Cost to Sell a House in Highland Beach
Know what you would keep from your Highland Beach sale, line by line, before you decide to sell.
Every cost a Highland Beach seller pays at closing, what each one is, who customarily pays it in Palm Beach County, and how to estimate what you keep.
Selling a house in Highland 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 Highland Beach sold prices, so the net proceeds are not a surprise at the closing table.
Highland Beach Market at a Glance
Updated October 20, 2026 from BeachesMLS.
- 126homes & condos for sale
- 8new listings this week
- 25under contract
- 111waterfront listings
- 41luxury listings ($1,500,000+)
- 11sold in the last 30 days
| Single-family homes | Condos & townhomes | |
|---|---|---|
| Active listings | 9 | 117 |
| Median list price | $7,999,000 | $995,000 |
| Median list price per sq ft | $1,229/sq ft | $680/sq ft |
| Average days on market | 91 days | 130 days |
| Sold in the last 90 days | 2 | 26 |
| Median sold price (90 days) | $11,150,000 | $1,008,750 |
| Sale price as % of list price | 89% | 91.6% |
| Months of inventory | 13.5 months | 13.5 months |
| Median sold price vs. a year ago | — | +4% |
Source: BeachesMLS. Active listings as of October 20, 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 Highland Beach, in Order of Size
For most Highland 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 Highland Beach single-family home sale of $11,150,000, that comes to about $78,050. 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. In Highland Beach's older condominium buildings, ask early about special assessments tied to the milestone inspection and the structural reserve study: the contract decides whether the seller or the buyer pays one that has been levied but not yet billed.
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 Highland 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 Highland 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.
Highland Beach Costs Beyond the County Norms
Selling a house in Highland Beach carries costs that a county average does not show. Buyers order surveys that locate the seawall, the mean high water line and, on the ocean side, the coastal construction control line, elevation certificates, seawall and dock inspections and wind mitigation reports. Open permits and unpermitted work on an older Bel Lido house delay closing until resolved, and an oceanfront house sold with plans may need its state permit transferred to the buyer. Sellers also budget for presentation, from dock repairs and landscaping to staging a house that will be shown to a small number of qualified buyers in Highland Beach.
Selling a Highland Beach Condo or Association Home
Selling a condominium in Highland Beach means working with the association from the first day. Each building sets its own application, fee and approval process for a buyer, some boards meet only monthly and some are away in summer, so the timeline is set early with the manager. The buyer's lender and attorney will ask for the budget, the reserve study, the milestone inspection report and any assessment, and an assessment already voted is usually settled or credited at closing. Estoppel fees, the association's transfer fee and a capital contribution in some buildings belong in the net sheet. Price a Highland Beach unit from its own building's sales, not from the town.
When Highland Beach Sellers Close Fastest
Highland Beach sells fastest when a listing is ready as the winter residents arrive, because most buyers here walk the buildings in person between the holidays and spring and decide while they are in town. A condominium that comes to market in late autumn meets the whole season; one that waits until spring meets the end of it. Summer is quiet, hurricane season slows oceanfront showings and the binding of insurance, and a board that does not meet in August can hold an approval for weeks. A house sale with a permit transfer or a pending state approval closes on the agency's calendar, so start that paperwork before listing in Highland Beach.
Recently Sold in Highland Beach
The newest closings in Highland Beach, with the sale price, closing date and days on market for each.
Sold $1,200,000
Closed Oct 20, 2026 · 4740 S Ocean Boulevard 501, Highland Beach FL 33487
3 bd · 3 ba · 2,070 sq ft · $580/sq ft · 129 days on market · 100% of list price
Sold $2,950,000
Closed Oct 19, 2026 · 3505 S Ocean Boulevard 12n, Highland Beach FL 33487
2 bd · 3 ba · 2,659 sq ft · $1,109/sq ft · 95 days on market · 93.7% of list price
Sold $655,000
Closed Oct 15, 2026 · 2921 S Ocean Boulevard 204, Highland Beach FL 33487
2 bd · 2 ba · 1,330 sq ft · $492/sq ft · 139 days on market · 95.6% of list price
Sold $1,087,500
Closed Oct 13, 2026 · 3400 S Ocean Boulevard 10m, Highland Beach FL 33487
2 bd · 2 ba · 1,449 sq ft · $751/sq ft · 161 days on market · 90.7% of list price
Sold $425,000
Closed Oct 8, 2026 · 3221 S OCEAN Boulevard 302, Highland Beach FL 33487
2 bd · 2 ba · 1,050 sq ft · $405/sq ft · 17 days on market · 100% of list price
Sold $1,255,000
Closed Oct 2, 2026 · 3407 S Ocean Boulevard 7a, Highland Beach FL 33487
2 bd · 3 ba · 2,015 sq ft · $623/sq ft · 286 days on market · 89.9% of list price
What Is Your Highland Beach Home Worth?
Request a free valuation built on recent Highland 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 Highland Beach?
- Apart from the mortgage payoff, a Highland 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 Highland Beach single-family home sale of $11,150,000, that is about $78,050. 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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