Communities to know
Tradition, on the city's west side, is a large master-planned community with its own town square, and new neighborhoods are still being built around it.
St. Lucie West is an established planned area with golf communities and Clover Park, the spring training home of the New York Mets.
PGA Village and the neighborhoods along the North Fork of the St. Lucie River offer golf and water access.
Fort Pierce, the county seat, has a historic downtown on the Indian River Lagoon and access to the ocean through the Fort Pierce Inlet.
Hutchinson Island's St. Lucie County stretch has beachfront condos and homes on the barrier island.
New construction
With so much of the market in new communities, many purchases here are on a builder's contract rather than the standard Florida Realtors and Florida Bar forms. Have a real estate attorney review it, and ask about community development district (CDD) fees and HOA dues, which appear on the tax bill or as monthly charges and change the true cost of a home.
What to check before you buy
Much of South Florida sits in FEMA flood zones. Ask for a flood zone determination and get insurance quotes before you set your price, because flood and wind coverage can change the true monthly cost of a home more than a few thousand dollars on the price.
Florida's Homestead Exemption lowers the taxable value of a primary residence by up to $50,000, and the Save Our Homes cap then limits yearly increases in its assessed value to 3% or the change in the Consumer Price Index, whichever is lower. File with the county property appraiser by March 1 of the year after you buy.
Search Port St. Lucie and St. Lucie County with Swipe Home
Swipe Home shows current listings with their full list price, and learns what you want from the homes you save and pass on: views, layout, building type, price and street. When you are ready, you choose one agent, or let the app match you with the one whose closed sales best fit what you have been saving.
General information, not legal, tax or insurance advice. Confirm details with your agent, attorney, insurer or the county property appraiser.