HOA vs. No HOA Detached Homes in Stuart, Jensen Beach, Palm City, Hobe Sound & Jupiter — August 2026
For many home buyers, the question of whether to purchase in a homeowners association comes down to more than just the monthly or annual fee. Some buyers specifically want no HOA, while others are willing to pay association dues in exchange for amenities, community maintenance, gated access, landscaping, recreational facilities, or other services.
But what does the actual market activity tell us?
I analyzed detached single-family home activity in Stuart, Jensen Beach, Palm City, Hobe Sound, and Jupiter, separating properties with mandatory homeowners associations from properties reporting no HOA. The analysis covers the 12-month period ending August 31, 2026.
The results show two distinctly different market segments.
Detached Homes With No HOA
The no-HOA market is considerably smaller.
During the prior 7–12-month period, there were 120 settled sales, followed by 65 sales during months 4–6 and 62 sales during the most recent three months. That gives us 127 settled sales during the current six months compared with 120 during the preceding six months—a relatively stable level of sales activity.
The absorption rate tells a similar story:
- Prior 7–12 months: 20.00 sales per month
- Prior 4–6 months: 21.67 sales per month
- Current 3 months: 20.67 sales per month
While sales activity has remained relatively consistent, available inventory has increased. Active listings moved from 53 to 60 and then to 69, while months of housing supply increased from 2.65 months to 3.34 months.
What Happened to Prices?
Median sale prices were:
$615,000 → $661,800 → $512,500
The most recent three-month period therefore shows a noticeable decline in the median sale price. At the same time, median marketing time decreased from 59 days to 55 days and then to only 30 days during the most recent period.
That combination is worth watching. Inventory has increased and the recent median sale price has declined, yet properties that are selling have been doing so more quickly.
Detached Homes With a Mandatory HOA
The mandatory-HOA market is substantially larger.
There were 936 settled sales during the prior 7–12 months, followed by 626 sales during months 4–6 and 581 during the most recent three months. That represents 1,207 settled sales during the current six months, compared with 936 during the preceding six months.
The absorption rate increased from 156 sales per month during the prior 7–12 months to 208.67 during months 4–6 before settling to 193.67 sales per month during the most recent three months.
Inventory has also increased. Active listings moved from 515 to 517 and then to 644, while months of housing supply currently stands at 3.33 months.
Median marketing time for the most recent three months was 53 days.
HOA Homes Are Selling at Greater Median Prices
This was one of the more interesting findings.
Median sale prices for mandatory-HOA properties were:
$734,500 → $817,000 → $849,000
By comparison, the no-HOA segment reported:
$615,000 → $661,800 → $512,500.
At first glance, someone might assume a home without an HOA should command more because the buyer isn't taking on association dues. The market data does not support making that assumption.
However, that does not mean the HOA itself causes a property to sell for more.
Appraiser’s Perspective (RD8755)
When analyzing HOA and no-HOA properties, it is important not to confuse correlation with value contribution.
These are broad market groups covering five different communities. Properties within mandatory-HOA communities may differ from no-HOA properties in age, size, condition, location, waterfront influence, community amenities, gated access, and numerous other characteristics.
Therefore, the difference in median sale price should not simply be attributed to the presence of an HOA.
What the data does demonstrate is that buyers are actively purchasing homes within mandatory-HOA communities despite the additional association expense.
The amenities and services provided by an association can also vary considerably. Depending upon the community, HOA dues may include landscaping, community pools, recreational facilities, gated access, common-area maintenance, or other services.
The question isn't simply, “How much is the HOA?”
The better question is, “What am I receiving for that HOA fee, and how does this property compare with the alternatives available to me?”
Tom the Realtor’s Perspective
Some buyers know immediately that they do not want an HOA. That is perfectly workable—but the search data shows that it can substantially reduce the number of available choices.
For a buyer looking specifically in Stuart, Jensen Beach, Palm City, Hobe Sound, and Jupiter, eliminating mandatory-HOA communities removes a substantial portion of the detached-home market.
That doesn't mean a buyer should accept an HOA they don't want. It means the decision should be made with an understanding of the tradeoff.
A no-HOA property may provide additional flexibility and eliminate association dues and restrictions. An HOA community may provide amenities or services that a particular buyer considers worth paying for.
Neither is automatically the better choice.
What This Means for Buyers and Sellers
For buyers, don't evaluate a property solely on whether it has an HOA. Look at the fee, what it covers, community restrictions, available amenities, and—most importantly—the property's price relative to genuinely competitive alternatives.
For sellers, HOA status is only one component of marketability. The competing inventory matters. A seller in a no-HOA neighborhood may be competing for a different buyer than a seller in a gated or amenity-oriented HOA community.
There is another interesting finding from the August data: no-HOA properties had a median marketing time of only 30 days during the most recent three months, compared with 53 days for mandatory-HOA properties.
So while the HOA segment is considerably larger and reported greater median sale prices, the no-HOA properties that sold recently moved more quickly.
That is exactly why real estate markets need to be analyzed rather than reduced to a single statistic.
Market Data
Market data was obtained from the Martin County Realtors of the Treasure Coast MLS and reflects the 12-month period ending August 31, 2026.
Disclaimer
This market analysis is provided for informational purposes only and reflects broad market trends based on MLS data available as of August 31, 2026. The data includes detached single-family homes in Stuart, Jensen Beach, Palm City, Hobe Sound, and Jupiter and should not be interpreted as an appraisal or opinion of value for any individual property.
HOA fees, services, amenities, restrictions, property characteristics, and market conditions vary by community and property. Buyers and sellers should evaluate the specific property and homeowners association when making real estate decisions.
The HOA and no-HOA market segments represent broad groups of properties and are not intended as a matched-property comparison or as evidence that HOA status alone causes a difference in property value.
Thomas J. Dunphy III, State-Certified Residential Real Estate Appraiser RD8755
Tom Dunphy Realtor (Fulton Grace Realty)
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