Palm Beach County, Florida · ZIP 33487

Highland
Beach

Half a square mile of land, roughly three miles of A1A, two registered businesses, and a town that incorporated in 1949 because its neighbors would not sell it water. Highland Beach is almost entirely built out and almost entirely condominium, which means the building matters more than the address. This is the working reference to it, written by an agent who has practiced these coastal markets since 2005.

Call 561.542.4240 Compass Profile
Karen J. Anderson, P.A. · REALTOR® · Broker Associate Compass Florida, LLC · 101 N. Federal Highway, Floor 5, Boca Raton, FL 33432 Florida Broker #3141013 · Since 2005 26°24′N | 80°03′W
The Agent

Highland Beach is a building-by-building
market. That is the whole job.

Karen Anderson has practiced real estate in South Florida since 2005 and has held a Florida broker's license since 2012. Roughly 400 closed transactions sit behind that, across seven distinct market cycles. She holds the CDPE, CIPS, ABR, and PSA designations, is a member of the National Association of REALTORS®, the Florida Association of REALTORS®, and the Broward, Palm Beaches & St. Lucie Realtors®, and is the author of The Florida Condo Playbook.

That last credential is the one that matters most here. Highland Beach is predominantly condominium, and since Florida's post-2022 legislation, a condominium transaction in this town is a documents exercise before it is anything else. Milestone inspections, Structural Integrity Reserve Studies, reserve funding adequacy, board minutes, budgets, insurance allocations, and assessment history decide value more reliably than square footage or floor level do. Two units with the same view, the same finishes, and the same footprint can be worth materially different amounts because their associations are in different financial condition. Karen served four years as a director and officer on her own condominium board, chairing the landscape and pool committees, and still attends board meetings as a resource on vendor selection, mold protocols, and condominium law. She reads these documents the way an owner reads them, not the way an agent skims them.

She also distinguishes carefully between the oceanfront and Intracoastal sides of A1A, between Bel Lido Isle as a single-family enclave and Boca Highland as a mixed-use waterfront community, and between the individual buildings along both waters. Exposure, access, dockage, elevation, and association health all move independently in a town this narrow, and that granularity is what a Highland Beach buyer or seller is actually paying for.

Case File · Braemar Isle at Boca Highlands · Closed June 2026

A dual-association estate sale, 120 documents, and a mold finding on the day count.

Two brothers inherited a direct Intracoastal condominium from their mother's estate. Neither had lived in it, neither lived in Florida, and neither knew the building. The unit sat inside two associations at once, Braemar Isle and the Boca Highlands master, each with independent documentation requirements. Structural repairs were underway: windows were sealed with construction tape, obscuring the views that carried the value, and the balcony was inaccessible.

Karen assembled and transmitted more than 120 documents, including financial statements, declarations, board minutes, milestone inspection records, and reserve studies, and pursued the updated 2026 FAQ form through property management because the buyer retained a right to cancel through the day of closing without it. When the inspection found mold in a limited common element air-conditioning closet, she contacted the inspector directly, verified his credentials, documented his assessment of remediation estimates submitted by companies that had never entered the property, and established through the association that a prior upstairs pipe failure placed responsibility with the sellers. A $10,000 credit was structured at closing so the sellers never had to coordinate remediation from out of state.

The cooperating agent had checked a box indicating the buyer already had all condominium documents when only board minutes had been requested. Karen delivered the full package anyway, on the record, to close the liability gap the other side had opened.

$1,200,000Closed price
$1,245,000List price
120+Documents assembled
2Associations, one unit
The Town

A town that exists because two
neighbors refused to sell it water.

In the late 1940s this stretch of A1A was a sparsely populated piece of unincorporated Palm Beach County, mostly beach rentals, drawing its drinking water from wells. Salt water invaded those wells. The residents approached Delray Beach and Boca Raton about buying water. Both declined. So twenty-one voting residents raised funds to build their own treatment plant and, in December 1949, incorporated as the Town of Highland Beach. They signed what became known locally as Highland Beach's Declaration of Independence. The name came from the site itself, elevated roughly twenty to twenty-five feet above high tide, unusually high ground for this coast.

