Here’s a charming 2 bedroom unit 3 miles from the ocean for $44,500.
Of course, it comes with a $1,500/month HOA fee.
intercst
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Wow! And it’s on a golf course. Don’t know much about Boynton Beach but wonder if short term or even long term rentals an option?
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Some HOAs restrict your ability to rent your unit (e.g., they may only allow 10% of the units in the complex to be rentals, so there’s a waiting list if you want to rent yours.)
I wonder if the HOA fee includes the use of the golf course, and if you need to meet a monthly minimum spend in the dining room?
Edit: Apparently homeowners must buy and maintain at least a “Social Membership” at the Country Club for $16,000/year. The non-refundable initiation fee for a Golf Membership is $125,000.
No wonder the condos aren’t selling. {{ LOL }}
intercst
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And all that money is basically flushed because Boynton Beach is expected to have between 8-13” of sea level rise by 2040. Up to 31” by 2060. Even if those estimates are off a bit, it still indicates a bad long term investment, IMO. Best case, your heirs would have to deal with the problems.
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Are you thinking if the owner rents it he won’t have to recapture the $1500 HOA fee, and that he will go negative just for the privilege?
Boynton Beach is about 10-15 feet above sea level, so you probably have more than enough time to amortize out your investment there.
But golf course communities are having a rough time of it generally, down here. Obviously they draw much of their value from having access to the amenity, and that had been declining for decades as golf lost some its popularity. The pandemic boosted interest in golf, though, so we’ll see….
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Looked at listing more in depth on redfin (prefer over Zillow), and noticed mandatory membership fee is $22,720.
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Whoa, there.
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That works out to 14-22 mm/yr for 15 years. Since sea level rise is currently less than 4mm/yr and doesn’t suddenly double or triple, you are saying that sea level rise will increase by more than an order of magnitude in 15 years.
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As albaby pointed out, the elevation of Boyton Beach is 4 meters (4000 mm). Even at 20mm/yr that works out to 200 years.
DB2
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Regardless of sea level rise, payment or recoupment through rent/lease arrangements, the prospect of value/liability is high.
The equity in the property (sales price) is roughly equal to less than 2 years expenses.
I would have to consider this as a long term rental with a “buy-in” at the sales price.
Rent
vs
Down Payment to Rent
Wow.
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Of course, the point is still valid in the sense that, even if BB is not under direct threat of being submerged, there are other implications that face these low-lying coastal areas:
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Even “modest” sea level rise makes high tides, storm surge, and hurricane/wind‑driven water start from a higher baseline, meaning floods that used to be “once in decades” can become much more frequent.
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During storms, surges that previously just stayed below critical elevations (e.g., roadways, building slabs, sewer inlets) may begin to overtop them, especially in low spots or along creeks and inlets that connect to the ocean.
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Higher sea level can raise local groundwater tables and reduce gravity‑driven drainage capacity, which can back up storm water and sewer systems even if streets and houses sit several feet above the waterline.
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Low‑lying access roads, utility corridors, and coastal wetlands around the town may see more frequent “nuisance” tidal flooding, erosion, and saltwater intrusion, affecting transportation, ecosystems, and potentially foundations in fringe areas.
Pete
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Sure. But you have to keep some perspective.
As noted above, Boynton Beach is at an average elevation of about 10-15 feet about sea level. The Miami-Dade metro area is only about 6 feet above sea level. Miami Beach, a city within that metro area, is only about 4.5 feet above sea level.
Miami generally, and Miami Beach specifically, have some issues managing stormwater and flooding. However, both of them have fully functioning real estate markets where properties are sold and insured without any problem. Indeed, Miami Beach has some of the more expensive real estate in the world - despite being (generally) about 4.5 feet above sea level.
Boynton Beach is more than a century away from being where Miami and Miami Beach are today, even under some of the more aggressive sea level rise predictions. Since properties in Miami and Miami Beach haven’t had their values “flushed down the toilet,” it’s probably foolish (small “f”) for anyone considering buying a piece of residential real estate in Boynton Beach to worry too much about the possibility of their values being zero’d out by sea level rise as part of their purchasing decision.
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You should know me better than that! I did a search before “spouting off”. 
True, it isn’t the ENTIRE Boynton Beach. Parts of it are higher than Miami. And parts of it are just as low, including the waterways. Here’s a summary:
Sea Level Rise Impacts in Boynton Beach
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Projections: While 6.5 inches of rise has occurred since 1950, the rate is accelerating, with 3 inches of that rise happening in just the last 20 years.
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Flooding Risks: The Intracoastal Waterway and low-lying coastal areas, including areas near Ocean Ridge, face increased flooding from high tides (King Tides) and storm surges.
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Infrastructure Response: The city is upgrading, or planning to upgrade, “gray” infrastructure (pipes/pumps) and incorporating green infrastructure in the eastern, historically flood-prone areas.
