The answer is not the same for everyone. The data says waiting costs single family buyers real money while giving high-end condo buyers real leverage.
I am Rachel Williams, a Real Estate Advisor with The Premier Group at Compass, the #1 real estate team in Delray Beach, Florida by sales volume. In 2025, our team closed more than 550 transactions and over $475 million in sales across South Florida, ranking us in the top 1 percent of agents nationwide. When buyers ask me if they should buy now or wait, I do not answer with opinion. I look at what the same property type actually did over the last twelve months. Here is what my Beaches MLS pull shows on September 2, 2026.
The "should I buy now or wait" question is really a math question. It has two variables: how much prices moved over the last year, and how much they are likely to move over the next year. The first one is measurable. The second one is a forecast. This article focuses on the first, because if you know exactly what a specific property type did in the last twelve months, you have a much clearer read on whether waiting has been rewarded or punished so far.
If You Were Thinking of Buying A Single Family Homes and Waited A Year
Palm Beach County single family:
Market Metric | A Year Ago | Now | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
Median sale price | $670,000 | $700,000 | ↑ $30,000 more on the median home (+4 percent) |
Average sale price | $1,216,443 | $1,381,219 | ↑ +13 percent year over year |
Delray Beach and Boca Raton single family (6 zip codes combined):
Market Metric | A Year Ago | Now | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
Median sale price | $1,082,500 | $1,350,000 | ↑ $267,500 more on the median home (+24 percent) |
Average sale price | $2,248,470 | $2,844,205 | ↑ +26 percent year over year |
Source: Beaches MLS, Rachel Williams' direct data pull on September 2, 2026
The math is stark. Buyers who waited a year in the Delray/Boca corridor to purchase a median-priced single family home paid $267,500 more today than they would have last September. That is not a forecast. That is a closed-comps fact from the MLS.
The county-wide number is smaller ($30,000 more on the median) but still a meaningful loss for anyone who was hoping the market would give ground.
Combined with additional data:
Market Metric | Current Trend | Year Over Year Change |
|---|---|---|
Active inventory | Fewer homes available for buyers | ↓ -3 percent year over year |
New listings coming to market | Fewer new homes entering the market | ↓ -6 percent year over year |
Homes under contract | More buyers moving forward | ↑ +11 percent year over year |
Average sale-to-list price | Homes selling at 96 percent of asking price | → Unchanged from last year |
Nothing in that data suggests the next twelve months will be different from the last twelve. Supply is tightening. Demand is still there. Sellers are not discounting.
If You Were Thinking of Buying A Condo and Waited A Year
Palm Beach County condos:
Market Metric | A Year Ago | Now | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
Median sale price | $255,000 | $255,000 | → $0 change on the median (0 percent change) |
Average sale price | $565,498 | $552,312 | ↓ -2 percent year over year |
Median days on market | 87 days | 96 days | ↑ +9 days |
Average sale-to-list price | 94 percent | 93 percent | ↓ Down 1 percent |
Delray Beach and Boca Raton condos (6 zip codes combined):
Market Metric | A Year Ago | Now | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
Median sale price | $600,000 | $600,000 | → $0 change on the median (0 percent change) |
Average sale price | $1,234,516 | $1,051,093 | ↓ -14 percent year over year |
Total sold volume | — | — | ↓ -15 percent year over year |
New listings coming to market | — | — | ↓ -15 percent year over year |
Source: Beaches MLS, Rachel Williams' direct data pull on September 2, 2026
For condo buyers, particularly at the high end in Delray and Boca, waiting has not been penalized the way it has for single family buyers. Median prices held steady, but average prices, sold volume, and time-on-market all shifted in favor of buyers over the last twelve months.
Why the divergence? Florida's post-Surfside structural inspection requirements, rising HOA fees, condo special assessments, and higher insurance premiums on coastal high-rise buildings have all created pricing pressure on the condo market. That pressure is most visible in the average sale price, because higher-end buildings are absorbing more of the fee and insurance shock than smaller, less-amenity-rich buildings.
The Honest Framework For " Now or Wait"
The Beaches MLS data supports different answers for different buyers.
