PBP Real Estate, LLC — South Florida

Relocating to South Florida
Your Complete Guide to the Move

Taxes, housing costs, neighborhoods, timing, and how to buy or sell from 1,200 miles away — everything a relocating family or professional needs to know about Boca Raton and Palm Beach County, from the broker-owners who live here.

Thinking about moving to South Florida? Here is the short version: Florida has no state income tax and no state estate tax; Palm Beach County's median single-family home sold for $700,000 in June 2026; and the region is absorbing a historic wave of families, retirees, and corporate headquarters from the Northeast, Midwest, and West Coast. The move works best when you plan the tax, housing, insurance, and timing decisions together — and this guide covers all four, written by the licensed broker-owners of PBP Real Estate in Boca Raton.

We have helped South Florida buyers and sellers close more than 739 homes and $197 million in transactions. Many of those clients started exactly where you are: out of state, researching from a laptop, trying to separate the marketing from the math. Below is the honest version.

Why So Many People Are Moving to South Florida

The migration is measurable, not anecdotal. IRS migration statistics show Florida gained a net of roughly 114,000 residents and $20.6 billion in adjusted gross income between the 2022 and 2023 filing years — more net income gained than any other state. And the money is not just households; it is employers:

• Citadel and Citadel Securities moved their global headquarters from Chicago to Miami in 2022, anchoring the "Wall Street South" wave.
• Wells Fargo confirmed in January 2026 that it is moving its wealth-management headquarters to West Palm Beach — the first major bank to relocate a wealth-operations HQ to Florida.
• West Palm Beach's financial district keeps adding trading firms, private equity offices, and family offices, pulling executive housing demand south through Palm Beach County — directly into the Boca Raton–Delray Beach corridor.

For a relocating buyer this matters for one practical reason: demand here is structural, not seasonal. Waiting for the market to "cool off" has been a losing strategy in Palm Beach County for a decade. The smarter play is buying the right home, in the right community, with honest numbers — which is the rest of this guide.

The Florida Tax Picture: What You Actually Save

No state income tax

Florida taxes neither wages nor investment income, pensions, 401(k) withdrawals, or Social Security. For a household leaving New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Illinois, or California, this single line item often funds a meaningful share of the mortgage. High earners and retirees drawing from portfolios feel it most.

The homestead exemption and the Save Our Homes cap

Make your Florida home your permanent primary residence and you can claim the homestead exemption — up to roughly $50,000 off your assessed value (the second portion adjusts annually with inflation). More valuable over time is the Save Our Homes cap: once homesteaded, your assessed value can rise no more than 3% per year or the CPI change, whichever is lower, no matter how fast market values climb. Long-term owners in fast-appreciating neighborhoods end up with property-tax bills far below what a new buyer of the same house pays. Apply with the county property appraiser by March 1 of your first qualifying year.

No state estate or inheritance tax

Florida levies no estate or inheritance tax of its own — one reason so many families reorganize their affairs around Florida residency. (If you have inherited Florida property, our probate real estate guide covers that entire process.)

The honest offsets: insurance and carrying costs

We will not pretend Florida is cheap across the board. Property insurance costs more here than in most northern states, and it varies enormously by the home's age, roof, construction type, and flood zone. Condo buyers should also understand the post-2021 era of milestone inspections and structural reserve studies, which have raised association fees in older buildings. None of this is a reason not to move — it is a reason to underwrite the specific home before you fall in love with it. We get relocating buyers an actual insurance quote and full carrying-cost picture before they offer, not after.

PBP Real Estate, LLC provides real estate guidance only. Nothing on this page is legal or tax advice — confirm your personal situation with a qualified tax professional or attorney.

What Housing Actually Costs Here (Mid-2026)

Current Palm Beach County numbers, from the June 2026 MLS release:

• Median single-family home: $700,000 (up 11.8% year over year)
• Median condo/townhouse: $325,000 (up 3.2% year over year)
• The median single-family home went under contract in about 42 days

Those are county-wide medians; the markets relocating buyers actually target span a wide band. East Boca Raton waterfront and country club estates trade in the millions, while excellent family communities in West Boca, Delray Beach, and Boynton Beach offer far more house per dollar. Condos remain the value entry point — with the building-health caveats above.

We publish updated numbers every month in our Palm Beach County market report and Broward County market report — bookmark them for your research phase.

Where to Live: Matching the Community to Your Life

South Florida is not one market — it is dozens of distinct communities with different price bands, lifestyles, and buyer profiles. The profiles below are where relocating buyers most often land:

Relocating families

Boca Raton's family communities pair amenities with access to top-rated schools. Woodfield is a perennial favorite — gated, central, with a family-oriented club culture. Delray Beach and Boynton Beach extend the family search with newer construction and more space per dollar. Timing tip: families typically aim to close by mid-summer so children start school in August — which means starting the search in late winter or spring.

Executives and finance professionals

With Wells Fargo's wealth-management HQ and a fast-growing financial district in West Palm Beach, executive demand runs the full I-95 corridor. Many split the difference: West Palm Beach for the shortest commute, or east/central Boca Raton for lifestyle with a manageable drive. If your work is remote-flexible, the Boca Raton–Delray corridor offers the strongest combination of dining, beaches, schools, and stock of executive-grade homes.

Golf, tennis, and club living

Palm Beach County has one of the densest concentrations of country club communities in America. St. Andrews Country Club and Royal Palm Yacht & Country Club headline the luxury tier, with dozens of options across every price band. One thing out-of-state buyers consistently underestimate: membership structures and fees differ dramatically between clubs and materially change the real cost of ownership. Start with our guides to gated and country club communities in Boca Raton and golf and country club communities across Palm Beach County.