Nearly every distinctive thing about the town today traces back to that origin. It still runs its own water utility, a reverse osmosis plant built in the 1990s at a cost of roughly $17.3 million, treating salt water drawn from the aquifer and operated around the clock. It runs its own police department. In May 2024 it stood up its own fire-rescue department at Station 116 on South Ocean Boulevard, ending a long service arrangement with Delray Beach. For a community of roughly 4,300 permanent residents occupying about half a square mile of land, that is an unusual degree of municipal self-sufficiency, and it is deliberate.

So is the near-absence of commerce. The town has two registered businesses, the Delray Sands Resort and a real estate office, operating out of the same building. There is no shopping district, no restaurant row, no downtown. In the 1980s town officials fought developers to hold density down, and since 1987 the town has been in a long-running disagreement with Palm Beach County over 352 feet of oceanfront the county acquired intending to build a public park. Residents have consistently said they do not want one. Whatever one makes of that, it tells you precisely what the town is optimizing for.

What buyers get in exchange is scarcity and quiet. Roughly three miles of coastline with the Atlantic on one side and the Intracoastal on the other, ten- to fifteen-story condominium buildings and multi-story waterfront homes, uncrowded beaches, and Atlantic Avenue five minutes north and downtown Boca Raton five minutes south when they want energy. What they give up is pedestrian-friendly convenience: nearly every errand is a short drive into a neighboring city. That trade is the entire proposition, and buyers who are honest with themselves about it are the ones who stay.

Pricing, desirability, and long-term value here are driven primarily by building-level factors. Maintenance fee structure, completed versus deferred repairs, management quality. Not by the zip code.

Karen Anderson, REALTOR® · Compass Florida, LLC

Market Snapshot

A thin, slow, negotiated market.

Highland Beach does not trade like the mainland. Inventory is small, marketing periods run long, and closings land meaningfully below list far more often than they do a mile inland. None of that signals weakness. It signals a market where the buyer pool for any given unit is narrow and the seller who prices to that pool wins.

$812,000 ZIP 33487 median sale price Three months ending May 2026, up 20.3% year over year
102 days Median time on market Against about 98 days the prior year
~$824 Average condominium price per square foot Across roughly 125 listed units
Town-level median sale price $987,500 Reported at the town level in early 2026, down sharply year over year. Town-level and ZIP-level figures diverge because 33487 extends beyond the town limits into north Boca Raton.
Median condominium list price $989,000 Across roughly 125 active condominium listings, with an average of about 119 days on market.
Typical closing against list 2% – 13% under Recent closings have landed anywhere from two to thirteen percent below list. Negotiation is the norm here, not the exception, which makes the initial list price a strategy decision rather than an aspiration.
Top of market $17,500,000 A single-family oceanfront sale in early 2026, listed at $19,950,000 and closed after 124 days. The estate tier and the condominium tier are separate markets sharing one ZIP code.
Flood exposure 54% Share of properties in 33487 identified as facing severe flood risk over a thirty-year horizon in third-party modeling. Elevation certificates and FEMA zone designation still need verifying address by address.

Figures are drawn from MLS and public-records reporting across recent windows and from third-party risk modeling. They shift month to month and describe aggregates, not properties. In a town of roughly 4,300 residents where a handful of high-value closings can move a median several hundred thousand dollars, aggregate figures are directional at best. The number that matters for a specific unit is what comparable units in that specific building have done, adjusted for its association's financial condition. For a current, address-level read, ask for one.

Local Authority Deep-Dive

100 things worth knowing about Highland Beach.

