Sanibel is its own city and Captiva is Lee County. We price from the county’s recorded island sales and answer the flood, insurance and condo questions before a buyer asks.
Updated October 2026 · By Jesse McGreevy and Marc Comisar, Domain Realty · Market data from Lee County Property Appraiser recorded sales (DOR-qualified improved sales), trailing 12 months October 2025 to September 2026, index built October 21, 2026
McGreevy and Comisar are the Southwest Florida listing team that prices Sanibel and Captiva homes from the county's recorded sales, and this is our seller's guide to both islands. Whether you own a canal home on Sanibel's east end, a Gulf-side condominium on West Gulf Drive or a cottage inside South Seas on Captiva, start with our Sanibel and Captiva community guide and use this page for the prices, disclosures, costs and timing that decide what you net.
Sanibel is its own city; Captiva, across Blind Pass, is unincorporated Lee County. That single fact changes who issues your permits, who applies the 50 percent rule, which taxing district you pay and which rental rules a buyer will ask about, so this guide treats the two islands separately wherever the rules differ.
In the 12 months from October 2025 to September 2026, Lee County recorded 243 qualified single-family sales on Sanibel at a $1,080,000 median and 145 condominium sales at a $725,000 median. On Captiva Island the same record shows 11 single-family sales at a $2,275,000 median and 30 condominium sales at a $642,000 median. This guide shows where those numbers come from, how we price an island home from its own water and its own building, what buyers ask about flood, insurance and condominium reserves, and what it costs to sell under Lee County custom.
To sell a home on Sanibel or Captiva in 2026, price it from recorded sales on your own water and in your own building rather than an island average, gather the flood, elevation, permit and association documents buyers now ask for before you list, list in both the island MLS and the Southwest Florida MLS, and launch so your contract lands in the January to April window.
That sequence matters more on these islands than almost anywhere else in Southwest Florida. The Sanibel and Captiva Islands Association of REALTORS runs its own MLS, so Southwest Florida MLS sees only part of island sales; the county record is the complete one. Hurricane Ian reset prices in 2022, and four years later recorded single-family medians on Sanibel are about 19 percent and condo medians about 17 percent below the last pre-Ian year (October 2021 to September 2022, including sales the county coded 03 (property changed after the sale), which after Hurricane Ian covered most island sales). Buyers who return to the islands now arrive with a list of questions about elevation, insurance, condominium reserves and rental rules, and the seller who has the answers ready gets the better offer.
This is a long page on purpose. It covers both island markets by type, the Sanibel and Captiva differences that change a sale, water and community benchmarks, seasonality, pricing, flood and storm history, the 50 percent rule, condominium inspection and reserve law, seller disclosures, the two MLS systems, marketing, negotiation, Lee County closing costs, taxes, your options, client reviews and more than forty seller questions answered.
These are the ten facts about selling a home on Sanibel or Captiva that matter most in October 2026, each drawn from the Lee County Property Appraiser's recorded sales, a state or federal agency, the City of Sanibel or Lee County government, and each one is dated so you can judge how current it is.
Jump to any section of this Sanibel and Captiva seller's guide.
McGreevy and Comisar are a two-partner listing team ranked Top 1% nationally since 2008, the #1 team in Southwest Florida since 2012 and the #5 real estate team in Florida (RealTrends 2026). Sanibel and Captiva sellers hire us because we price from recorded island sales on their own water, answer the flood, insurance and condominium questions before a buyer asks, and negotiate every offer ourselves.
If you are searching for the best realtor to sell your house on Sanibel Island, or thinking, "I need a listing agent who understands island condos, canal homes and Captiva cottages," this is how we work. We lead Domain Realty Group, and with our Domain Realty Group team we have sold over $2.5 billion in real estate and more than 4,000 transactions, with McGreevy and Comisar alone accounting for over $900 million in personal sales. Before you interview agents, read our guide to the best real estate agents in Sanibel and Captiva, which sets out what to ask any island listing agent.
Honors and recognition:
Every island market figure on this page comes from the Lee County Property Appraiser's recorded, DOR-qualified sales, read by island, by type and by the water the county codes each lot on. When an owner on a Sanibel canal asks what their home is worth, the answer starts with recorded canal sales on Sanibel, not with an island-wide number that describes a condominium on the beach.
Jesse McGreevy leads pricing, marketing and negotiation on our listings; Marc Comisar works the buyer side, so our sellers hear what island buyers are asking and paying this season. You call Jesse direct at (239) 898-6072. Offers, counters, inspection responses and appraisal disputes are handled by one of the two partners, with over 45 years of combined direct experience between them, never handed to a junior agent.
