Closing Costs in Hobe Sound: What Sellers Pay and What They Net

Closing costs in Hobe Sound differ from the Palm Beach County cities to the south in one notable way. Hobe Sound is in Martin County, and local custom on who pays for title insurance is less settled there. Hobe Sound is also not a city. It is an unincorporated community in southern Martin County, just north of the county line from Tequesta and Jupiter. Its homes range from older single-family houses to club communities and estates, and many of the best-known estates are actually on Jupiter Island, a separate town. This guide covers each seller cost and runs a sample net sheet both ways on title.

Key takeaways

• As of October 1, 2026, Pure Equity's MLS data shows 223 active Hobe Sound listings with a median list price of $549,250.
• Doc stamps are the same statewide: 70 cents per $100. On a $600,000 sale that is $4,200.
• Title rates are set by state rule, but sources disagree on Martin County custom for who pays. Your contract decides, so read paragraph 9(c) closely.
• HOA and club community sellers pay the estoppel fee, capped by Florida law at $250 for a current account.
• Martin County single-family homes sold for a median of $656,900 in August 2026, according to Miami Realtors.

What a seller pays in closing costs in Hobe Sound

Most Martin County sales use the Florida Realtors and Florida Bar "AS IS" Residential Contract. The same form is used across Florida. Paragraph 9(a) lists the seller's costs:

• Doc stamps on the deed.
• HOA or condo estoppel fees.
• The owner's title policy and search, but only if option (i) in paragraph 9(c) is checked.
• A municipal lien search, under that same option.
• Recording fees to fix title issues.
• Your own attorney and closing services.
• FIRPTA charges, for a foreign seller.

By contrast, the buyer pays the survey, inspections, loan costs, deed recording and the association's application or transfer fee. Commission is set in your listing agreement and can be negotiated.

Doc stamps on a Hobe Sound deed

Florida's deed tax does not change by county outside Miami-Dade. The Department of Revenue sets it at 70 cents per $100 of the price. So, to estimate it, divide the price by 100 and multiply by 0.70.

• A $400,000 older ranch home: $2,800.
• A $600,000 home in a club community: $4,200.
• A $1,500,000 waterfront home: $10,500.

The contract puts this on the seller, and the closing agent collects it from your proceeds.

Title insurance custom: Martin County versus Palm Beach County

In Palm Beach County, custom is clear: the seller pays for the owner's policy and picks the closing agent. In Martin County, it is murkier. One Martin County title company, Weston Title, says the buyer pays there. Meanwhile, Bayit Title's county-by-county table lists Martin County as "varies." We could not find one official rule, and there isn't one in Florida law.

So in practice the contract decides. Paragraph 9(c) gives three choices:

• Option (i): the seller picks the closing agent and pays for the owner's policy and charges.
• Option (ii): the buyer picks the closing agent and pays for both policies.
• Option (iii): a Miami-Dade and Broward regional version, which is rarely used up here.

Hobe Sound sits right on the county line, so many buyers come from Jupiter or Tequesta, where the seller usually pays. A buyer's agent from Palm Beach County may assume that habit. As a result, talk this through with your agent before offers arrive, and treat the title box as one more point to negotiate.

How much the premium is

Whoever pays, the rate is the same. Florida Rule 69O-186.003 sets it at $5.75 per $1,000 on the first $100,000 and $5.00 per $1,000 from there to $1 million. Above $1 million, it drops to $2.50 per $1,000 up to $5 million.

That means a $600,000 sale has a base premium of $3,075. A $1.5 million sale comes to $6,325. If you have the owner's policy from your own purchase, keep it handy. The Florida CFO notes that a lower reissue rate can apply when a prior policy exists.

Search, lien search and settlement fees are extra. Those are not set by rule.

HOA and club closing costs in Hobe Sound

Many Hobe Sound homes sit in golf, club or HOA communities. If yours does, you will need an estoppel certificate showing your dues and any balance. Florida caps the fee at $250 for a current account, with up to $100 more for delivery within 3 business days. A past-due account can add up to $150. The law lets these caps rise with inflation every 5 years, so ask for the current fee.

Some communities have both a master association and a neighborhood association. Others have a club with its own membership rules on a sale. So read your club and HOA documents early. If two associations are involved, plan for two certificates.

Older single-family streets in Hobe Sound often have no HOA. In that case, there is no estoppel. Still, an older home is more likely to have an open permit or a recorded lien the title search turns up. Since Hobe Sound is unincorporated, permits and code matters run through Martin County. Our guide to HOA estoppel and transfer fees has more on association charges.

