Looking for a Stuart, FL real estate agent? What to check before you list or buy.

What are Stuart homes selling for?

Inside Stuart city limits, the median single-family home sold for $683,000 in September 2026, 2.2% less than a year earlier, and went under contract in a median 34 days. Condos and townhouses, a large share of sales in the city, sold at a median $235,000. Countywide, Martin County's single-family median was $600,000, up 5.3%, with 3.6 months of supply.

City figures come from the Florida Realtors city and ZIP table, which reports only areas with at least 5 sales in the month and rounds to the nearest thousand. Monthly city medians rest on small samples, so read them as direction, not as the value of any one home.

Price band matters more than the median. Across Martin County in September, single-family homes from $300,000 to $699,999 went under contract in 21 to 36 days. Homes from $700,000 up took 54 to 89 days, and homes at $1 million or more were 196 of the 682 active listings but 21 of the 168 sales.

Why Redfin shows Stuart up 36.8%. Redfin's Stuart median, $339,838 for the three months to September 2026, mixes condos and houses inside small city limits. A stretch with fewer condo sales lifts the all-types median sharply. It is a change in which homes sold, not a 36.8% rise in what Stuart homes are worth.

Is your home in the City of Stuart or in Martin County, and why does it matter?

A Stuart mailing address can sit inside the City of Stuart or in unincorporated Martin County. The difference shows up first on the tax bill. The Martin County Property Appraiser's 2026 final millage map puts the City of Stuart at the highest total rate in the county:

Ad valorem taxes only, before exemptions and before any non-ad valorem lines such as solid waste or a septic-to-sewer assessment. The dollar column is our arithmetic (mills x taxable value / 1,000), not a tax quote. The Property Appraiser marks the 2026 map "not certified."

On $500,000 of taxable value, a City of Stuart address pays about $830 to $860 a year more than a mainland unincorporated one. The city line also decides who supplies water and sewer (the City of Stuart, Martin County Utilities or South Martin Regional Utility) and which building department holds the permits. Check the parcel on the Martin County Property Appraiser before you price or offer.

What do bridges and the inlet do to a Stuart waterfront price?

On the water, the route to the St. Lucie Inlet matters as much as the frontage. NOAA's Coast Pilot lists the charted clearances, and they split Stuart's waterfront into different boating markets:

• No bridge between the dock and the inlet: Manatee Pocket and Port Salerno, Sailfish Point and the Crossroads.
• Stuart, the North Fork and the South Fork: under 65-foot fixed spans, including the Roosevelt Bridge on US-1, plus the Old Roosevelt bascule bridge (14 feet closed) and the FEC railroad bridge (6 feet closed) for anything taller.
• Palm City and the South Fork above it: the Palm City Bridge, 54 feet, is the limit.

NOAA calls the St. Lucie Inlet "dangerous and particularly hazardous to small boats," so buyers who plan to run offshore weigh inlet conditions too. When Brent prices a waterfront home, he compares it with sales that share its route and clearance, because two docks on the same river can serve different boats. See what moves value on the Treasure Coast.

What else changes a Stuart price?

• Septic or sewer. Martin County's Connect to Protect program connects neighborhoods to sewer. Once sewer is available, owners must connect within 365 days of notice. A county grinder-pump connection is $10,000, or $8,000 if paid within a year of availability, and vacuum-sewer neighborhoods carry a special assessment on the tax bill for 20 years. Ask which applies before you price.
• Flood zone and insurance. Look up the FEMA flood zone by address on the FEMA Map Service Center and get an insurance quote before you write an offer.
• Brightline. There is no Brightline station in Stuart, and none is funded. Martin County's February 2026 federal grant application planned construction from October 2027 to June 2029 if money came through, and the August 2026 federal awards did not include it.
• Building limits. Martin County's growth plan caps buildings at four stories and 40 feet, a plan policy the County Commission can amend.

What should you ask a Stuart listing agent before you sign?

Ask every agent you interview for the same things in writing, then check them:

• The price, with the closed and active sales behind it, from the same side of the city line and, on the water, the same route to the inlet.
• What you would walk away with after commission, title, taxes and any assessment payoff.
• What the agent will do every week the home is listed, and when the price gets reviewed.

Hire the one whose numbers hold up, not the one with the highest price. The full checklist is in how to choose a listing agent, and if your home sat without selling, start with what to do after a listing expires.

Buying in Stuart?

The same three checks come first: city or county taxes, septic or sewer, and the flood zone, plus the bridge clearance if you own a boat. Condo buyers should also ask for the association's milestone inspection and reserve study status. Brent represents buyers across Martin County and St. Lucie County; see how buying with Sharp Real Estate Group works, or compare costs on the moving to Port St. Lucie page.

Questions

Who wrote this?

Brent Sharp is the broker and owner of Sharp Real Estate Group LLC in Port St. Lucie. He lists homes for sellers and helps buyers with resale homes and new construction across St. Lucie and Martin County. For 26 years he has helped people buy and sell homes here, and he has valued more than 12,000 homes. He is a licensed Florida real estate broker and a valuation expert.

Sources

1. Florida Realtors, Monthly Market Detail, September 2026, Single-Family Homes, Martin County, published by Miami Realtors October 16, 2026 (median $600,000, 168 sales, 39 days to contract, 3.6 months of supply, price bands).
2. Florida Realtors, Monthly Market Detail, September 2026, Townhouses and Condos, Martin County ($237,500 median, 68 days to contract, 5.1 months).
3. Miami Realtors and Florida Realtors MLS data, Martin County and St. Lucie County City and ZIP Code, September 2026 (Stuart city limits medians, days to contract, months of supply).
4. Redfin, Stuart housing market, three months ending September 2026, all home types ($339,838, +36.8%). Accessed October 29, 2026.
5. Martin County Property Appraiser, 2026 Taxing Districts Final Millage Rate Map, dated October 13, 2026.
6. NOAA, United States Coast Pilot 4, 2026 edition, Chapter 10 and Chapter 12 (bridge clearances, St. Lucie Inlet).
7. Martin County, Connect to Protect (septic-to-sewer connection costs and the 365-day rule). Accessed October 20, 2026.
8. Martin County, Brightline; Martin County federal grant narrative, February 5, 2026; WFLX, August 20, 2026.
9. Martin County, Comprehensive Growth Management Plan, Chapter 4, Future Land Use (four stories and 40 feet), amendments adopted March 25, 2025.

General information, not legal, tax or lending advice. Fees, rates and builder status change; confirm each one for the address before you rely on it.

Last updated October 29, 2026 · Published October 29, 2026 · Reviewed by Brent Sharp, Broker