BreakThru Realty

Cost to Sell a House in South Palm Beach

Know what you would keep from your South Palm Beach sale, line by line, before you decide to sell.

Every cost a South Palm 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 South Palm 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 South Palm Beach sold prices, so the net proceeds are not a surprise at the closing table.

South Palm Beach Market at a Glance

Updated October 31, 2026 from BeachesMLS.

Newest South Palm Beach Homes for Sale

The 30 newest homes, condos and townhomes on the market in South Palm Beach, straight from BeachesMLS. The 30 listings on this page run from $415,000 to $4,995,000, with a median of $669,000, about $439 per square foot, and they have been listed a median of 70 days.

  • The communities with the most listings here are Mayfair House (9), Thirty Five Sixty (6), Dune Deck of the Palm Beaches (4) and Barclay (2), 21 of the 30; the others are spread across 9 more communities.
  • By type: 29 condos and 1 townhome or villa.
  • Bedrooms run from 1 to 3, a median of 2; they were built between 1971 and 2019, a median of 1980, and 1 in the last ten years.
  • 1 of the 30 have a pool, and 29 are on the water.

See every South Palm Beach home for sale with map and filters.

Single-family homesCondos & townhomes
Active listings064
Median list price—$536,750
Median list price per sq ft—$401/sq ft
Average days on market—130 days
Sold in the last 90 days021
Median sold price (90 days)—$316,000
Sale price as % of list price—95.5%
Months of inventory—9.1 months
Median sold price vs. a year ago—-30%

Source: BeachesMLS. Active listings as of October 31, 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 South Palm Beach, in Order of Size

For most South Palm 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 South Palm Beach condo or townhome sale of $316,000, that comes to about $2,212. 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 South Palm 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 South Palm 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 South Palm 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.

South Palm Beach Costs Beyond the County Norms

A South Palm Beach sale carries costs that a countywide average leaves out. Buyers ask for wind mitigation reports and, for older units, a four point inspection for their insurance, and an unpermitted renovation or window replacement holds up closing until the association and the permit records agree. A unit sold furnished needs an inventory and a bill of sale for the furniture. Sellers also budget for presentation, from fresh paint to a professional cleaning before photographs, and for the documentary stamp tax that a Florida seller customarily pays on the deed of a South Palm Beach unit.

Selling a South Palm Beach Condo or Association Home

Selling a South Palm Beach condominium means working with the association from the start. Each building runs its own application and approval for a buyer, some with an interview, and boards often meet less in summer, so the timeline is set early with the manager. Expect the buyer's lender and closing agent to request the estoppel letter, the budget, the structural integrity reserve study, the milestone inspection report and the status of any assessment, which is normally paid off or credited at closing; an assessment voted but unbilled needs a clear agreement. Estoppel and transfer fees belong in the net sheet for a South Palm Beach unit.

When South Palm Beach Sellers Close Fastest

South Palm Beach sells to winter buyers, so the season sets the pace. A listing that is ready in late autumn meets buyers as they arrive and walks the buildings with them from the holidays into spring, while a summer listing meets fewer buyers and often a longer wait. Insurance quotes on the ocean take longer in hurricane season, and a board that does not meet in August can hold an approval for weeks, so gather the association documents and start the South Palm Beach paperwork before the listing goes live.

Recently Sold in South Palm Beach

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

Recently sold homes in South Palm Beach

What Is Your South Palm Beach Home Worth?

Request a free valuation built on recent South Palm 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 South Palm Beach?
Apart from the mortgage payoff, a South Palm 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 South Palm Beach condo or townhome sale of $316,000, that is about $2,212. 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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