Single-Family vs. Condo: Palm Beach County's Two Housing Markets Are Diverging Across 12 Cities in Fall 2026

Palm Beach County Market Report · Houses vs. Condos · Fall 2026

By Jean Taveras, Broker-Owner, Atlis Property Management · Updated October 2026

Ask whether Palm Beach County favors buyers or sellers right now, and the honest reply is another question: houses or condos? The fall 2026 numbers show the two behaving differently in almost every city we looked at.

This report sets the figures side by side for 12 cities, using the city statistics pages PBP Real Estate published on October 7, 2026. Every percentage change below shows both inputs. We do not explain the gap with guesses or turn sale prices into yields; we show what the numbers say and what a rental owner should do with them.

Median Sale Prices, City by City

The table compares the median sale price for January 1 through September 30, 2026 with the same period of 2025, for houses and for condos and townhouses. The change in parentheses is calculated from the two medians shown.

Read across each row and the pattern is consistent. In every one of the 12 cities, the condo and townhouse median rose less than the house median, or fell further. In Boca Raton, the house median rose 14.4% ($917,500 to $1,049,300) while the condo and townhouse median rose 1.4% ($360,000 to $365,000). In Palm Beach Gardens, houses rose 10.4% ($996,100 to $1,100,000) and condos and townhouses 4.0% ($399,000 to $415,000). In Boynton Beach, Wellington, and Royal Palm Beach, the house median rose while the condo and townhouse median fell. In Greenacres, both fell, and the condo and townhouse median fell further.

Two cautions. A median moves with the mix of homes that sell, not with any one home's value. And small samples move more: North Palm Beach closed 86 houses this year, so its +48.2% house change ($1,153,750 to $1,709,448) rests on far fewer sales than Boca Raton's 1,713.

Inventory and Sales Counts: Two Different Signals

Price is one signal. Inventory and sales activity are the others. The next table shows homes for sale on October 7, 2026 with months of inventory, and closed sales for January through September in 2025 and 2026.

Condos and townhouses carried more months of inventory than houses in 11 of the 12 cities. Royal Palm Beach was the exception, at 3.3 months for condos and townhouses against 3.7 months for houses. The widest gaps were in Delray Beach (4.2 months for houses, 8.2 for condos and townhouses), Greenacres (4.1 and 8.8), and Wellington (5.1 and 8.8).

Sales counts complicate the simple story. Condo and townhouse closings rose in 11 of the 12 cities, with Riviera Beach the exception (120 to 112). In Boynton Beach they rose 17.6% (994 to 1,169), and in Royal Palm Beach 45.1% (122 to 177). So the fall 2026 divergence is about price and supply, not about condos failing to sell.

What the Divergence Means for a Rental Owner

For an owner who rents, the sales market shapes your exit and how much choice a buyer has if you sell. It does not tell you what your home will rent for.

PBP Real Estate's rental medians combine homes and condos listed for lease, so they do not split rents by property type. As of October 7, 2026, the median asking rent was $4,800 in Jupiter, $3,900 in Palm Beach Gardens, $3,100 in Boca Raton, $2,600 in Delray Beach, and $2,200 in West Palm Beach. Those figures describe each city's whole rental market. To price a condo or a house, compare it with listings of the same type, size, and condition nearby. Our guides to single-family rentals in Palm Beach Gardens and single-family rentals in West Palm Beach show how to do that for a house.

One more rule we hold to: never divide a median rent by a median sale price to estimate a return. The two medians describe different homes. If you are weighing a condo against a house as an investment, underwrite each one with its own rent comparables, its own insurance quote, its taxes, its association dues, and a realistic reserve. Our rental cash flow guide walks through that math.

Renting a Condo vs. Renting a House: The Practical Differences

Renting a condo differs from renting a house in ways the sales data does not show.

• Association approval. Many condo associations must approve a tenant before move-in. Under section 718.112(2)(k), an approval fee is allowed only if the association's documents provide for one, is capped at $150 per applicant (adjusted for inflation every five years), and cannot be charged for a renewal with the same tenant. The association may also require a deposit of up to one month's rent if its documents allow.
• Rental restrictions. Under section 718.110(13), a condo amendment that prohibits rentals, changes rental terms, or limits how often owners may rent applies only to owners who consent and to owners who acquire title after it takes effect. For HOAs, section 720.306(1)(h) sets a similar rule, with an exception allowing limits on leases shorter than 6 months and on renting more than three times a year.
• Building-level obligations. Section 553.899 requires milestone structural inspections for condominium and cooperative buildings of three habitable stories or more. Read the association's inspection and reserve documents before you buy, renew insurance, or set a long-term rent plan. Our condo milestone inspection guide covers the details.
• Who maintains what. In a condo, the association typically handles the building and common elements under its documents, and the owner handles the unit. In a house, the owner handles everything from the roof to the irrigation. A rental plan has to match that split.
• Insurance. A condo owner insures the unit under a policy coordinated with the association's master policy; a house owner insures the whole structure. Get quotes for the actual property before you compare the two.

Houses and townhouses in HOAs have their own approval and lease rules. Our guides to HOA rental restrictions in Palm Beach County and HOA rules in Palm Beach Gardens list what to verify before you list. For condos specifically, see what to know before buying a condo as a rental. This is general information, not legal advice.

Rent or Sell? How the Two Markets Change the Question

If you own a house in a city with low months of supply, a sale faces less competition from other listings. If you own a condo in a city with high months of supply, a sale faces more. Neither fact decides it. Compare what the home would net as a rental with what a sale would net today, after costs and taxes.

Try our rent-or-sell calculator with your own figures, and read our 2026 guide to renting or selling for the full framework.

Common Mistakes Owners Make Comparing Houses and Condos

• Reading a countywide headline as your city. In Royal Palm Beach, condos and townhouses had less supply than houses; in Delray Beach, nearly double. Use your city's row.
• Treating a median change as a change in your home's value. Medians move with the mix of homes sold, and small samples swing hard.
• Assuming sales trends predict rents. The rental medians here combine homes and condos; price your rental against its own comparables.
• Computing a yield from two medians. A median rent divided by a median price compares different homes. Underwrite the actual property.
• Skipping the association documents. Approval fees, deposits, rental limits, and building inspections can change a condo's rental timeline and costs.
• Ignoring the timeline for association approval. Set a move-in date only after you know how long the approval takes.
• Explaining the gap with a guess. The data shows a divergence; it does not show why. Decide on your numbers, not on a theory.

How Atlis Manages Houses and Condos Across the County

Atlis is a broker-owner led, residential-only firm based on PGA Boulevard in Palm Beach Gardens, managing single-family homes, townhomes, condos, and small multifamily across Palm Beach County. Our residential property management is full service only. Our fee is 5–9% of collected rent with a $200 monthly minimum; the pricing page sets 7–9% for homes and condos. Leasing and lease renewals are separate per-unit charges listed on the pricing page, not part of the monthly fee. There is no maintenance markup, no management fee on vacant units, and the rate is locked for the life of the partnership.

Our results include a 21-day average lease-up, 98%+ of rent collected monthly, and a 74% renewal rate, backed by eight written guarantees and 24/7 AI-assisted maintenance triage.

Frequently Asked Questions

Whether you own a house, a condo, or a townhouse, we will price it against its own comparables and walk you through the numbers in writing.