BreakThru Realty

Cost to Sell a House in Delray Beach

Every cost a Delray Beach seller pays at closing, what each one is, who customarily pays it in Palm Beach County, and how to estimate what you keep.

Reviewed by Tyson E. Sam, Founder and Broker of Record, BreakThru Realty, Florida License 3565210

Selling a house in Delray Beach has costs a seller can plan for: the Florida documentary stamp tax, title and closing charges, association estoppel fees, prorated property taxes and the brokerage commission. This page works through each one against the live Delray Beach sold prices, so the net proceeds are not a surprise at the closing table.

Delray Beach Market at a Glance

Updated September 23, 2026 from BeachesMLS.

  • 1,316homes & condos for sale
  • 80new listings this week
  • 373under contract
  • 442waterfront listings
  • 247luxury listings ($1,000,000+)
  • 195sold in the last 30 days
Single-family homesCondos & townhomes
Active listings349829
Median list price$1,299,000$199,000
Median list price per sq ft$555/sq ft$188/sq ft
Average days on market102 days116 days
Sold in the last 90 days235347
Median sold price (90 days)$862,500$201,000
Sale price as % of list price95.8%94.7%
Months of inventory4.5 months7.2 months
Median sold price vs. a year ago+8.8%+8.6%

Source: BeachesMLS via the Spark API. Active listings as of September 23, 2026; sold figures cover closings in the last 90 days, compared with the same 90 days one year earlier. Not an appraisal. How these figures are calculated.

The Costs of Selling a House in Delray Beach, in Order of Size

For most Delray Beach sellers the list runs: the mortgage payoff, the brokerage commission, the Florida documentary stamp tax on the deed, title and settlement charges, property taxes for the part of the year you owned the home, association fees and estoppel charges where there is an association, and whatever you agree with the buyer after inspection. None of them is paid up front. They are deducted from the sale price on the closing statement, and what is left is wired to you.

Documentary Stamp Tax in Palm Beach County

Florida charges a documentary stamp tax on every deed, customarily paid by the seller. In Palm Beach County, as in every Florida county except Miami-Dade, the rate is 70 cents per $100 of the sale price. On the median Delray Beach single-family home sale of $862,500, that comes to about $6,038. It is calculated on the full price, not on your gain, and it is due at closing.

Title Insurance and Closing Charges in Palm Beach County

Who pays for the owner's title insurance policy is a matter of local custom, and it is written into the contract. In Palm Beach County the seller customarily chooses the title company and pays for the owner's policy, the reverse of Miami-Dade and Broward, where the buyer does. Florida sets title insurance premiums by a published rate, so the policy costs the same at any company and rises with the price. The seller also pays a settlement fee, a lien search, and the cost of clearing anything it turns up, such as an open permit or an unpaid utility balance. All of it is negotiable, so read the contract rather than relying on custom.

Property Taxes, Association Fees and Assessments

Florida property taxes are paid in arrears, so at closing the seller credits the buyer for the taxes from January 1 to the closing date; the later in the year you close, the larger that credit. If the home is in a condominium or a homeowners' association, the association charges for an estoppel certificate showing what is owed, a fee capped by Florida statute, and any unpaid dues are settled at closing. A special assessment that has been levied but not fully paid is a negotiated item: the contract decides whether the seller pays it off or the buyer takes it over.

Repairs, Credits and Preparing the Home

After the inspection, most buyers ask for repairs or a credit. South Florida insurers care about four things, the roof, the electrical panel, the plumbing and the air conditioning, so a buyer's four-point inspection tends to decide what is asked for. Knowing the roof's age and having permits closed before you list removes most surprises. Preparation costs (cleaning, paint, landscaping, staging) are optional, and we tell you which ones the Delray Beach comparables say will come back in the price and which will not.

Taxes on the Gain, and Foreign Sellers

Florida has no state income tax, so any tax on your gain is federal. Owners who lived in the home as their main residence for two of the last five years can usually exclude up to $250,000 of gain, or $500,000 for a married couple filing jointly; investment and second homes do not qualify, which is where a 1031 exchange comes in. If the seller is a foreign person, the buyer is generally required under FIRPTA to withhold 15% of the sale price for the IRS unless an exception or a withholding certificate applies, something to plan for months before closing. This is general information, not tax advice; confirm your position with a CPA.

