteristics.
Four MLS areas, Many ways to read the island
North End — MLS 5001 · In-Town — MLS 5002 · Estates — MLS 5003 · South End — MLS 5004.
The four MLS areas provide a reporting geography. Buyers, sellers and agents also read the island by Oceanfront, Intracoastal and Interior settings, and by recognizable enclaves such as Billionaires Row. These overlapping perspectives, along with street, property type, building, lot and condition, help define a relevant comparison. They are not additional MLS areas, and the four MLS areas do not capture every distinct market on the island.
Historical direction
The repricing held
The 2023–2024 correction was real. The floor held at more than twice the pre-pandemic level, and 2025–2026 returned to near the 2022 peak.
| Year | Closed sales | Median sold price | Median sold $/living SF |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 83 | $4,200,000 based on 83 sales | $1,206 based on 83 sales |
| 2020 | 185 | $5,250,000 based on 185 sales | $1,323 based on 185 sales |
| 2021 | 148 | $7,455,000 based on 148 sales | $1,913 based on 148 sales |
| 2022 | 61 | $12,200,000 based on 61 sales | $3,264 based on 61 sales |
| 2023 | 43 | $8,775,000 based on 43 sales | $2,750 based on 43 sales |
| 2024 | 53 | $10,750,000 based on 53 sales | $2,634 based on 53 sales |
| 2025 | 76 | $12,062,500 based on 76 sales | $2,953 based on 75 sales |
| 2026 YTD | 93 | $12,000,000 based on 93 sales | $3,191 based on 93 sales |
Partial-year figures are marked. Annual medians reflect modest samples and the mix of what sold.
MLS reporting geography
Home sales by MLS area
| MLS area | Sales | Median sold price | Median $/living SF | Active listings | Months of supply | Cash purchases |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The North End · MLS 5001 | 47 | $11,580,600 based on 47 sales | $2,975 based on 47 sales | 26 | 6.6 based on 47 sales | 91% (43 cash / 47 known) |
| Midtown & In-Town · MLS 5002 | 34 | $11,693,750 based on 34 sales | $3,326 based on 34 sales | 14 | 4.9 based on 34 sales | 85% (29 cash / 34 known) |
| The Estate Section · MLS 5003 | 18 | $25,825,000 based on 18 sales | $3,974 based on 18 sales | 17 | 11.3 based on 18 sales | 89% (16 cash / 18 known) |
| The South End · MLS 5004 | 3 | $14,430,000 based on 3 sales | $3,343 based on 3 sales | 3 | 12.0 based on 3 sales | 67% (2 cash / 3 known) |
The skeptic’s ledger
This is not a market in which anything sells at any price
Since January 1, 2024, these four Palm Beach MLS areas recorded 224 closed listing attempts and 207 expired, canceled or withdrawn attempts: 48% based on 431 listing attempts of concluded attempts ended without a sale. The closed attempts represent 222 distinct closings after duplicate transaction records are removed. 95 of 222 eligible closings (43% based on 222 closings) had a final asking price below the original asking price. Median time from market entry to contract was 104 days based on 216 closings.
The listing-attempt percentage describes outcomes in the record; it is not a property’s probability of selling.
Each price band is its own market
The mix of land, frontage, size and condition changes across tiers. These are observed medians, not an isolated premium for any one feature.
| Sold-price tier | Closed sales | Median sold $/living SF |
|---|---|---|
| Under $5M | 19 | Limited sales Fewer than 23 sales (19 in this period) |
| $5M–under $10M | 113 | $2,511 based on 113 sales |
| $10M–under $15M | 84 | $3,079 based on 84 sales |
| $15M–under $20M | 44 | $3,464 based on 43 sales |
| $20M–under $25M | 17 | Limited sales Fewer than 23 sales (17 in this period) |
| $25M and above | 49 | $4,930 based on 49 sales |
Housing mix
| Property type | Closed sales | Median sold price | Median sold $/living SF |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single-family detached | 91 | $12,750,000 based on 91 sales | $3,261 based on 91 sales |
| Townhouses and villas | 10 | Limited sales Fewer than 23 sales (10 in this period) | Limited sales Fewer than 23 sales (10 in this period) |
| Conflicting MLS property-type records | 1 | Limited sales Fewer than 23 sales (1 in this period) | Limited sales Fewer than 23 sales (1 in this period) |
Property-specific context
Use the market to frame the property—not replace it
A private discussion applies the correct area, tier, condition, and transaction evidence to the actual brief.