Boaters and waterfront buyers

If the boat is coming with you, dockage, bridge clearance, and seawall condition drive the search as much as the house does. East Boca communities like Boca Harbour, Boca Bay Colony, and Boca Marina & Yacht Club put private dockage behind your home. Our Intracoastal and waterfront guide covers the diligence items — flood zones, seawalls, insurance — that waterfront buyers must get right.

Second-home buyers and future snowbirds

Testing the waters before a full move is common: buy the Florida home now, homestead it later. Second-home buyers concentrate in gated, country club, and condo communities where lock-and-leave is easy. The buying windows that work best are August–September (before season starts) and March–May (as season winds down) — between those windows, competition from other seasonal buyers peaks.

Relocating With Your Company? Read This First

If your employer is moving you to South Florida, two facts will save you money and stress:

1. In most packages, you choose your own agent. Relocation benefits typically follow the employee, not a specific brokerage. The agent a national relocation company assigns you may be competent — or may simply be the next name on a roster. You are allowed to interview a local expert instead. Check your package terms; then compare.

2. Local knowledge is the whole game on a compressed timeline. Corporate moves run on 60-90 day clocks. You do not have a season to learn which communities have mandatory club fees, which condo buildings carry assessment risk, or which streets flood. That is precisely what a broker-owner who has lived and sold here for decades compresses into your first phone call.

PBP Real Estate works with relocating employees and executives end to end: neighborhood shortlists matched to office location and budget, video walkthroughs before you fly down, AI-assisted communication so time zones never slow the deal, and coordination with your employer's relocation timeline. If your household also needs to sell a home in your current city, we connect you with a vetted listing agent there through our national referral network and manage both timelines together.

How Buying From 1,200 Miles Away Actually Works

Most of our relocating buyers see their new home in person only once or twice before closing. The process that makes that safe:

• Strategy call first: budget, timeline, must-haves, school and commute constraints — then a neighborhood shortlist built around them, not around what happens to be listed this week.
• Video-first showings: live walkthroughs of every serious candidate, with the unvarnished commentary an in-person tour would give you — road noise, deferred maintenance, what the listing photos cropped out.
• One efficient visit: when the shortlist is real, you fly down once and see the finalists back to back.
• Diligence before the offer: insurance quote, flood zone, HOA/condo documents, club membership math — the full carrying cost in writing.
• Remote closing: Florida supports remote online notarization for most transactions; we coordinate the logistics so the closing fits your calendar, not the other way around.

Throughout, our AI-powered systems keep you updated automatically — new listings, status changes, document deadlines — while licensed broker-owners Gia and Grant Freer make every judgment call personally. AI-powered tools, broker-owner judgment: that combination is the whole point. More on the full buyer process is on our buying in South Florida page.

Moving Out of Florida? We Sell Your Home While You're Already Gone

Relocation runs both directions. If a job, family, or life change is taking you out of South Florida, the last thing you need is managing a home sale from another state. We handle the entire remote sale: preparation and vendor coordination, professional photography and marketing, AI-assisted updates so you always know exactly where things stand, and closing logistics that never require a flight back. It starts with knowing your number.

Inherited a Florida property instead? Start with our probate real estate guide.

Relocation Questions We Hear Most Often

Is it really cheaper to live in Florida than in New York or New Jersey?

On taxes, almost always — no state income tax, no state estate tax, homestead protections. On housing and insurance, it depends: the county median single-family price was $700,000 in June 2026 and insurance costs more here. Most households from high-tax states come out ahead overall, but the honest math is done line by line — which is exactly what we walk you through.

Does Florida tax retirement income, Social Security, or 401(k) withdrawals?

No — Florida has no state income tax at all. Federal taxes still apply, and residency has specific requirements; confirm your personal situation with a tax professional.

How does the homestead exemption work for a new resident?

If the home is your permanent primary residence on January 1, apply with the county property appraiser by March 1: up to roughly $50,000 off assessed value, plus the Save Our Homes cap limiting future assessment increases to 3% per year or CPI, whichever is lower.

When is the best time of year to make the move?

Families target summer for the school calendar; the deepest listing selection is February–May; late summer has the least competition; snowbird season (Thanksgiving–April) is the most competitive. Your timeline decides — we make any window work.

Can I buy in Florida before selling my home up north?

Yes — contingent offers, bridge financing, leasebacks, or equity-based routes. We coordinate both transactions and can connect you with a vetted listing agent in your current market through our referral network.

What about hurricanes and insurance costs?

A real cost, treated honestly: premiums vary enormously by the home's age, roof, construction, and flood zone. We get you an actual quote and wind-mitigation review before you offer, so nothing surprises you at closing.

My company is relocating me. Do I have to use the relocation company's agent?

Usually not — most packages let you choose your own local agent, and the benefit follows you. Check your terms, then interview a local broker-owner before accepting an assigned name from a national roster.

I'm leaving Florida — can you sell my home after I've already moved?

Yes — we sell for out-of-state owners regularly: preparation, marketing, AI-assisted updates, and remote closing logistics, with broker-owners making every judgment call. Start with a free valuation.

Let's Plan Your South Florida Move

One conversation with licensed broker-owners Gia and Grant Freer replaces weeks of internet research. Tell us your timeline, budget, and what your week needs to look like — we'll bring the shortlist, the honest numbers, and the plan.

PBP Real Estate, LLC · (561) 395-8418 · Boca Raton, Florida · License CQ1064615