01Market FundamentalsMedian price, marketing time, price per square foot, the gap between list and closing, and why aggregates mislead in a town this small.
  1. ZIP 33487 posted a median sale price near $812,000 over the three months ending May 2026, up roughly 20.3% against the same period a year earlier.
  2. Homes in 33487 sold in roughly 102 days on average, against about 98 days the prior year. This is among the longest marketing periods in the network.
  3. Roughly 179 sales recorded in 33487 in a single May month, up from about 129 in the same month the prior year.
  4. Town-level reporting has shown a median sale price near $987,500 in early 2026, down sharply year over year, moving opposite the ZIP-level figure.
  5. The two diverge because ZIP 33487 extends beyond the town limits into north Boca Raton. Always confirm which geography a quoted figure describes.
  6. Condominium inventory has run near 125 active listings with an average of about 119 days on market and a median list price near $989,000.
  7. Average condominium price per square foot has run near $824 across that inventory, well above the mainland markets in this network.
  8. Town-wide median list price has been reported near $1.05 million at roughly $661 per square foot, which blends condominium and single-family product.
  9. Closings land below list as a rule, not an exception. Recent transactions have closed anywhere from 2% to 13% under list price.
  10. Because negotiation is expected, the opening list price functions as a strategy decision. Overpricing here does not invite a negotiation, it invites 200 days of silence.
  11. The estate tier and the condominium tier are separate markets sharing one ZIP code. A single-family oceanfront property closed at $17,500,000 in early 2026 after being listed at $19,950,000 and spending 124 days on market.
  12. In a town with roughly 4,300 permanent residents, a handful of high-value closings can swing a reported median by several hundred thousand dollars. Treat aggregates as directional only.
  13. Karen's overall working price range runs from roughly $500,000 to $7 million, with the largest concentration of her transactions between $1 million and $2 million.
02The Town: History, Governance & InfrastructureIncorporation, the water plant that caused it, municipal self-sufficiency, and the deliberate absence of commerce.
  1. Highland Beach incorporated in December 1949 when twenty-one voting residents signed what became known locally as Highland Beach's Declaration of Independence.
  2. The trigger was water. Salt water had invaded the area's wells, and both Delray Beach and Boca Raton declined to sell the residents water, so they built their own plant and incorporated to fund it.
  3. The town was named for its elevation, roughly twenty to twenty-five feet above high tide, which is unusually high ground along this coast.
  4. The town operates a reverse osmosis water treatment plant built in the 1990s at a cost of roughly $17.3 million, treating salt water drawn from the aquifer.
  5. That plant runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with at least one operator per shift, and operators test the water hourly and also monitor the distribution and sewage collection systems.
  6. Utility rates are set annually to cover operating costs without subsidy from general tax revenue, which is a different funding posture than most neighboring municipalities.
  7. The town runs its own police department providing 24-hour coverage.
  8. Fire-rescue was contracted to the City of Delray Beach through April 2024. The Town of Highland Beach Fire Rescue Department commenced operations in May 2024.
  9. The town's fire station is Station 116 at 3612 South Ocean Boulevard, just north of Town Hall.
  10. Highland Beach has two registered businesses, the Delray Sands Resort (formerly a Holiday Inn) and a real estate office, both operating out of the same building.
  11. That is not an accident of the market. In the 1980s town officials actively fought developers to hold density down, and low commercial intensity has been a governing priority since.
  12. The town operates under a commission-manager form of government.
  13. Since 1987 the town and Palm Beach County have been in a long-running disagreement over 352 feet of oceanfront. The county acquired roughly 5.6 acres for $3.9 million intending a public park, and residents have consistently opposed it.
03Geography & the Barrier IslandDimensions, elevation, dual-water position, and what a half square mile of land does to supply.
  1. The town covers about 1.29 square miles in total, of which only about 0.54 square miles is land. The rest is water.
  2. It runs roughly three miles north to south along A1A, bordered by Boca Raton to the south and Delray Beach to the north.
  3. Town coordinates sit near 26 degrees 24 minutes north, 80 degrees 03 minutes west, about 50 miles north of Miami and 28 miles south of Palm Beach.
  4. Population density runs near 8,000 residents per square mile, which is high, and it is a direct consequence of vertical condominium development on a very small land area.
  5. The Atlantic sits on the east side of A1A and the Intracoastal Waterway on the west. Very few places in Florida put both within a few hundred feet of each other for three continuous miles.
  6. That dual-water position is the town's structural scarcity. There is no inland to expand into and no undeveloped land of consequence remaining.
  7. Highland Beach is effectively built out. New product arrives through redevelopment and teardown rather than new communities, which is the opposite of the West Boca and Boynton Beach dynamics.
  8. Certain oceanfront communities sit meaningfully above sea level. Sabal Point, for example, sits at roughly twenty feet, which matters to buyers weighing storm surge against the oceanfront premium.
  9. Third-party modeling identifies roughly 54% of properties in ZIP 33487 as facing severe flood risk over a thirty-year horizon. Elevation certificates and FEMA zone designation still need verification address by address.
04Buildings & CommunitiesThe towers, the enclaves, the townhome projects, and the price bands each one occupies.
