55+ Communities in Hobe Sound

What the 55+ label requires

Under the federal Housing for Older Persons Act, a community can restrict by age when at least 80% of occupied homes have at least one resident 55 or older, it publishes policies showing that intent, and it verifies ages. The other 20% gives room for younger spouses or caregivers, and each community writes its own rules for it.

Many listings in Hobe Sound use words like adult or senior loosely. Ask for the recorded documents and the age policy, the guest rules for visiting grandchildren, and whether an adult child could live with you later. A community that is age-restricted in practice but not under HOPA may change its rules if the residents vote to.

Manufactured-home communities near the lagoon and US-1

Nearly three in ten Hobe Sound homes are manufactured, and 55+ parks make up a good share of them. They are the lowest-cost way to live near Hobe Sound's beaches and parks, and the format most retirees here end up comparing.

• Land-lease parks: you own the home and pay a monthly lot fee to the park owner. Ask the park for its prospectus and its notices of past fee increases, both of which state law requires larger parks to provide, and line up several years of that history before you compare parks.
• Resident-owned communities: residents own the park together, often as a co-op. Read the budget, the reserves and the board minutes as you would for a condo.
• Deeded lots: you own the home and the land, usually at a higher price with easier financing.

On the home itself, check the HUD data plate, the year built (post-1994 homes meet HUD's tighter wind standards), the roof and any roof-over, tie-downs, and permits for additions and screen rooms. Fewer lenders finance homes on leased land, so line up financing early or plan to pay cash.

Villas and condos with age restrictions

Hobe Sound has almost no tower condos: only 1.8% of housing is in buildings with 10 or more units. Age-restricted condos and villas here tend to be low-rise complexes, many from around the town's median build year of 1983. The typical condo is valued at $230,470, down 3.3% for the year.

For any building of three or more habitable stories, Florida requires milestone inspections and a Structural Integrity Reserve Study, and since budgets adopted on or after Dec 31, 2024 those reserves cannot be waived. Lower buildings are outside those rules but still need reserves. Ask for the budget, any reserve study, the master insurance policy and deductible, and minutes that mention roofs, paving or special assessments. After the association documents arrive, a resale buyer has a 7-day window, weekends and legal holidays excluded, to back out.

Larger active-adult communities elsewhere on the Treasure Coast

If you want a new home with a clubhouse, golf and a full activity calendar, you will likely be looking outside Hobe Sound. The town has little land for new subdivisions, and its single-family market starts high: a three-bedroom is valued around $580,096. Buyers often compare Hobe Sound's park homes and villas with newer active-adult communities farther north on the Treasure Coast or south in Palm Beach County. I can add those to your search if you want to see the trade-off between location and newer construction. The question to settle is how much a short drive to Hobe Sound's beaches and parks is worth against a newer roof, a pool and an organized activity calendar somewhere else.

Monthly costs and taxes for retirees

Build a yearly budget that includes the lot fee or association fee, insurance, property taxes and a reserve for repairs. In a land-lease park, the lot fee is the cost most likely to rise. In a condo, the risk is a special assessment. Ask the community how both have changed over the past five years.

If Hobe Sound is your permanent home, homestead takes up to $51,411 off assessed value in 2026, and Save Our Homes caps future increases at 3% or CPI. If your home is on leased land, ask the Martin County property appraiser how it is taxed. Florida has no state income tax. Amendment 3 on the Nov 3, 2026 ballot may change parts of the property tax system.

Insurance, storms and choosing a community

Insurers look closely at manufactured homes and older low-rise buildings near the coast. Get quotes before you commit, ask about the hurricane deductible, which is a percentage of dwelling coverage applied once per calendar year, and check the FEMA flood zone for each address near the lagoon. Ask the community what its storm plan is, whether it requires owners to secure carports and outdoor items, and who checks on homes when owners are away.

Seasonal homes are 12.9% of Hobe Sound's housing and the median age is 57.0, so most 55+ communities have a year-round core of residents. Visit at different times of year, talk to a few owners, and compare the full monthly cost of two or three communities side by side. Send me your budget and the format you prefer, and I will put together that comparison.