Property tax prorations in Martin County

Florida property taxes are due November 1, for the year that is ending. Martin County works the same way as Palm Beach County here. So a seller who closes before the bill is paid credits the buyer for each day of ownership that year.

The contract prorates through the day before closing. If the current bill is not out, the closing agent uses the current assessment with last year's millage, or last year's tax. It also builds in the 4% discount for paying in November. Either party can ask to redo the math when the real bill comes out.

Seasonal owners should note one more point. A second home has no homestead exemption, so its tax bill, and so its proration, is often higher than a full-time neighbor's.

A sample net sheet for closing costs in Hobe Sound

According to Pure Equity's MLS data as of October 1, 2026, Hobe Sound had 223 active residential listings. The median list price was $549,250, and the median asking price per square foot was $303. Active listings had been on the market an average of 142 days. Those figures are asking prices for homes still for sale, from a small market. Browse current homes on our Hobe Sound page.

For closed sales, Miami Realtors reported that in August 2026, Martin County single-family homes sold for a median of $656,900. They took a median of 56 days to go under contract, with 3.4 months of supply. Condos and townhouses had a median of $277,500, took 84 days and had 5.5 months of supply.

So this example uses $600,000, between the Hobe Sound median list price and the county's single-family median sale. Assumptions are marked.

• Sale price: $600,000
• Commission: not included below. It is the rate you negotiate, and on this sale each 1 percentage point is $6,000.
• Doc stamps: minus $4,200
• Owner's title policy, base premium, if the seller pays: minus $3,075
• HOA estoppel at the base fee: minus $250
• Tax proration, assuming a $7,000 annual bill and an October 1 closing (273 days): minus $5,236
• Mortgage payoff, assumed: minus $200,000
• Estimated net if the seller pays title, before commission, search and settlement fees: $387,239
• Estimated net if the buyer pays title, before commission: $390,314

The title box alone moves this seller's net by $3,075. Doc stamps, title and estoppel total $7,525, or about 1.3% of the price, when the seller pays title. Commission comes on top, at $6,000 for each percentage point you negotiate. To run your own numbers, try our seller closing costs calculator.

Other closing costs a Hobe Sound seller may see

• Buyer credits. A buyer may ask for help with their costs or for a repair credit after the inspection. Those come out of your proceeds.
• Repairs under the AS IS form. You must keep the home in its contract-date condition. If that work is not done by closing, the form escrows 125% of the estimated cost.
• FIRPTA. If the seller is a foreign person, the buyer generally withholds 15% of the amount realized for the IRS. An exception applies when the price is $300,000 or less and the buyer will live in the home.
• Home warranty. Paragraph 9(e) lets the parties pick who pays, if anyone.

Frequently asked questions

Who pays title insurance in Hobe Sound?

There is no single answer. Sources differ on Martin County custom, so the contract decides. Under option (i) in paragraph 9(c) the seller pays, and under option (ii) the buyer pays.

How much are closing costs in Hobe Sound for a seller?

Doc stamps are 0.7% of the price. The title premium on $600,000 is $3,075, if you pay it. Add estoppel fees and your negotiated commission. In our example, the items other than commission came to about 1.3% of the price.

Is Hobe Sound in Palm Beach County?

No. Hobe Sound is an unincorporated community in Martin County. Its taxes, permits and market reports come from Martin County.

Are closing costs in Hobe Sound the same on Jupiter Island?

The state tax and title rates are the same. However, Jupiter Island is its own town, so local permit and lien questions go through that town instead.

Sources

• Pure Equity, Hobe Sound market data (as of October 1, 2026)
• Miami Realtors, Martin County August 2026 report
• Florida Department of Revenue, documentary stamp tax
• Florida Realtors and Florida Bar, AS IS Residential Contract
• Rule 69O-186.003, Florida title insurance rates
• Florida CFO, title insurance overview
• Weston Title, Who pays for title insurance in Martin County
• Bayit Title, Who pays for title insurance in Florida, by county
• Palm Beach Title, FAQs
• Florida Statutes, s. 720.30851 (HOA estoppel)
• Florida Statutes, s. 197.333 (when taxes are due)
• Florida Statutes, s. 197.162 (early payment discounts)
• IRS, FIRPTA withholding
• U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts, Hobe Sound CDP (2020 Census)
• Town of Jupiter Island, community profile

This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Fees, customs and forms change, so confirm your own numbers with your closing agent, a Florida real estate attorney or a tax advisor.

Selling in Hobe Sound? Request a personalized seller net-proceeds sheet that shows your net both ways on title. Ask for your net sheet or check your home's value. Buying in Martin County instead? Talk to a buyer's agent about who pays what at closing.