Palm Beach County and Broward County have always had a romantic relationship with waterfront properties. From the lifestyle it provides, to the respect it brings from your peers, South Florida is in love with the idea of living on the water. We have a long, rich history of boating in our area, with Ft. Lauderdale being the yacht capital of the world, and Palm Beach having a deep history in the sportfishing community. Both have made their mark in history and continue to do so today. Michael Rybovich and Sons in Palm Beach and Merritt Boats in Pompano are both fine examples of the best sportfish boats made in the world, and they do it with a class that can’t be duplicated. Along with the sportfish boating community, Broward and Palm Beach County are home to many shipyards for the service of some of the finest luxury yachts in the world. With their ideal location to the northeast United States and the Caribbean, Palm Beach and Broward counties are the ultimate home base for these super yachts. If you’re looking to park your luxury vessel behind your home, it will come with a hefty price tag. This is a pay-to-play sport, and there is limited access to the water. One thing about the waterfront in south Florida, there is only “one row.” The waterfront row and second row across the street not on the water only keeps you dreaming of what it’s like to be the lucky person in the waterfront row. There are some differences in owning waterfront homes though. We have wide open water views, canal-front homes, and gated community waterfront homes; some with better zip codes than the others. When working with a client, I delve into the differences in the locations and try to assist in figuring out what’s best for their needs…..and budget.

The Palm Beach County waterfront can be broken into 4 different areas, with distinct differences in the boating needs to be accommodated. The areas of Northern Palm Beach County (including North Palm Beach, Palm Beach Gardens, Jupiter, Tequesta and Singer Island) are relatively close in proximity to each other, however they fulfill different boating needs. North Palm Beach and Singer Island offer great deep-water access to the Palm Beach Inlet with more canal-front homes than any other areas in the region. These two areas are home to a “who’s who” in the sportfish community. Palm Beach Inlet is minutes away and both areas offer great protected dockage. You can expect the prices to be relatively the same for both areas. A new construction waterfront canal home will run an average of $5-7 million or $1,000-1,200 per square foot. For an older remodeled home on a canal, you can expect to spend in the $2.5-4 million range. Tear-downs are going to run $2-2.75 million. If you want all the views of the wide-open water, you’d better dig into your pockets because that will run you from $8 million for an older home to up to $20 million for something made for MTV’s cribs.

Up the Intracoastal in Palm Beach Gardens, you’ll be able to find a nice stretch of waterway with great deep-water access for any boat that will fit behind your house, but don’t expect to find parking for a 150-footer, as most of lots have only 100-150 feet on the waterfrontage. There are a handful of properties that can accommodate this size yacht, but buyers must be patient and ready to strike when the properties become available. Prices are relatively the same here, with canal homes priced at $4-6.5 million and main Intracoastal properties at $7-12 million on average, with a few bigger properties fetching higher numbers.

Cruising right along to the Jupiter area, and starting with the high-end, Admirals Cove has the most access to water and deep-water for larger yachts. With a world-class marina and an amazing golf and country club, this community offers it all and does it better than anywhere in the area. However, you’re going to pay for it. With homes selling for over $1,500 to upwards of $2,300 per square feet for new construction, and tear-down lots costing over $6.5 million, the average sales price for a single-family home is $11-12 million. Moving further along in Jupiter we have “the river”. The scenic and historic Loxahatchee River has all the views you would ever want….but it does have some limiting factors for boaters. This is not the location for your yacht or sportfish. It is a great location for your large center consoles and out-board boats. Homes on average with wide open water views will run you $8-12 million with the exception of Pennock Point, which will run you whatever you’re lucky enough to pay, as properties rarely come on the market. There is currently only one property available for $18 million. The canal homes on the river are a little more modest, going for $2-4 million. On average, the lots are a little smaller than the rest of Northern Palm Beach County and offer limited boat access.

In the south, to Palm Beach and West Palm Beach we can keep this brief. There is not much waterfront available, and you’d better have deep pockets. In West Palm Beach, along Flagler Drive, only 1 home sold in 2023 and just 3 sold in 2022, with a solid average of $16 million per home. If you want to cross the bridge and live in the world-famous 33480 zip code, that will cost you an average of only $40 million! Just a handful of properties have traded along that waterfront area, all being absolutely spectacular. There are very few limitations on the boating accommodations in that area. Buyers can bring their yachts because the depth and size capabilities are there, as well as the Palm Beach Inlet for some of the best ocean access in South Florida. Although the average is $40 million, the potential to spend upwards of $200 million dollars for that trophy, one-of-a-kind property is real. If you are in the market for the best of the best and there is no budget, this is your spot.

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