  1. Toscana, also called Toscana Towers, is the town's largest condominium community: three 18-story towers, Toscana North, South, and West, on the west side of A1A between the ocean and the Intracoastal.
  2. Toscana was designed by the Sieger Suarez Architectural Partnership and built beginning in 2000, with roughly 420 residences across the three towers.
  3. Toscana floor plans run from two-bedroom units of roughly 1,922 to 2,831 square feet up to six-bedroom residences.
  4. Bel Lido Isle is the town's principal single-family enclave, roughly 71 waterfront homes, with values reported broadly in the $3 million to $12 million range.
  5. Byrd Beach carries a median listing figure reported near $6 million and sits among the town's highest-value single-family pockets.
  6. Ocean Place Estates comprises roughly 11 custom homes, with trophy properties reported clearing $10 million.
  7. Boca Highland is a mixed-use waterfront community containing Braemar Isle, where amenities have included a building pool, tennis courts, a marina, and the Boca Highlands Beach Club across the street.
  8. Braemar Isle dates to roughly 1982 and sits at 4740 South Ocean Boulevard on the Intracoastal side.
  9. Coronado at Highland Beach is a 15-story tower completed in 1984 on the Intracoastal at 3400 and 3420 South Ocean Boulevard.
  10. 3200 South Ocean (2016), Ocean Place Villas (2009), and 3621 South Ocean (2018 to 2019) represent the newest luxury product in town, and there is very little of it.
  11. 3621 South Ocean comprises just six townhouses, reported in the $5 million to $15 million range.
  12. Other named communities along the strip include Clarendon, Le Sanctuaire, Dalton Place, San Remo, Villa Mare, Parker Highland, Highland Ambassadors, Ocean Dunes, and 45 Ocean.
  13. Buildings here span roughly four decades of construction era, from early 1980s towers to late 2010s townhome projects, and construction era predicts the reserve conversation more reliably than list price does.
  14. Ocean-side and Intracoastal-side buildings are separate submarkets. Exposure, view corridor, salt-air load, and dockage access all differ, and so do maintenance economics.
05Condominium Due DiligenceThe documents exercise that decides value in this town, and the specific failure points that catch buyers and agents.
  1. Highland Beach is predominantly condominium. In this town, evaluating the association is not secondary to evaluating the residence. It is the primary work.
  2. Florida's post-2022 legislation, enacted after the Surfside collapse, introduced milestone inspection requirements and mandatory structural reserve funding that reshaped how these buildings are bought and sold.
  3. A Structural Integrity Reserve Study establishes what a building must fund. The question for a buyer is not whether reserves exist but whether current fees reflect the true cost of compliance and long-term maintenance.
  4. Some buildings have already implemented significant fee increases to fully fund reserves. Others are still phasing in adjustments. Two units with identical views and finishes can differ substantially in value on that basis alone.
  5. Buildings that have already completed inspections and absorbed assessments can represent genuine opportunity, because the cost is behind them and priced in.
  6. A single unit can sit inside two associations at once, a building association and a master association, each with independent document requirements. Karen's 2026 Braemar Isle listing involved exactly that.
  7. That transaction required assembling and transmitting more than 120 documents, including financial statements, declarations, board minutes, milestone inspection records, and reserve studies.
  8. Florida's updated condominium FAQ form is a closing-day cancellation risk. A buyer can retain the right to cancel through the day of closing if it is not properly delivered, which makes chasing property management for it a real task, not a formality.
  9. Cooperating agents sometimes check the condominium rider box indicating documents were delivered when they were not. Delivering the complete package regardless, on the record, is what protects a seller from a later claim.
  10. Leasing restrictions, minimum ownership periods before renting, annual rental caps, pet policies, and vehicle rules vary building to building and are frequently the deciding factor for a seasonal buyer.
  11. The division of maintenance responsibility between association and owner is not standardized. HVAC, water heaters, windows, doors, plumbing lines, and electrical components shift between the two depending on the governing documents.
  12. Owners generally need an HO-6 policy covering personal property, interior improvements, liability, and portions of the unit outside the master policy. Assuming the master policy covers more than it does is a common and expensive error.
06Waterfront, Dockage & Coastal OwnershipWhat the ocean actually costs, how Intracoastal frontage differs, and the maintenance realities of salt air.
  1. Direct oceanfront commands the highest premium, followed by Intracoastal frontage, then navigable canal frontage with private dockage.
  2. "Oceanfront" in marketing does not always mean on the sand. Some properties sit across A1A with deeded beach access, which is a materially different product from a building sitting directly on the beach.
  3. On the water side, frontage width, dock size, seawall condition, water depth, and ocean access all move value independently of the residence itself.
  4. Oceanfront and A1A-corridor properties get stronger onshore breezes, slightly cooler daytime temperatures, and intense morning sun on east-facing units.
  5. Salt air is a constant load. It accelerates corrosion of metal components, concrete, and mechanical systems, and it shows up in maintenance budgets and long-term ownership cost.
  6. Properties one block west of A1A experience a different environment: reduced airflow, higher ambient heat, stronger afternoon sun on west-facing units, and more concentrated humidity.
  7. Unit orientation matters within a single building. East-facing units get intense morning sun and cooler afternoons. West-facing units absorb late-day heat and carry higher cooling costs.