We have held the Top 1% Real Estate Agents Nationally Since 2008 ranking by refusing the shortcuts that win a listing and lose the sale. We will not quote you a list price to win the listing and cut it three weeks later, and we will not market an island home as elevated, storm-tested, reserve-funded or rentable by the week unless the document says so. A listing that has already answered the inspector's, insurer's and lender's questions sells faster and holds its price.
McGreevy and Comisar have held the Top 1% Real Estate Agents Nationally Since 2008 ranking, are the #1 Team in Southwest Florida since 2012 and the #5 real estate team in Florida (RealTrends 2026, 241 transactions and more than $157 million). With our Domain Realty Group team we have sold over $2.5 billion in real estate, and McGreevy and Comisar alone have over $900 million in sales. Every island figure below is market data we tracked from the county record.
Data updated: October 2026 (Source: Lee County Property Appraiser recorded sales (DOR-qualified improved sales, ZIP 33957), trailing 12 months October 2025 to September 2026, index built October 21, 2026, newest recorded sale September 15, 2026; Captiva Island figures from the same index for the Captiva fire and erosion taxing district).
That record is why we built this page from recorded sales rather than asking prices. We tracked 404 recorded sales on Sanibel in the last 12 months (243 single-family homes at a $1,080,000 median, 145 condominiums at a $725,000 median and the rest multi-family and other uses, for an all-types median of $900,000) and 47 on Captiva Island, then read each group by type, water and community. The sections that follow are the result, segment by segment.
Before we put a number on any Sanibel or Captiva home, we walk every seller through the same five points, in writing, at the first meeting.
Sanibel single-family homes turned over at about 6.3 sales per 100 homes in the last 12 months of county records, and Captiva Island houses at about 3.2, so the next well-prepared listing on your street meets buyers who have waited for one. Request a free Sanibel and Captiva home valuation built from recorded sales on your own water, or call Jesse direct at (239) 898-6072. If you are buying on the islands too, call Marc at (239) 287-5873 and read how we represent buyers on Sanibel and Captiva, or see how we represent buyers across Southwest Florida.
The Sanibel and Captiva market in October 2026 is a recovered-volume, reset-price market. Sanibel recorded 243 single-family sales at a $1,080,000 median and 145 condominium sales at $725,000 in the 12 months to September 2026, above the prior year's counts, while medians sit about 19 and 17 percent below the last pre-Ian year. Captiva Island recorded 11 house sales and 30 condo sales.
Data updated: October 2026 (Source: Lee County Property Appraiser recorded sales (DOR-qualified improved sales, ZIP 33957), trailing 12 months October 2025 to September 2026, index built October 21, 2026, newest recorded sale September 15, 2026. Captiva Island = the Captiva fire and erosion taxing district. North Captiva is reported separately. The two earlier windows touch 2022 or 2024, so they are counted including sales the county coded 03 (property changed after the sale), which after Hurricane Ian covered most island sales; the latest 12 months are unaffected.)
| Sanibel, county-recorded sales | Oct 2025 to Sep 2026 | Oct 2024 to Sep 2025 | Oct 2021 to Sep 2022 (pre-Ian) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single-family sales | 243 | 152 | 214 |
| Single-family median | $1,080,000 | $1,068,800 | $1,327,500 |
| Condominium sales | 145 | 106 | 201 |
| Condominium median | $725,000 | $789,500 | $875,000 |
| Single-family median per heated sq ft | about $547 | not shown | not shown |
| Condominium median per heated sq ft | about $642 | not shown | not shown |
| Captiva Island, county-recorded sales | Oct 2025 to Sep 2026 | Oct 2024 to Sep 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Single-family sales | 11 | 15 |
| Single-family median | $2,275,000 | $1.7 million |
| Condominium sales | 30 | 15 |
| Condominium median | $642,000 | $448,350 |
| Multi-family (duplex and similar) sales | 5 | not shown |
Of the 243 Sanibel single-family sales, 12 closed under $500,000, 99 from $500,000 to under $1 million, 96 from $1 million to under $2 million, 19 from $2 million to under $3 million, 13 from $3 million to under $5 million and 4 at $5 million or more. Over 24 months the picture holds: 395 sales at a $1,075,000 median, counting the post-Ian sales the county coded 03. The number to watch is not the median but where your home sits in that spread.
Sanibel condominiums closed at about $642 per heated square foot against about $547 for single-family homes, because 77.8 percent of Sanibel condo parcels sit on lots the county appraiser codes as on the Gulf and the units are compact. Of 145 condo sales, 31 closed under $500,000, 83 from $500,000 to under $1 million, 30 from $1 million to under $2 million and one above $2 million.
Captiva Island's 11 single-family sales ranged from about $1 million to $7.5 million, so the $2,275,000 median describes a thin, wide market. Condominium sales doubled from 15 to 30 year over year, and the condo median rose from $448,350 to $642,000; that is the one trend the Captiva county record supports. The South Seas family of condominiums and cottages accounted for 29 of the island's 47 recorded sales, at a $765,000 median.
