Is CBS construction an advantage when selling?

Yes, a real one. 91% of the village's active listings are concrete block and stucco, which insurers underwrite more favourably than frame and which stands up better to wind. Say so explicitly, because a nervous buyer is easier to reassure.

Does CBS construction solve the insurance question?

No. It means the construction type is unlikely to be why an insurer declines, but it does not excuse the roof, the plumbing or the electrical panel. Those are assessed independently of what the walls are made of.

How old is the housing here?

The oldest in Palm Beach County. 98% of active listings predate 2000 and 76% predate 1980, with a median year built of 1977, and only 1% were built in 2010 or later. Age-related inspection findings are guaranteed rather than likely.

Should I replace the roof before selling?

It is a genuine financial decision here. At a $280,000 median a $15,000 roof is over 5% of the sale, against under 2.5% in Boca Raton. The alternative is a narrower pool weighted towards cash, so make the choice deliberately rather than by default.

Why are there two gatekeepers?

Because the insurer and the appraiser both matter. Most buyers are financed and many use government-insured lending, which carries condition requirements at appraisal separate from the insurance question. Either can end a contract.

What condition items might an appraiser flag?

Peeling paint, damaged flooring and a compromised roof can each trigger a repair requirement before a government-insured loan will close. If a previous contract failed at appraisal rather than inspection, that was the cause.

What unpermitted work should I look for?

Enclosed porches, converted garages, carport conversions, additions and window replacements are the usual items on 1970s housing. An appraiser may decline to value unpermitted square footage, and an open permit stops a closing.

Is a wind mitigation report worth getting on a CBS house?

Yes, and more so than on frame, because on a CBS house there are usually credit-producing features to document. It is cheap relative to everything else and frequently pays for itself in what a buyer is quoted.

Selling an older CBS home in Palm Springs

Selling an older CBS home in Palm Springs starts from a genuine advantage and a genuine problem. 91% of the village's housing is concrete block, which insurers prefer, but 98% of it predates 2000 and 76% predates 1980, which they do not.

Free Home Valuation

Every situation on this page comes down to a number: what the property is worth and what you would net. We will work both out from recent sales near you, at no cost.

What CBS construction is worth to you

CBS means concrete block and stucco, and 91% of the village's active listings are built that way.

Insurers underwrite it more favourably than frame construction, which is a real advantage on older stock.

It stands up better to wind, which is what Florida wind mitigation credits are largely about.

So if your home is CBS, say so explicitly in the marketing, because a nervous buyer is easier to reassure.

It also means the construction type is unlikely to be the reason an insurer declines.

What it does not do is excuse the roof, the plumbing or the electrical panel.

Those are assessed independently of what the walls are made of.

The age problem it does not solve

98% of active Palm Springs listings predate 2000 and 76% predate 1980, with a median year built of 1977.

Only 1% were built in 2010 or later, so there is effectively nothing new in the village.

That is the oldest profile of any city in Palm Beach County.

So age-related inspection findings here are guaranteed rather than likely.

Roof age is the first filter an insurer applies, and a financed buyer who cannot insure cannot obtain a mortgage.

Cast iron and galvanized plumbing both appear throughout 1970s construction and both draw underwriter attention.

Certain older electrical panel types can produce an outright refusal rather than a higher premium.

The repair arithmetic at this price level

Homes here closed at a median $280,000 across 224 sales, and the village prices at $189 per square foot, the lowest in the county.

At that level a $15,000 roof is over 5% of the sale price, which makes it a genuine financial decision.

In Boca Raton the same roof is under 2.5% of a median sale, so the same choice is a different choice here.

That is not a reason to skip the work, but it is a reason to make the decision deliberately.

The alternative to fixing an insurability problem is a narrower buyer pool, weighted towards cash.

Which route is right depends on your equity, your timeline and what a cash buyer would actually pay.

A wind mitigation report is cheap by comparison and frequently pays for itself in what a buyer is quoted.

The village median does not describe your house

Active listings in the village ask a median $159,900 while closed sales medianed $280,000.

That $120,100 gap is the largest proportional gap in the county and it is composition rather than a trend.

One community, Lakeside Village, accounts for 21% of residential active listings at an $86,250 median.

Excluding it, the rest of the village medians $293,000, close to what actually closes.

So a house seller working from the village median is working from a condominium market they are not part of.

Price from closed sales of your own property type, which for a CBS house means other houses.

40 of the 172 active listings are single-family homes, so your direct competition is smaller than it looks.

The four point inspection and the wind mitigation report

A four point inspection covers roof, electrical, plumbing and HVAC, and insurers commonly require one on older homes.

On stock where 98% predates 2000, commissioning one yourself before listing is among the highest-value things you can do.

It turns four unknowns into four documented facts, which is what lets a buyer and their lender proceed.

A wind mitigation report documents credit-producing features, and on a CBS house there are usually some to document.

Both reports belong with your listing material rather than in a drawer.

Where the four point finds something expensive, you have a real choice rather than an emergency.

Making it deliberately beats making it under a contract deadline.

Two gatekeepers, not one

At a $280,000 median, most buyers here are financed and many use government-insured lending.

Those loans carry condition requirements at appraisal, separate from the insurance question.

Peeling paint, damaged flooring or a compromised roof can each trigger a repair requirement before such a loan closes.