  8. Floor height changes the calculus too. Higher floors carry stronger wind exposure and lower moisture retention but greater storm impact. Lower floors retain more humidity and face elevated pest risk.
  9. Corner units and buildings aligned to prevailing winds benefit from cross-ventilation, which is worth quantifying in any comparison rather than treating as a nice-to-have.
  10. The A1A condominium corridor running from Boca Raton through Highland Beach into Delray Beach functions as one continuous coastal market. Buyers routinely shop across all three municipalities at once, which is why building quality outranks municipal boundary.
07Daily Life & AccessWhat it is actually like to live in a town with no commerce, and how far everything is.
  1. A1A, State Road A1A or South Ocean Boulevard, is the town's only through road. There is no street grid because there is no room for one.
  2. Atlantic Avenue in Delray Beach is roughly five minutes north. Downtown Boca Raton and Mizner Park are roughly five minutes south.
  3. Deerfield Beach is about ten minutes south and the town of Palm Beach about twenty minutes north.
  4. Essentially every errand, grocery, pharmacy, restaurant, medical, requires a short drive into Delray Beach or Boca Raton. Buyers who want to walk to dinner belong in one of those two downtowns instead.
  5. Driving A1A through Highland Beach with the Atlantic on one side and the Intracoastal on the other is one of the more distinctive drives in South Florida, and it is a genuine part of the daily experience here.
  6. Beaches are uncrowded by design, which is a direct consequence of the town having almost no commercial draw and no significant public park.
  7. Boating access is a primary draw on the Intracoastal side, with several communities carrying marina or dockage components.
  8. Golf, tennis, and dining are all a short drive rather than in town. The Delray Tennis Center is roughly five minutes away.
  9. Vendor access is a real operational issue on a barrier island. Securing reliable contractors during peak season from January through April, or immediately after a storm, is genuinely difficult without established relationships.
08Demographics & SeasonalityWho lives here, how the population doubles, and what that does to market timing.
  1. The 2020 Census counted 4,295 residents. Year-round population runs roughly 4,000 to 4,300.
  2. Winter population roughly doubles to about 8,500 as seasonal residents return, one of the sharpest seasonal swings in Palm Beach County.
  3. Median age is roughly 70 years, substantially older than Boca Raton, Delray Beach, or Boynton Beach.
  4. An estimated 80% of the town's population is retirees, per the town's own reporting.
  5. Median household income has been reported near $142,363, and 33487 has been ranked among the wealthiest ZIP codes in Florida.
  6. Peak season runs January through April, bringing the largest and most financially qualified buyer pool of the year and the most intense inventory competition.
  7. The off-season from May through September creates negotiating opportunity for buyers willing to look when others are not, and many condominium associations restrict renovation work during peak season, which makes an off-season purchase practical for anyone planning to remodel.
  8. October through December sees returning residents and building inventory ahead of first-quarter demand, which is a genuine positioning window for sellers willing to list early.
09Schools & ServicesHow assignment works for a town with no schools inside its own limits.
  1. Highland Beach has no public schools within its town limits. Students are served by the School District of Palm Beach County through campuses in neighboring municipalities.
  2. Assignment is by attendance boundary, not by town name or ZIP code, and boundaries change over time.
  3. J.C. Mitchell Elementary in Boca Raton is among the campuses that have served addresses in this area, but assignment must be verified for a specific address using the district's published boundary maps before an offer.
  4. The district also operates choice, magnet, and career-academy programs whose eligibility is separate from residential boundary assignment. Karen does not characterize school quality. She points buyers to the district's boundary maps and state-published data so they can evaluate the objective record themselves.
  5. Municipal services are unusually self-contained for a town this size: town-run police, town-run fire rescue since May 2024, and a town-owned water and wastewater utility.
10Ownership Costs & InsuranceTaxes, homestead caps, wind and flood coverage, and the fee structures that decide what a unit really costs.
  1. Florida property taxes reset on the new purchase price. Never budget from the seller's current bill, which is the most common financial surprise for buyers arriving from out of state.
  2. Homesteaded Florida residents receive a 3% annual cap on assessed value increases. Non-homesteaded owners are capped at 10%, which matters enormously in a town where a large share of owners are seasonal.
  3. Florida taxes are paid in arrears. At closing the seller credits the buyer for January 1 through the closing date.
  4. Highland Beach has been reported to carry among the lower municipal tax rates in Palm Beach County, which partially offsets the coastal premium in total carrying cost.
  5. Association fees in oceanfront and Intracoastal buildings can reach several thousand dollars monthly, and what they cover varies widely: exterior maintenance, master insurance, reserves, amenities, cable, internet, and security in some buildings and not others.
  6. Special assessments are real and can be substantial. When reserves are inadequate or major structural repairs become necessary, owners carry their proportional share, sometimes in the tens of thousands.
  7. Wind and flood coverage, impact-rated glass, elevation certificates, and the distinction between the association's master policy and an owner's HO-6 policy together determine insurability and premium. In a coastal high-hazard setting they are not optional line items, they are the difference between a workable carrying cost and an unworkable one.
Five-Star Client Reviews

