To start 2026 I have a few snippets to share with you.
*** I survived.
Following up on my New Years Eve “Sunrise to Sunset” walk, it wasn’t easy, but it was a lot of fun. Thank you, as I received 22 comments last week with folks wanting to hear how I did.
Final Results: 9 hours 50 minutes walking time. 24.5 miles. 52,288 steps. After leaving downtown Delray, we went south on A1A and ended in Lauderdale Beach. I was the one to call the end at mile 22 – blisters started on both feet.
We stumbled into Sanbar Grill. What a location. It was a perfect Happy Hour right on the beach.
*** Initial 2025 Year End Delray Beach real estate numbers are trickling in. Here’s how the Delray Beach real estate central 33444 Zip Code (east of I95 to the train tracks) fared in 2025:
– Median Price $685k compared to $550k for 2024. That’s a 24% increase.
– Days on Market was 84 and 2024 was 81 – slight increase.
– Sold Listings were up 6.8%, but December was strong with 29 sales compared to 19 in Dec 2024.
Delray Beach real estate is on solid ground and with these data points, sellers and buyers should experience a great 2026. We haven’t seen such a balanced market in over a half dozen years.
*** New restaurants update:
– Geronimo’s Tequila Bar & Southwestern Grill with an open air and inviting feel is a few weeks away from its grand opening. Great location next to Cornell Art Museum.
– The anticipated Barcelona Wine Bar in Sundy Village should be opening real soon. Its buildout looks almost complete. Check out their events, wine tastings and wine selection.
– True Vegan – They opened in November, so this is a reminder. As chef Rahein says, “You don’t need to be Vegan to enjoy Vegan.” I love their food.
If you haven’t walked The Ave in a while, make sure you do. New clothing stores and other retailers are bringing fresh ideas.
*** Delray Beach Real Estate Big Theme’s to watch in 2026:
– Mortgage Rates. As you can see in the chart below, the 30-yr is 6.19%. That’s almost a full percentage point below one year ago. With our governments desire to lower rates (Federal Funds), it doesn’t directly correlate to mortgage rates, but will have a psychologic effect that may push the 30-yr note lower this year.
– Continued strength in the South Florida Ultra Luxury market. Last week I saw sales in Palm Beach county of $96M, $85M, $55M, $25M, $18M and 9 sales between $5M – $10M. On top of that, new listings at $185M, $115M, $95M, $52M and a handful near $10M.
– Florida Homeowners Insurance will be “less bad.” Two years ago the state-operated Citizens Property Insurance Corp held 1.5M policies. From 2020 – 2024 a record breaking number of private insurers left the state due to frivolous lawsuits and the brutal number of climate events that walloped their financials.
Today Citizens has less than 400,000 policies. That’s due to 17 new private insurers approved to write policies in the state. And there will be more returning this year. More competition is good for consumers. With that, we should see rates stabilize or even fall a bit. In fact, some of the top insurers like State Farm filed for reductions up to 10%.
So we have lower mortgage rates, a healthier insurance market and big money flowing into Florida. I see these macro ideas as conduits to increased sales in 2026. And if you’re seeking to establish yourself as a Delray Beach real estate owner, 2026 is the first year in many where you can get in with all the inventory.
Follow along with me each Wednesday as I keep you updated with the most current, and hyperlocal, Delray Beach real estate information available.
(Main Photo: The first Delray Beach sunrise of 2026)
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*** The Downtown Delray Festival of the Arts is this weekend. 25th year and going strong
*** my downtown Delray condo listing is only 128 steps to Segreto Italia restaurant, 159 steps to an Irish Pub, 219 to the 5-Star Hotel The Ray, 278 steps to Old School Square and a short 11 block walk to the beach. It’s the ultimate Delray Beach real estate play
*** My latest essay on climate resilience and green features is getting a lot of eyeballs on it. I share home buying tips that dive into these two ideas with five specific examples
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*** Delray Beach Real Estate Inventory is ABOVE 2019***
Last week’s supply was 56,826
Today’s supply is 55,168
Supply was down 1,659 Last Week
*** Supply is DOWN 24 of 35 weeks…***
