Should they inspect the well and septic before listing?

Yes, and an agent who does not raise it is missing the main item. 74% of listings here are on well and 75% on septic. A buyer will inspect regardless, lenders and insurers both ask, and a failing system affects financing as well as price.

Who holds my permit record?

Palm Beach County, because The Acreage is unincorporated and there is no municipality to search. Ask whether the agent will pull it, because an appraiser may decline to value unpermitted structures and that affects financing rather than only price.

How do I compare agents objectively?

Ask each for the percentage of original asking price their listings achieved, their average days on market and their expired rate, in writing. The local figures are 96.2%, 33 days sold against 48 active, and 77% closing below the first ask.

Is aerial photography necessary?

Close to essential, and ask whether it is standard rather than an upsell. A buyer cannot judge a parcel, its boundaries or its usable area from ground-level images, and it is one of the few marketing costs that reliably pays for itself here.

What preparation should the agent recommend?

Land presentation: clearing, mowing, tidying work areas, repairing fencing and removing derelict vehicles or accumulated materials, which can resolve a code issue at the same time. Interior renovation rarely returns its cost here.

Is insurance different out here?

Yes, and a good agent raises it unprompted. Distance to a hydrant and to a fire station affects premium and sometimes availability, outbuildings may need separate coverage, and 82% concrete block means frame construction is a real minority.

Should I expect an estoppel fee on my net sheet?

Only if you are actually in an association, and only 27% of properties here are. Watch whether one appears that you do not owe, because that is a sign the sheet was produced from a suburban template rather than your property.

Should I test a higher price?

This market gives less room than most. Homes closed at a median 96.2% of their original asking price, the strongest ratio in the county, and active listings average just 48 days. An overpriced listing here is conspicuous rather than camouflaged.

Is commission negotiable?

Yes. There is no standard rate in Florida. Ask what the total fee covers and what if anything is offered to the buyer side. Ask too whether they will recommend a CPA if the property has any commercial or agricultural use.

How to choose a listing agent in The Acreage

How to choose a listing agent in The Acreage means finding one who prices land rather than square footage. On a median lot of 1.18 acres with 74% of properties on well and 75% on septic, a suburban playbook does not work here, however well it works elsewhere.

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.

The acreage test

Ask how they value the land, and expect an answer about usable acreage, access and permitted use rather than lot size alone.

Wetland, easements and drainage areas reduce what a buyer can actually do, so total acreage is not the measure.

Ask what the zoning permits: horse keeping, livestock, equipment storage and home businesses are governed by it rather than preference.

Ask whether they will confirm the zoning designation in writing before marketing anything about potential.

Advertising a use the zoning does not permit surfaces during due diligence and ends transactions.

Ask what comparable acreage they have actually sold, and expect addresses rather than a general claim.

An agent who prices your property on its square footage is pricing the wrong thing.

The well and septic test

74% of active listings here are on well water and 75% on septic, both by far the highest shares in the county.

Ask whether they will have both inspected before listing, and expect a yes.

Well depth, age, pump condition and water quality all come up, and a recent test is worth having.

Septic age, capacity and drainfield condition matter, and a system sized for a smaller house constrains what a buyer can add.

Lenders and insurers both ask, so a failing system affects financing as well as price.

This is the single highest-value preparation spend available on acreage, so an agent who does not raise it is missing the main item.

Ask what they do when an inspection comes back poorly, and expect a plan rather than surprise.

The permits and outbuildings test

Barns, workshops, pole buildings, sheds and additions are common here and not all of them were permitted.

Ask whether they will pull the county permit record, because The Acreage is unincorporated and there is no municipality to search.

An appraiser may decline to give value to unpermitted structures or square footage, which affects financing rather than only price.

Ask what they do when they find unpermitted work, and expect disclosure and a plan rather than silence.

Retroactive permitting is possible, takes time, and occasionally requires work brought to current code.

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

An agent who has not pulled a county record on acreage before is learning on your closing date.

The Acreage numbers to hold an answer against

Homes here closed at a median 96.2% of their original asking price, the strongest ratio in the county.

Only 77% closed below what the seller first asked, the lowest proportion measured anywhere.

Sold listings averaged 33 days on market while active listings are averaging 48, the shortest active figure in the county.

The median closing price was $635,000 across 242 sales, with 161 listings active now and 40 under contract.

On a $635,000 sale the gap between first ask and close is roughly $24,000, against $60,000 in North Palm Beach.

Those figures say this market prices accurately and a well-presented property does not sit.

So an overpriced listing here is conspicuous, and an agent should tell you that rather than indulge a high number.

Questions about presentation

Ask whether aerial photography is included as standard, because a buyer cannot judge a parcel from ground-level images.

Ask what they would want cleared, mowed or repaired before photography.

Removing derelict vehicles, equipment and accumulated materials matters disproportionately and can resolve a code issue at the same time.

Ask how they will present the land as carefully as the house, because buyers here assess the parcel at least as closely.

Ask about drainage, because informed buyers ask how a parcel handles heavy rain and documenting grading work answers it.

32% of listings have a pool, so if yours does, ask whether the enclosure permits are in order.