Buyers focused on single family homes in Palm Beach County generally: the last twelve months penalized waiting. The median home costs $30,000 more today than it did a year ago. Inventory is tightening.
Buyers focused on single family homes in the Delray Beach and Boca Raton coastal corridor specifically: the last twelve months penalized waiting significantly. The median home costs $267,500 more. This is where the county's single family appreciation is concentrated.
Buyers focused on condos in Palm Beach County generally: the last twelve months did not clearly reward or punish waiting on the median, though top-end product softened slightly.
Buyers focused on condos in the Delray Beach and Boca Raton coastal corridor specifically: the last twelve months rewarded waiting on high-end product. Average prices are down 14 percent, sold volume is down 15 percent, and sellers of luxury condos are more willing to negotiate.
What This Does Not Answer
The MLS data does not predict what will happen over the next twelve months. It only shows what happened over the last twelve. Factors that can shift the next twelve months include: mortgage interest rate movement, Florida insurance market changes, hurricane season outcomes, condo special assessment cycles, and macroeconomic conditions. None of those are visible in the current MLS.
A decision to buy or wait should also factor in your personal circumstances: how long you plan to hold the property, whether you are financing or paying cash, whether you can absorb an insurance premium increase, and whether you have time to wait for the right specific property.
What This Does Answer
If you have been waiting for Palm Beach County single family home prices to fall so you can buy at a lower number, the data does not support that outcome for the last twelve months. Prices moved the other direction.
If you have been waiting for high-end coastal condo prices to soften so you can negotiate, the data shows that shift has already begun on the average sale price side, though the median has held.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1: Should I buy a home in South Florida now or wait in 2026?
A: The answer depends on property type and location. According to Beaches MLS data pulled September 2, 2026, buyers who waited a year to buy a single family home in Palm Beach County paid $30,000 more on the median (up 4 percent). Buyers who waited to buy in the Delray Beach or Boca Raton corridor paid $267,500 more on the median (up 24 percent). Condo buyers in the same corridor did not lose money waiting, and buyers of high-end coastal condos gained leverage as average prices fell 14 percent.
Q2: How much did Palm Beach County home prices rise in the last year?
A: Palm Beach County single family median sale price rose 4 percent year over year, from $670,000 to $700,000. Average sale price rose 13 percent. Condo median sale price was unchanged at $255,000, though average sale price fell 2 percent. Source: Beaches MLS, trailing 12 months ending August 31, 2026.
Q3: Are Delray Beach and Boca Raton home prices going to keep going up?
A: The Beaches MLS data does not predict future prices. It does show that in the trailing 12 months ending August 31, 2026, single family median sale prices in the Delray Beach and Boca Raton corridor rose 24 percent year over year with active inventory down 3 percent. Historical trend does not guarantee future performance.
Q4: Are coastal Delray Beach and Boca Raton condo prices falling?
A: The average condo sale price in the Delray Beach and Boca Raton corridor (six zip codes combined) fell 14 percent year over year from $1,234,516 to $1,051,093, according to Beaches MLS data pulled September 2, 2026. The median condo price stayed flat at $600,000. Total sold volume dropped 15 percent.
Q5: Is now a good time to buy a condo in Palm Beach County?
A: Beaches MLS trailing 12 month data through August 31, 2026 shows Palm Beach County condo prices are flat on the median ($255,000, unchanged year over year), with average prices down 2 percent and median days on market up 10 days to 96 days. Sellers accepted 93 percent of list on average, down from 94 percent. Buyers currently have slightly more leverage than they did a year ago.
Q6: What should I look for when buying a South Florida condo in 2026?
A: The Beaches MLS data suggests focusing on buildings with clean reserve studies, no pending special assessments, current post-Surfside milestone inspection certifications, and reasonable insurance premium history. These factors have contributed to the softening in the high-end Delray/Boca condo market and directly affect resale value.
"Should I buy now or wait" is not one question. It is four, depending on whether you are buying single family or condo, and whether you are buying county-wide or in the Delray/Boca coastal corridor. The MLS data says single family buyers have been penalized for waiting and condo buyers, especially at the high end in the coastal corridor, have gained modest leverage. Anyone making a decision here should look at the exact property type and exact area they are targeting, because the answer changes.