What clients say, in their own words.

★★★★★
Excellent agent, she got my mother-in-law's house sold fast in a down market, very professional and thorough. Can't recommend highly enough.

Scott Selnick

Verified Google review
★★★★★
When Karen goes to bat for you, she always hits a home run! Karen has helped us purchase two homes and sell one. She is incredibly detail-oriented and picks up on contractual nuances that most REALTORS® tend to gloss over. She is absolutely the best in the business!

Lindsey Seminara

Verified Google review
★★★★★
It is not possible to find anyone who cares more and gives all they can to help customers in any way possible than Karen.

Greg Kasbar

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★★★★★ Read all reviews on Google
Why Karen Anderson for Highland Beach

Four things that change the outcome here.

01

The documents are the deal

Milestone inspections, reserve studies, board minutes, budgets, and assessment history decide value in this town more reliably than square footage does. Karen wrote a book on Florida condominium law and served four years as a board director and officer. She reads these files the way an owner does.

02

Dual-association experience

A single unit here can sit inside a building association and a master association at once, each with independent requirements. Her 2026 Braemar Isle closing involved more than 120 documents across two associations, a mold finding, and a closing-day cancellation risk that had to be chased down through management.

03

Ocean side versus Intracoastal side

Exposure, view corridor, salt-air load, dockage access, and maintenance economics all differ across A1A, and they differ again by floor and orientation within one building. That granularity is not a marketing flourish here. It is the pricing model.

04

Priced for a narrow buyer pool

Marketing periods run past 100 days and closings routinely land below list. A seller who understands that the pool for their specific unit is small, and prices to it from day one, outperforms one who lists aspirationally and reduces later.

Questions

Highland Beach, answered directly.

Why does Highland Beach have almost no businesses?

Because it was designed that way and has defended it. The town incorporated in 1949 as a water district after salt water invaded local wells and both Delray Beach and Boca Raton declined to sell the residents water. Limited commercial development has been a governing priority since, and in the 1980s town officials actively fought developers to hold density down. Today the town has two registered businesses, the Delray Sands Resort and a real estate office, operating out of the same building. Since 1987 the town has also been in a long-running disagreement with Palm Beach County over 352 feet of oceanfront the county acquired intending a public park, which residents have consistently opposed. The practical effect for a buyer is that nearly every errand is a short drive into Delray Beach or Boca Raton, and the beaches stay uncrowded.

What should I check before buying a condominium in Highland Beach?