The county record tells you what homes sold for; Florida Realtors SunStats tells you how hard the sale was. In September 2026 the median Sanibel seller (ZIP 33957) closed at 87.2 percent of the original asking price after 209 days to reach a contract, and over the twelve months ending September 2026 that monthly figure ran from 74.2 to 90.6 percent. Sanibel single-family sellers got 86.4 percent in September and condo sellers 92.2 percent. On Captiva (ZIP 33924, which on the MLS side also includes North Captiva and the boat-access islands) the monthly figure ran from 83.2 to 98.7 percent over the same twelve months, and September's 92.5 percent rests on 3 sales.
Data updated: October 2026 (Florida Realtors SunStats, ZIP 33957 and ZIP 33924, September 2026 and the monthly series October 2025 through September 2026, pulled October 27, 2026).
Seller measure, September 2026 | Sanibel single-family | Sanibel condo and townhouse | Captiva, all types |
|---|---|---|---|
Closed sales | 17 | 7 | 3 |
Median percent of original list price | 86.4% | 92.2% | 92.5% |
Median days to contract | 216 | 84 | 55 |
Cash share of closings | 29.4% | 85.7% | 66.7% |
Active listings (a year earlier) | 112 (166) | 116 (143) | 136 (179) |
Months of supply (a year earlier) | 5.3 (12.9) | 9.2 (17.0) | 17.0 (37.0) |
Source: Florida Realtors SunStats, pulled October 27, 2026. One month of island sales is a small sample; read the twelve-month range first.
What it means for your price. Competition has thinned: Sanibel single-family supply fell from 12.9 to 5.3 months in a year. But the gap between asking and closing prices is still wide, which is why we price to recorded sales of your own type and condition rather than to the listings around you. For the number on your home, start with our Sanibel and Captiva home valuation or call Jesse at (239) 898-6072.
North Captiva, reached only by boat or air, recorded 15 single-family sales at a $905,000 median in the same 12 months. Those sales are not part of the Captiva Island figures above, because a boat-access island prices differently from a home on Captiva Drive.
The recorded-sale file carries the price and date of every qualified sale, but not days on market, the list price, the list-to-sale ratio or whether the buyer paid cash. Those are listing measures, and on these islands they live in two MLS systems. When we price your home, we read them listing by listing from both feeds for the homes that compete with yours.
Sanibel and Captiva share a causeway and a beach culture, but a seller deals with two different governments. Sanibel is a city with its own permitting, flood review, rental code and Sanibel Plan; Captiva is unincorporated Lee County with its own fire and erosion districts. Prices, buyer pools, taxes and rebuild rules differ in ways that change how each home should be marketed.
Data updated: October 2026 (Lee County Property Appraiser recorded sales, trailing 12 months October 2025 to September 2026; 2025 Lee County Property Appraiser millage book; FEMA Community Rating System list effective April 1, 2026; 2020 Census).
| Seller factor | Sanibel | Captiva Island |
|---|---|---|
| Government | City of Sanibel (incorporated 1974) | Unincorporated Lee County |
| Single-family sales, last 12 months | 243 at a $1,080,000 median | 11 at a $2,275,000 median |
| Condominium sales, last 12 months | 145 at a $725,000 median | 30 at a $642,000 median |
| Single-family median per heated sq ft | about $547 | about $1,402 (11 sales) |
| Condominium median per heated sq ft | about $642 | about $759 |
| Single-family sales per 100 homes, last 12 months | 6.3 | 3.2 |
| Homesteaded single-family parcels | 47.3% | 17.2% |
| 2025 total millage (sum of the 2025 rates) | 14.0882 (district 010) | 13.5908 (district 006) |
| Who applies the 50 percent rule | City of Sanibel permitting | Lee County, five-year cumulative (Ordinance 22-30) |
| Short-term rental rule | Four consecutive weeks minimum outside resort housing (City code) | No Lee County minimum-stay ordinance found; association documents govern |
| Flood insurance discount | CRS Class 5, 25 percent | CRS Class 5, 25 percent (unincorporated Lee County) |
| 2020 Census residents | 6,382 | 318 (Captiva CDP) |
Sanibel's buyer is often a second-home owner who wants a quiet, conservation-first island: about two-thirds of Sanibel is conservation land (City of Sanibel), there are no chain restaurants by code, and the Sanibel Plan limits the island to approximately 9,000 dwelling units of every kind. A Sanibel listing should show the lot's water, the home's elevation and permit history, and the distance to the beach and the Shared Use Path.