Periods, formulas and data limits
Single-family homes, townhouses and villas · North End, Midtown & In-Town, Estate Section and South End · Condos and co-ops excluded. The four named development exports define these reporting groups; individual source rows do not supply an area-code field. The MLS reporting areas are North End — MLS 5001; In-Town — MLS 5002; Estates — MLS 5003; South End — MLS 5004. Records must identify Palm Beach and ZIP 33480. These are the named development groups, not all transactions in ZIP 33480.
Medians and sales-based comparisons use a minimum computed from 1% of the total residential inventory for the measured area and property type, rounded to the nearest whole transaction (minimum 1) in refreshed analyses. Earlier editions retain their recorded minimum until updated. Residential lots are included in that total. Both historical endpoints must qualify. Months of supply uses the same threshold for trailing-year closings. Counts remain visible; one-sale results are labeled “single transaction.” This is a display rule, not a claim of statistical reliability. Explicitly provisional parent measures may use two documented source scenarios only when both yield the same rounded minimum; the population, inventory-based percentages and unverified subgroups remain unavailable. Other unknown residential totals, missing observations and zero comparison baselines remain unavailable. Smaller samples show “Limited sales” and the count. The count shown with a figure is the number of eligible sales, closings or listing attempts behind it. Sold $/living SF is each closing price divided by its recorded living area, then the median of those ratios. Counts remain visible when medians are suppressed.
Closed sales are deduplicated by parcel number, closing date and closing price; listing key is used when parcel number is absent. When duplicate closing records disagree on detached versus attached housing type, the sale remains in the overall total and appears in a separate conflicting-type row. The ledger counts listing attempts separately: a property can expire and later sell. It is not a count of unique owners or unsuccessful properties. Failed-attempt dates use the recorded status-change date. Price reductions compare final asking price with original asking price; they do not reconstruct every price change. The reduction percentage requires this area’s 1% threshold in closings with both usable asking prices. The failed-attempt percentage requires the same threshold in concluded listing attempts; it reports attempts, rather than unique properties.
Market time runs from OnMarketDate (or ListingContractDate if absent) to PurchaseContractDate; missing, negative or over-ten-year intervals are excluded. Months of supply = active listings ÷ (trailing-year closings ÷ 12), when that measured area’s 1% trailing-year closing threshold qualifies. Only Active status counts as available inventory; pending and active-under-contract listings are excluded.
Cash purchase share uses the MLS BuyerFinancing field: closings coded “Cash” divided by closed sales with a known BuyerFinancing value. Blank or unknown financing is excluded from the percentage and reported separately. The known-financing count must independently reach this area’s 1% threshold. It describes MLS-reported financing on these closings; it does not measure financing in private or off-MLS transactions.
Annual rows before 2026 are full calendar years; 2026 is partial through 11/03/26. Changes in medians reflect sales mix, not repeat-sales appreciation. Waterfront groups follow explicit MLS flags and features; ocean access or beach access alone does not establish frontage. A record coded for both oceanfront and lakefront does not verify an ocean-to-lake parcel. Tax parcel counts use Town of Palm Beach municipality code 50 and are deduplicated by property-control number, including across area exports for the combined count. The displayed property counts are total distinct residential parcels, including verified residential vacant lots. Current developed parcel identities and classifications match the immutable September 5 directories exactly; dated lot supplements remain distinct from the current exports. Nonresidential and ancillary parcels are excluded, and parcels are not a count of occupied homes. Area counts can overlap; they are not a count of homes for sale.
Related market context
Put this market in context
These reports provide related context. Each defines its own geography, property types and reporting dates; the links do not make the markets interchangeable.
Related market reports
- The North End market report
Compare this area’s sales and inventory within its stated boundaries and reporting period.
- Midtown & In-Town market report
Compare this area’s sales and inventory within its stated boundaries and reporting period.
- The Estate Section market report
Compare this area’s sales and inventory within its stated boundaries and reporting period.
Analysis and perspective
- Palm Beach County Is Really Five Markets
See why housing type, location and the selected sales change the meaning of a market median.
- Palm Beach County’s expanding high-wage economy
Read the regional employment context alongside local housing evidence; job growth alone does not establish a property’s value.