So an older home here has to satisfy both an insurer and an appraiser.

Either can end a contract, and they look at overlapping but different things.

Establishing both positions before listing converts risk into decisions you make on your own schedule.

If a previous contract failed at appraisal rather than inspection, the second gatekeeper was the cause.

Permits, on fifty years of alterations

A house built in 1977 has had decades for alterations to accumulate and not all of them were permitted.

An appraiser may decline to give value to unpermitted square footage, which affects financing as well as price.

An open permit surfaces during a transaction and closing agents generally will not close over one.

Enclosed porches, converted garages, carport conversions, additions and window replacements are the usual items.

Pull the permit record before listing, because resolving something takes considerably longer than finding it.

Permits and code issues attach to the property rather than to a person, so they follow the sale.

Retroactive permitting is possible and takes time, which is another reason to start early.

Who buys an older house here

Financed local buyers, who need the property to be insurable and who are most of the market.

Buyers priced out of the coastal cities, for whom this village is genuinely affordable.

Cash buyers and investors, who will take an uninsurable property and price the risk into their offer.

First-time buyers using government-insured lending, for whom the appraisal condition requirements bite.

50% of active residential listings are in age-restricted communities, but those are mostly condominiums.

So as a house seller your competition is a small, specific set rather than the whole village.

Which of those buyers you reach depends almost entirely on the insurability position.

How we would list it

Commission a four point inspection and a wind mitigation report before listing, because the cost is small against the risk.

Establish what a government-insured appraisal would flag, because those loans are common at this price point.

Say plainly that the house is CBS, because it is a genuine reassurance to a nervous buyer.

Pull the permit record and resolve or disclose what it shows.

Price from closed sales of houses, not from the village median, which is a condominium figure.

Show you the real arithmetic on an expensive repair rather than simply recommending it.

Ask us for a valuation and we will tell you plainly which repairs are worth doing and which are not.

MLS figures on this page were measured on 2026-09-25 and are a snapshot of a market that moves. Ask us for current numbers before pricing. Nothing here is legal or tax advice; for those, speak to an attorney or a CPA.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is CBS construction an advantage when selling?: Yes, a real one. 91% of the village's active listings are concrete block and stucco, which insurers underwrite more favourably than frame and which stands up better to wind. Say so explicitly, because a nervous buyer is easier to reassure.
Does CBS construction solve the insurance question?: No. It means the construction type is unlikely to be why an insurer declines, but it does not excuse the roof, the plumbing or the electrical panel. Those are assessed independently of what the walls are made of.
How old is the housing here?: The oldest in Palm Beach County. 98% of active listings predate 2000 and 76% predate 1980, with a median year built of 1977, and only 1% were built in 2010 or later. Age-related inspection findings are guaranteed rather than likely.
Should I replace the roof before selling?: It is a genuine financial decision here. At a $280,000 median a $15,000 roof is over 5% of the sale, against under 2.5% in Boca Raton. The alternative is a narrower pool weighted towards cash, so make the choice deliberately rather than by default.
Why is the village median so much lower than what houses sell for?: Composition. Lakeside Village is 21% of residential active listings at an $86,250 median. Excluding it, the rest of the village medians $293,000, close to the $280,000 median close. A house seller using the village figure is using a condominium market.
How much competition do I actually have?: Less than the listing count suggests. Only 40 of the 172 active listings are single-family homes, so your direct competition as a house seller is a small, specific set rather than the whole village.
Why are there two gatekeepers?: Because the insurer and the appraiser both matter. Most buyers are financed and many use government-insured lending, which carries condition requirements at appraisal separate from the insurance question. Either can end a contract.
What condition items might an appraiser flag?: Peeling paint, damaged flooring and a compromised roof can each trigger a repair requirement before a government-insured loan will close. If a previous contract failed at appraisal rather than inspection, that was the cause.
What unpermitted work should I look for?: Enclosed porches, converted garages, carport conversions, additions and window replacements are the usual items on 1970s housing. An appraiser may decline to value unpermitted square footage, and an open permit stops a closing.
Is a wind mitigation report worth getting on a CBS house?: Yes, and more so than on frame, because on a CBS house there are usually credit-producing features to document. It is cheap relative to everything else and frequently pays for itself in what a buyer is quoted.

How much does it cost to sell a house in Palm Springs, FL?

How much does it cost to sell a house in Palm Springs FL: real numbers, and why the village median badly understates what houses actually sell for.

Palm Springs home sale report: prices, sale-to-list and days on market

Palm Springs FL home sale report: why the village median of $159,900 understates houses badly, when closed sales medianed $280,000.

How to choose a listing agent in Palm Springs, FL

How to choose a listing agent in Palm Springs FL: the village median test, and the questions that reveal whether they understand this market.

Work out your numbers

What is my home worth?

A valuation built from closed sales in your own community, with the comparables named.

Estimate your net proceeds

Work the commission, documentary stamps and closing costs against your own number.

Current market reports

Prices, days on market and inventory for the counties we cover, updated monthly.

How we list a home

What we do between the listing agreement and the closing table, phase by phase.

Talk It Through

Tell us the situation and we will tell you what it is worth

Most of what makes a sale complicated is solvable once somebody has looked at the actual numbers. Onias Derilus is a licensed Florida broker and there is no cost to a conversation, whether you list this month or next year.

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