Estimating What You Keep

Net proceeds are the sale price less the mortgage payoff and the costs above. We prepare a written estimate for your address before you decide anything, using a valuation from matching Delray Beach sales and the actual Palm Beach County charges, and we put a guaranteed cash offer beside it if you want to compare a certain, as-is sale with a listing. Request it with the form on this page.

Delray Beach Costs Beyond the County Norms

Delray Beach adds a few line items to the usual list. A seller in a mandatory-membership club has to work through the club's own transfer process alongside the sale, and its timing can set the closing date. Waterfront owners are asked for a seawall and dock inspection and should expect a negotiation over an aging seawall, and a boat has to be moved for showings and again for closing. East of Federal Highway an elevation certificate is needed for the buyer's flood policy, and an insurer will want the wind mitigation and four-point reports. In Del-Ida Park, unapproved exterior work in a historic district has to be resolved, and anywhere in the city an open permit from a renovation stalls the file until it is closed.

Selling a Delray Beach Condo or Association Home

Selling a condominium or villa in Delray Beach depends on the community's own machinery. The association approves the buyer, charges its fee and works to its own schedule, and some communities hold a right of first refusal that must be waived first. In the age-restricted communities every adult occupant has to qualify on age and prove it, which narrows the buyer pool before price is discussed. Buyers ask for the budget, the reserve study, the structural inspection report where the building is three stories or more, and any voted assessment, and a seller who has them ready avoids a later renegotiation. Where few lenders will finance, expect cash buyers and price with that in mind rather than discovering it during an appraisal.

When Delray Beach Sellers Close Fastest

The two halves of Delray Beach sell on different clocks. East of I-95 the winter residents are here from January through April, so a listing that goes live in the autumn meets the buyers who are walking the Avenue and looking at houses in the same week. The age-restricted communities in the west see their strongest activity in the same window, when owners decide whether to keep wintering here. Families shopping the western communities look in spring for a summer move. Hurricane season from June through November can pause an insurer from binding during a named storm and delay a financed closing, and any sale needing an association or a club approval in Delray Beach should have extra time built into the contract dates.

Recently Sold in Delray Beach

The newest closings in Delray Beach, with the sale price, closing date and days on market for each.

Recently sold homes in Delray Beach

What Is Your Delray Beach Home Worth?

Request a free valuation built on recent Delray Beach sales, or a full comparative market analysis before you list. No fee, no obligation, and a licensed broker answers within one business day.

Cost to Sell: Frequently Asked Questions

How much does it cost to sell a house in Delray Beach?
Apart from the mortgage payoff, a Delray Beach seller pays the brokerage commission, the Florida documentary stamp tax on the deed, title and settlement charges, prorated property taxes, any association estoppel fee and unpaid dues, and whatever repairs or credits are agreed after inspection. Everything is deducted at closing; nothing is paid up front. We prepare a written net proceeds estimate for your address before you decide.
How much are documentary stamps on a home sale in Palm Beach County?
In Palm Beach County the documentary stamp tax on a deed is 70 cents per $100 of the sale price, the rate in every Florida county except Miami-Dade. On the median Delray Beach single-family home sale of $862,500, that is about $6,038. The seller customarily pays it.
Who pays for title insurance in Palm Beach County, the buyer or the seller?
By local custom the seller chooses the title company and pays for the owner's policy in Palm Beach County. In Miami-Dade and Broward the custom is reversed and the buyer pays. It is a custom, not a law, so the contract controls.
Do I pay capital gains tax when I sell my home in Florida?
Florida has no state income tax, so any tax on the gain is federal. If the home was your main residence for two of the last five years you can usually exclude up to $250,000 of gain, or $500,000 for a married couple filing jointly. Second homes and rentals do not qualify. This is general information, not tax advice; confirm it with a CPA.
Do I have to make repairs before I sell?
No. You can sell as-is, and the standard Florida as-is contract gives the buyer an inspection period rather than a repair obligation. Repairs become a negotiation after the inspection, usually settled with a credit. If you would rather avoid showings and inspections altogether, ask us for the guaranteed cash offer and compare it with the listing estimate.

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