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.
Market Intelligence · October 2026
The Palm Beach market, measured carefully
Palm Beach’s North End, Midtown & In-Town, Estate Section and South End recorded 108 distinct MLS-reported home sales from October 4, 2025 through October 3, 2026. The median sold price was $12,250,000, and the median sold price per living square foot was $3,177. Active inventory was 53 listings on October 3, 2026. The area medians differ substantially: The North End $11,550,000; Midtown & In-Town $12,000,000; The Estate Section $25,150,000; The South End limited sample (n=3). The island-wide median blends those different markets. Cash purchases accounted for 88% of 108 closings with known financing. 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 October 3, 2026The current evidence
Three figures that frame the market
Palm Beach single-family and attached homes sold for a median of $3,186 per living square foot in 2026 year-to-date, 164% above 2019 and 1.3% above the 2022 median.
Since 2024, 48% of concluded listing attempts in these four MLS areas ended without a sale: 205 expired, canceled or withdrawn attempts against 222 closed attempts.
The trailing-year median sold prices were The North End $11.55M; Midtown & In-Town $12.00M; The Estate Section $25.15M; The South End Limited sample. These MLS-area medians combine properties with different settings, housing types and characteristics.
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 | 84 | $4,550,000 (n=84) | $1,209 (n=84) |
| 2020 | 189 | $5,100,000 (n=189) | $1,302 (n=189) |
| 2021 | 149 | $7,410,000 (n=149) | $1,902 (n=149) |
| 2022 | 63 | $12,200,000 (n=63) | $3,144 (n=63) |
| 2023 | 43 | $8,775,000 (n=43) | $2,750 (n=43) |
| 2024 | 53 | $10,750,000 (n=53) | $2,634 (n=53) |
| 2025 | 76 | $12,062,500 (n=76) | $2,953 (n=75) |
| 2026 YTD | 91 | $12,500,000 (n=91) | $3,186 (n=91) |
Partial-year figures are marked. Annual medians reflect modest samples and the mix of what sold.
MLS reporting geography
Home sales by MLS area
| Area | Sales | Median sold price | Median $/living SF | Active listings | Months of supply | Cash purchases |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The North End | 49 | $11,550,000 (n=49) | $2,863 (n=49) | 27 | 6.6 | 90% (44 cash / 49 known) |
| Midtown & In-Town | 37 | $12,000,000 (n=37) | $3,261 (n=37) | 10 | 3.2 | 86% (32 cash / 37 known) |
| The Estate Section | 19 | $25,150,000 (n=19) | $3,937 (n=19) | 14 | 8.8 | 89% (17 cash / 19 known) |
| The South End | 3 | Limited sample (n=3) | Limited sample (n=3) | 2 | Limited sample | 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 222 closed listing attempts and 205 expired, canceled or withdrawn attempts: 48% of concluded attempts ended without a sale. The closed attempts represent 220 distinct closings after duplicate transaction records are removed. 94 of 220 eligible closings (43%) had a final asking price below the original asking price. Median time from market entry to contract was 100.5 (n=216) days.
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 | $1,953 (n=19) |
| $5M–under $10M | 114 | $2,488 (n=114) |
| $10M–under $15M | 82 | $3,066 (n=82) |
| $15M–under $20M | 44 | $3,464 (n=43) |
| $20M–under $25M | 18 | $3,753 (n=18) |
| $25M and above | 49 | $4,930 (n=49) |
Housing mix
| Property type | Closed sales | Median sold price | Median sold $/living SF |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single-family detached | 95 | $12,750,000 (n=95) | $3,257 (n=95) |
| Townhouses and villas | 12 | $8,900,000 (n=12) | $2,447 (n=12) |
| Conflicting MLS property-type records | 1 | Limited sample (n=1) | Limited sample (n=1) |
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; their rows do not carry independently verified MLS area codes. Records must identify Palm Beach and ZIP 33480. These are the named development groups, not all transactions in ZIP 33480.
Medians require at least 5 eligible observations; percentage comparisons require at least 10 in each comparison group. Smaller samples show “Limited sample” and the count. n is the eligible count for the particular metric. 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.
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), with at least 5 closings. 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. 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 2026-10-03. 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. Area counts can overlap and include vacant parcels; 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.