Best Neighborhoods to Buy a Home in Palm Beach Gardens

Club communities vs everything else

Palm Beach Gardens is a city of planned communities, many of them gated, and a large group is organized around private golf and country clubs. In those communities the purchase price is only part of the cost. Membership can be mandatory, optional or tiered, and there may be an initiation fee or capital contribution at closing, annual dues and food minimums on top of HOA fees.

The data shows how differently the two groups have moved. The club communities gained 48% to 105% over five years. The non-club subdivisions in the middle of the market mostly gained 25% to 40%. The city's overall index is up 35.5% over five years and 4.4% in the last year, with single-family homes up 4.7%.

Under $500,000: the entry points

• Sandalwood Estates: about $316,356 (1y -2.9%, 5y 18.1%)
• Lake Catherine: about $345,643 (1y -2.1%, 5y 20.3%)
• Garden Lakes: about $371,593 (1y 3.3%, 5y 25.5%)
• Westwood Gardens: about $381,416 (1y -1.6%, 5y 20.7%)
• Gardens of Woodberry: about $404,415 (1y 3.5%, 5y 23.1%)
• Palm Beach Square: about $454,054 (1y 4.5%, 5y 34.5%)
• The Oaks: about $474,055 (1y -0.5%, 5y 27.3%)

These areas include many condos, villas and townhomes, which keeps their typical values far below the city's $790,250 single-family figure. Several slipped slightly last year, in line with the flat condo market, where the typical condo is about $315,671. Palm Beach Square stands out with a 4.5% gain. For buyers who want a Palm Beach Gardens address under $500,000, this band is where to look, and association fees and reserve funding will vary more than prices do.

$500,000 to $900,000: family subdivisions and PGA National

• PGA National: about $528,212 (1y 1.2%, 5y 28.1%)
• Garden Oaks: about $567,673 (1y 5.2%, 5y 37.9%)
• Siena Oaks: about $651,575 (1y 1.2%, 5y 22.3%)
• Gables at Northlake: about $665,227 (1y 3.6%, 5y 34.4%)
• Magnolia Bay: about $761,342 (1y 2.2%, 5y 30.9%)
• Garden Isles: about $781,647 (1y 5.6%, 5y 40.1%)
• The Isles: about $797,893 (1y 3.3%, 5y 34.9%)
• Bent Tree: about $805,016 (1y 2.8%, 5y 30.9%)
• Paloma: about $814,550 (1y 1.8%, 5y 26.9%)
• Evergrene: about $867,200 (1y 6.3%, 5y 46.3%)

PGA National is the exception in this band. It is a large resort community that hosts a PGA Tour event each year, with a wide mix of condos, townhomes and houses, so its typical value is pulled down by the smaller units. Single-family homes inside it cost well above the $528,212 figure. Evergrene, a newer gated community, has the strongest record here, up 46.3% in five years and 6.3% last year.

Most of these are newer subdivisions with HOA dues, and some have CDD assessments. Compare the full monthly cost, not the list price. The median year built for the city's housing is 1995, so many houses in this band are approaching their second roof, and an older roof can change the insurance quote as much as a different location would. Ask for the roof permit date and a wind mitigation report on every house you consider.

$900,000 to $1.2 million: larger lots

• Shady Lakes: about $944,369 (1y 3.9%, 5y 39.7%)
• Sanctuary: about $1,056,157 (1y 4.0%, 5y 31.7%)
• Horseshoe Acres: about $1,191,844 (1y 9.5%, 5y 46.3%)

This band sits between the subdivisions and the clubs. Horseshoe Acres posted a 9.5% gain last year, the strongest outside the club communities. For a family that wants space without a club membership, these areas are the natural next step from the band below. Ask about lot size and drainage, and whether a property is on well and septic or city utilities.

$1.7 million and up: the private clubs

• BallenIsles: about $1,782,559 (1y 22.7%, 5y 105.3%)
• Mirasol: about $1,917,993 (1y 12.9%, 5y 70.8%)
• Steeplechase: about $2,274,376 (1y 6.2%, 5y 63.1%)
• San Michele: about $2,367,911 (1y 8.1%, 5y 48.7%)
• Frenchmans Reserve: about $2,788,199 (1y 9.0%, 5y 71.8%)
• Frenchmans Creek: about $3,322,329 (1y 7.4%, 5y 70.5%)
• Old Palm: about $6,116,080 (1y 5.3%, 5y 67.4%)

BallenIsles, Mirasol, Frenchman's Creek, Frenchman's Reserve and Old Palm are private golf and country club communities. Five-year gains above 60% are common here, and BallenIsles more than doubled. Several of these communities include both houses and smaller villas or condos, so a lower entry price can exist inside a high-value club.

Before choosing, get the club's current initiation or capital contribution, annual dues, any food minimum and the membership categories. Two clubs at similar home prices can differ by tens of thousands of dollars a year in total cost.

Matching an area to your year

With a median age of 51.8 and 32.5% of residents 65 or older per Census data, a lot of buyers here are retirees or part-year residents. If you will be in Florida only for the winter, the fee structure and lock-and-leave convenience matter more than square footage. If you are moving full-time with children, the non-club subdivisions in the middle band usually give more house per dollar. Tell me your budget and how you plan to use the home, and I will narrow the list to a shortlist.