Plantation Key, Florida

It's a good fit if you want quiet island life in Islamorada with the water at your doorstep — 12 of the 13 active listings are waterfront. It's a small community, so expect fewer big-box conveniences and more emphasis on boating, fishing, and a relaxed pace. Most local students are assigned to Plantation.

Yes — the median list price is $925,000 and homes average $1,073 per square foot, which is steep given the median home is only 1,276 square feet. That said, there's range: browse by price and you'll find entries starting around $410,000, while the top of the market climbs to nearly $15 million.

Active listings run from $410,000 to $14,999,000 with a median list price of $925,000. Over the past year, 7 homes sold at a median price of $799,000. Six of the current listings are priced above $1 million, and you can see them among the luxury homes ($1m+).

It's a slow, small market — just 13 homes are active and only 7 sold in the last 12 months, with a median 135 days on market. Sellers are getting about 94% of asking on average, so there's meaningful room to negotiate; watch the just reduced listings for the best openings.

Median property taxes run about $4,556 per year, which is modest relative to the price points here. HOA data isn't consistently reported for this market, so budget for it property-by-property — especially among the condominiums and cooperatives, where fees are more common than with single-family homes.