Ask what they will not spend your money on, because interior renovation rarely returns its cost here.

Questions about insurance on rural acreage

Ask whether they know that distance to a hydrant and to a fire station affects premium and sometimes availability.

That rural factor surprises sellers arriving from suburban markets and an agent should raise it unprompted.

Ask whether outbuildings need separate coverage and how their condition affects the overall assessment.

82% of the stock here is concrete block, lower than most of the county, so if yours is frame, ask how that affects insurance.

Ask how they handle roof age, which still decides insurability even on newer acreage stock.

Only 39% of listings predate 2000 and just 1% predate 1980, so the housing is newer than acreage usually is.

Ask them to confirm the insurability position before listing rather than during a contract.

Questions about the listing agreement and net sheet

Ask what the total fee is, what it covers, and what if anything is offered to the buyer side.

Ask how long the agreement runs, whether it can be cancelled, and whether a protection period applies after expiry.

Ask for a written net sheet before you sign, with each cost on its own line.

Documentary stamps on the $635,000 median come to $4,445, which is a useful figure to check the sheet against.

Only 27% of properties here are in an association, so watch whether an estoppel fee appears that you do not owe.

Ask whether they will recommend a CPA if the property has any commercial or agricultural use.

Your mortgage payoff belongs on a separate line as a debt being settled rather than mixed into costs.

Warning signs

Pricing on square footage rather than usable acreage, access and permitted use.

No plan for well and septic inspection before listing.

No county permit record pulled on a property with outbuildings.

No aerial photography proposed.

Marketing a potential use without confirming the zoning permits it.

An estoppel fee on the net sheet when you are not in an association.

Indulging a high price in a market with a 96.2% sale-to-asking ratio.

What we would show you

Closed sales matched on acreage, access and permitted use, named, with what we adjusted for.

The zoning designation and permitted uses in writing before anything is marketed.

Well and septic inspection results obtained before listing rather than during a contract.

The county permit record for every structure on the property.

Aerial photography as standard, not as an upsell.

A written net sheet before you sign, with estimates identified as estimates.

Our own figures for what listings achieved against the 96.2% local median, and our expired rate, in writing.

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

What makes choosing an agent different in The Acreage?: They have to price land rather than square footage. On a median lot of 1.18 acres with 74% of properties on well and 75% on septic, a suburban playbook does not work here however well it works elsewhere.
How should acreage be valued?: On usable acreage, access and permitted use as much as on the house. Wetland, easements and drainage areas reduce what a buyer can actually do, so total acreage is not the measure. Ask what comparable acreage they have actually sold.
Should they inspect the well and septic before listing?: Yes, and an agent who does not raise it is missing the main item. 74% of listings here are on well and 75% on septic. A buyer will inspect regardless, lenders and insurers both ask, and a failing system affects financing as well as price.
Who holds my permit record?: Palm Beach County, because The Acreage is unincorporated and there is no municipality to search. Ask whether the agent will pull it, because an appraiser may decline to value unpermitted structures and that affects financing rather than only price.
How do I compare agents objectively?: Ask each for the percentage of original asking price their listings achieved, their average days on market and their expired rate, in writing. The local figures are 96.2%, 33 days sold against 48 active, and 77% closing below the first ask.
Is aerial photography necessary?: Close to essential, and ask whether it is standard rather than an upsell. A buyer cannot judge a parcel, its boundaries or its usable area from ground-level images, and it is one of the few marketing costs that reliably pays for itself here.
What preparation should the agent recommend?: Land presentation: clearing, mowing, tidying work areas, repairing fencing and removing derelict vehicles or accumulated materials, which can resolve a code issue at the same time. Interior renovation rarely returns its cost here.
Is insurance different out here?: Yes, and a good agent raises it unprompted. Distance to a hydrant and to a fire station affects premium and sometimes availability, outbuildings may need separate coverage, and 82% concrete block means frame construction is a real minority.
Should I expect an estoppel fee on my net sheet?: Only if you are actually in an association, and only 27% of properties here are. Watch whether one appears that you do not owe, because that is a sign the sheet was produced from a suburban template rather than your property.
Should I test a higher price?: This market gives less room than most. Homes closed at a median 96.2% of their original asking price, the strongest ratio in the county, and active listings average just 48 days. An overpriced listing here is conspicuous rather than camouflaged.
Is commission negotiable?: Yes. There is no standard rate in Florida. Ask what the total fee covers and what if anything is offered to the buyer side. Ask too whether they will recommend a CPA if the property has any commercial or agricultural use.

What it costs to sell a house in The Acreage

Cost to sell a house in The Acreage FL: real numbers on acreage, where well, septic and land presentation replace the usual HOA costs.

The Acreage home sale report: prices, sale-to-list and days on market

The Acreage FL home sale report: 242 sales at a $635,000 median and a 96.2% sale-to-list ratio, the strongest in the county.

Selling acreage in The Acreage: well, septic and land issues

Selling acreage in The Acreage FL: 74% on well, 75% on septic, a 1.18 acre median lot, and the county's best sale-to-list ratio.

From the Journal

Home Selling Tips