And the estimates for sea level rise came from Boynton Beach itself:
Sea level rise is caused by two factors related to climate change: added water from melting ice sheets & glaciers and the expansion of sea water as it warms. In Southeast Florida, sea level is expected to rise 5 to 13 inches by 2040 and 16 to 46 inches by 2070.
So, if I were inclined to buy in that area, I may not have to deal with too many issues (since I have about 20 years left in me, maybe). But 1poorkid -the heir- would very likely have to deal with king tides, at the minimum. Maybe worse, depending on the elevation at the site of the property.
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But overall, Boynton Beach is about six feet higher in elevation than Miami. Parts of BB are lower than others - but the same is true of Miami as well.
So it will take BB a century or more (even under the more aggressive scenarios) before sea level rise gets it to the same level as Miami is now. And since Miami’s real estate market is fairly well-functioning today, it’s incredibly unlikely that real estate in BB will become valueless in any amount of time that purchasers would need to consider today. In fact, it’s pretty unlikely that sea level rise will materially affect BB real estate values overall in any materially relevant time frame. FWIW, that specific property is also in a part of BB that’s at about 25-30 feet elevation - east of I-95 and several miles inland from the lower-lying coastal areas.
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It’s VERY unlikely that the low price for this unit has much to do with potential flooding in 15 or 100 years from now. It looks like a case in which the owner or the heirs of a property really want to dispose of it as quickly as possible to stop having to pay the $1500/mo HOA/etc fee. In August of 2025 they were asking $99,000 for it, and dropped to the current price in 2 or 3 steps over the last half year or so. Could be that Larry died and his kids want to sell it quickly, or it could be that Larry moved to an assisted living facility and needs to sell it. Either way they want to get out from under that $1500/mo bill.
And the reason prices are so low in general is because condos have dramatically dropped in popularity due to multiple reasons, mostly having to do with money. Condos by their nature are managed by an unprofessional board and they tend to put off maintenance as long as possible, especially condos run by retirees who are typically on a fixed income of sorts. Since this has been endemic for decades, there have been laws passed regarding requirements of condos to maintain enough money to ensure that required maintenance and repairs can be done. This increased the cost, the monthly cost, of condo ownership. That has driven prices of condos down. Doubly so for condos where the current owner is near end of life or already dead.
Interestingly, this particular property looks like it has a somewhat odd history, it appears that when the former owners died, nobody claimed it in time and ownership ended up in the hands of the HOA itself for a paltry sum of $2100. Later, the HOA sold it to the current owner, Larry.
Anyway, lots of condos, usually second or third tier condos like this one, are selling for what appear to be ridiculously low prices due to the reasons I described above. Not only are the monthly fees high, but potential buyers are afraid of future huge condo assessments for required repairs, new roof, new HVAC, new pool systems, foundation repairs, golf course chemical remediation, etc.
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This is purely anecdotal and my own (and my wife’s) opinion.
We just returned today after vacationing in the Florida Keys. Upper Florida was nice. I enjoyed the area, but we didn’t care for the lower portion of the state. 1. There was way too many people. The traffic around Tampa, Miami, Ocala was terrible. How anybody can get used to that is beyond me. 2. People laugh at Kansas, saying it is as flat as a pancake. We drove highway 19, 27 and 98 south out of Tallahassee. There were many 20 mile stretches of that road that had zero curves or hills. The only hills in southern Florida are man-made overpasses. And the vegetation on each side of the highways keeps you from viewing anything at a distance.
The Keys were nice, but again there were a lot of people there. The mid 80 temperature is a lot nicer than the current 20 degree and 6” of snow we have here now. This was a trip we have always wanted to make and we’re glad we did; but this vacation falls into the one and done category.
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It does seem highly likely that the huge and rising hoa fees are making the cost of ownership too expensive for many. But it also appears that the huge and rising insurance costs are a result of many factors, including the high cost of maintaining and repairing the waterfront condos which are experiencing increasing building, repair and maintenance costs due to increasing intensity of storms and hurricanes due to climate change. Unfortunately I cannot compose a more detailed post on the internet with my iPad and two finger typing.
Insurance is a big part of it! Most condos have the insurance included in the HOA fees (structure, etc). Contents insurance has to be purchased by the homeowner directly.
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As an owner of a FL condo, I can verify this. Building insurance is part of HOA fees which is all based on our percentage of total square feet. Contents I buy on my own.
As mentioned above, many condos can be had cheaply. Part of the reason, the condo collapse in ‘21 resulted in numerous regulatory changes that primarily dealt with inspections, balance sheets, and no longer being able to delay required maintenance. So that resulted in a lot of special assessments with $$$ signs. From what I can tell, seems to have mostly effected older sky rise type buildings in southern FL. Ours is only 4 stories and in the 30A panhandle area. While prices have come down slightly in our area, I would have no problem selling for twice the price I paid for it in ‘15.
Like they say about real estate, location, location, location.
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