55+ Communities in Lighthouse Point

Who already lives here: an older town by the numbers

Census data puts the median age in Lighthouse Point at 56.3, one of the highest in Broward County, and 29.3% of residents are 65 or older. About 10,600 people live in the city. Only 8.3% of homes are held as seasonal residences, so this is mostly a year-round population of people who retired in place or moved down for good.

The housing stock is old. The median home was built in 1967, 55.7% of homes are detached single-family and 30.2% of units sit in buildings with 10 or more units. Mobile homes are 1.3% of the stock, so the manufactured-home parks that make up a big share of 55+ housing in other Florida towns are not really a factor here.

How a building qualifies as 55+ under federal law

A condo can legally limit residents by age only if it meets the Housing for Older Persons Act. The rule most associations use is that at least 80% of occupied units have at least one resident aged 55 or older, the community publishes policies showing it intends to be 55+ housing, and it verifies ages on a regular basis. An association that drifts below the 80% line or stops verifying can lose the exemption.

In Lighthouse Point that matters because some older buildings are 55+ in practice (most owners are retirees) without being age-restricted on paper. If the age rule is important to you, ask for the declaration, the bylaws and the association's age-verification records. If you plan to have a younger relative live with you, read the occupancy rules before you make an offer.

What a Lighthouse Point condo costs and why prices slipped

The typical condo value fell 8.2% over the last year, while single-family values rose 5.1% and the city overall rose 3.3%. Over five years the all-homes index is up 29.7%. The split tells you that buyers have been paying for houses on the water and getting more cautious about older condo buildings.

By bedrooms, a typical 1-bedroom is around $113,444 and a 2-bedroom around $283,854. The 3-bedroom figure jumps to $1,043,544 because almost every 3-bedroom in town is a house. For a retiree, the practical range is the 1- and 2-bedroom condo market, and the lower third of the whole city sits around $213,845.

A lower price does not mean a cheaper monthly cost. In a building from the 1960s or 1970s, the condo fee, the reserve funding and any special assessment can matter more than the purchase price.

Older condo buildings: the inspection and reserve questions

Since the 2022 condo safety law, buildings three or more habitable stories tall need a milestone inspection by the end of the year they turn 30 (or 25 if the local building official requires it), then every 10 years. Most Lighthouse Point buildings passed 30 long ago, so they are on that cycle now. Associations also need a Structural Integrity Reserve Study every 10 years, and for budgets adopted on or after Dec 31, 2024, owners can no longer vote to waive or reduce those reserves.

For a buyer on a fixed income, that law is the main budgeting risk. Before you sign, ask for:

• The latest milestone inspection report and whether repairs it called for are finished
• The most recent SIRS and the current reserve balance against what it recommends
• Board minutes from the last 12 to 24 months, which is where planned assessments show up first
• The master insurance policy, its renewal date and the wind deductible

On a resale condo you have 7 days, not counting weekends and legal holidays, after receiving the association documents to cancel. Use that week to read them.

Taxes and insurance for a retiree buying here

If the condo becomes your permanent Florida residence, homestead can take up to $51,411 off the assessed value in 2026, and Save Our Homes then caps yearly assessment increases at 3% or CPI, whichever is lower. The assessment resets to market value when you buy, so the seller's tax bill is not your tax bill. Canadians who keep their main home in Canada do not qualify and get a 10% cap on non-school levies instead.

Florida has no state income tax, which helps retirees drawing pensions or IRA income. Insurance is the bigger line item. A condo owner buys an HO-6 policy for the interior, and the association's master policy covers the building. Hurricane deductibles are a percentage of coverage and apply once per calendar year. Check the FEMA flood zone for the specific building and get a quote during the inspection period.

When nearby cities make more sense

Lighthouse Point's all-homes value of $774,839 is far above its neighbors. Pompano Beach sits at $350,137 and Deerfield Beach at $271,903, and both have far more condo inventory, including large age-restricted complexes such as Century Village in Deerfield Beach. Tamarac, at $291,266, is another Broward city with a long list of 55+ condos and villas.

The trade is location. In Lighthouse Point you are minutes from the Intracoastal and Hillsboro Inlet, in a small city that is mostly houses. In the larger 55+ complexes nearby you get clubhouses, pools and organized activities at a lower entry price. I usually tell buyers to decide which of those two lives they want first, then shortlist buildings in that one place.