The association, before the unit. Since Florida's post-2022 legislation, milestone inspection status, the Structural Integrity Reserve Study, reserve funding adequacy, board minutes, budgets, financial statements, insurance allocations, and assessment history determine value more reliably than view or finishes do. Two units with identical footprints and identical views can be worth materially different amounts because their buildings are in different financial condition. Also confirm leasing restrictions, minimum ownership periods before renting, annual rental caps, and pet and vehicle policies, since those frequently decide whether a seasonal purchase works at all. Confirm whether the unit sits inside two associations rather than one, which happens here. And do not assume the master policy covers what you think: the division of responsibility for HVAC, water heaters, windows, doors, plumbing, and electrical shifts between association and owner depending on the governing documents.

Why do homes in Highland Beach take so long to sell?

Because the buyer pool for any given unit is narrow. Median time on market in ZIP 33487 has run near 102 days, and average days on market across active condominium inventory has run near 119. Recent closings have landed anywhere from 2% to 13% below list price. None of that indicates a weak market. It reflects a small, specific, high-value market where a particular building, floor, exposure, and fee structure appeal to a limited set of buyers at any moment. The practical consequence for sellers is that the opening list price is a strategy decision rather than an aspiration. Pricing above the pool does not start a negotiation, it starts a long wait followed by reductions that signal weakness.

What is the difference between the ocean side and the Intracoastal side of A1A?

More than most buyers expect for a distance measured in hundreds of feet. Oceanfront and A1A-corridor properties get stronger onshore breezes, slightly cooler daytime temperatures, and intense morning sun on east-facing units, along with a constant salt-air load that accelerates corrosion of metal, concrete, and mechanical systems and shows up in maintenance budgets. Properties a block west experience reduced airflow, higher ambient heat, stronger afternoon sun on west-facing exposures, and more concentrated humidity. The Intracoastal side carries the boating and dockage story, where frontage width, dock size, seawall condition, water depth, and ocean access all move value. Within a single building, orientation and floor height change the picture again. Two similarly priced units can carry very different ten-year ownership cost profiles on this basis alone.

Are the reported Highland Beach market figures reliable?

They are directional, not decisive, and you should know which geography a quoted figure describes. ZIP 33487 extends beyond the town limits into north Boca Raton, which is why ZIP-level and town-level medians have recently moved in opposite directions: roughly $812,000 and rising at the ZIP level against roughly $987,500 and falling at the town level. In a town of about 4,300 permanent residents, a handful of high-value closings can swing a reported median by several hundred thousand dollars, and a single oceanfront estate closed at $17,500,000 in early 2026. The number that matters for a specific unit is what comparable units in that specific building have done, adjusted for the association's financial condition.

How can I reach Karen Anderson?

Call or text 561.542.4240, or use the email address here: (click to copy). Karen Anderson is a REALTOR® and Broker Associate with Compass Florida, LLC, 101 N. Federal Highway, Floor 5, Boca Raton, FL 33432. General inquiries receive a response within one hour and urgent matters within thirty minutes during business hours, which run Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM and Saturday from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM, with Sunday by appointment. Text is the fastest channel.

The Authority Center

Twenty-two domains. Two hundred twenty-nine questions answered.

This page covers Highland Beach. The Authority Center covers the practice: buyer and seller process, offers and negotiation, condominium due diligence, financing and cost of ownership, inspections, estate and probate sales, and the rest of what Karen has documented in writing.

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Delray Beach

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A coastal downtown with an arts and dining identity, plus Intracoastal neighborhoods and established country club communities to the west.

Palm Beach County · ZIP 33483, 33444 Known for: Atlantic Avenue, Pineapple Grove Arts District, the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens

Boynton Beach

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Palm Beach County's deepest active-adult market, split between a redeveloping marina district and the Lyons Road corridor.

Palm Beach County · ZIP 33435, 33436 Known for: Boynton Harbor Marina, the Valencia communities, Green Cay Nature Center

Karen Anderson Authority Center

Twenty-two domains and 229 questions covering the full arc of buying and selling in South Florida's coastal markets, from first consultation through closing and beyond. Every site in this network points back to it.

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Contact

Ask about the building, not just the unit.

Karen Anderson, REALTOR® and Broker Associate with Compass Florida, LLC

A ZIP-level median cannot price a specific unit in a specific tower whose association is midway through a reserve funding schedule. That takes reading the documents. Text is the fastest way to start.

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561.542.4240

Compass Florida, LLC
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Compass Florida, LLC
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101 N. Federal Highway, Floor 5
Boca Raton, FL 33432

Compass Florida, LLC
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