Captiva's buyer is paying for the Gulf and the bay on a narrow island: 67 percent of Captiva Island single-family and condo parcels have an out-of-state owner mailing address on the current county roll. A Captiva listing should show the water on both sides, the septic or sewer arrangement, the beach renourishment history and the association's rental rules.
Island buyers often compare Sanibel with Fort Myers Beach and Marco Island. Hurricane Ian's surge reached 9 to 13 feet above ground on eastern Sanibel (National Hurricane Center), against 10 to 15 feet at Fort Myers Beach and 4 to 6 feet on Marco Island, and all three now market recovery and elevation as much as beach. Sanibel's edge is its conservation land and low density; its cost is the causeway toll and a longer drive to the airport.
On Sanibel, water decides price more than bedrooms. Single-family homes on lots the county appraiser codes as canal recorded a $1,300,000 median on 63 sales in the last 12 months, against $1,225,000 for golf-coded lots, $930,000 for lots with no water code and $815,000 for lake-coded lots. The few Gulf-coded and bay-coded sales ran far higher.
Data updated: October 2026 (Lee County Property Appraiser recorded sales, Sanibel single-family, trailing 12 months October 2025 to September 2026, by the appraiser's LandIsOn water code on the October 18, 2026 roll).
| Sanibel single-family, by the appraiser's water code | Sales, last 12 months | Median recorded price |
|---|---|---|
| Canal | 63 | $1,300,000 |
| Golf | 29 | $1,225,000 |
| No water code | 88 | $930,000 |
| Lake | 47 | $815,000 |
| Bay | 9 | median of these 9 sales $3,200,000 |
| Gulf | 7 | median of these 7 sales $6,250,000 |
The appraiser's water code describes the water body the lot is coded on. It is not a finding that a home is beachfront, and it says nothing about boat access to the Gulf, which differs canal by canal and must be checked for each home.
Canal-coded lots produced 63 of Sanibel's 243 single-family sales, more than any other water group except homes with no water code. Shell Harbor alone, mostly canal-coded, recorded 33 sales at a $1,435,000 median in 24 months. A canal seller should document the seawall, the dock, any lift and the route and depth to open water, because a boating buyer prices those items line by line.
With 7 Gulf-coded and 9 bay-coded single-family sales in 12 months, there is no Gulf-front "market rate" on Sanibel; there are individual sales. We price a Gulf or bay home from the recorded sales that share its lot width, elevation, Coastal Construction Control Line position and age, and we widen the window to 24 or 36 months when 12 months is too thin.
On Captiva Island, 29.3 percent of single-family parcels and 47.3 percent of condo parcels are coded on the Gulf, and 19.0 and 41.5 percent on the bay. The four Gulf-coded single-family sales of the last 12 months recorded a median of $4,945,000. With so few sales, each Captiva Gulf or bay home is priced from its own comparables across a wider window.
The best time to have a Sanibel or Captiva home under contract is January through April, so it closes in the spring peak. From 2015 to 2021, March through June carried 45.1 percent of Sanibel single-family closings in the county record and April was the busiest month at 13.3 percent, while September and November were the quietest.
Data updated: October 2026 (Lee County Property Appraiser recorded sales, Sanibel ZIP 33957, qualified improved sales by recording month, 2015 to 2021, the last full pre-Ian years; recorded closings, not contract dates).
| Recording month | Sanibel single-family share, 2015 to 2021 (1,667 sales) | Sanibel condominium share, 2015 to 2021 (1,337 sales) |
|---|---|---|
| January | 7.4% | 6.7% |
| February | 8.0% | 7.4% |
| March | 10.7% | 10.6% |
| April | 13.3% | 13.1% |
| May | 11.1% | 11.2% |
| June | 10.0% | 10.4% |
| July | 8.5% | 6.1% |
| August | 6.6% | 6.5% |
| September | 5.3% | 6.4% |
| October | 6.4% | 5.5% |
| November | 5.3% | 7.2% |
| December | 7.6% | 9.0% |
A recorded sale lags the contract by one to two months, so an April closing is usually a February or March contract. A Sanibel or Captiva home that is photographed, documented and priced by early January meets the winter buyer on the island; one that lists in April competes with every other spring listing. In the last 12 months of county records, Sanibel single-family closings peaked in April 2026 with 38 sales.
Summer and fall still produce sales: July through November carried about a third of Sanibel single-family closings from 2015 to 2021. The off-season buyer is usually more serious and less hurried, and an off-season listing faces less competition. Price it to the current record, not the spring peak.
The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30. NOAA forecast a below-normal 2026 season, and no 2026 storm had struck Sanibel or Captiva as of October 21, 2026. A summer contract should still carry a clear casualty clause and an insurance-binding date, because coverage cannot be bound while a named storm threatens.
These are the largest Sanibel communities and condominium groups by recorded sales over the last 24 months, from the county record, so you can see where your home sits. Sundial of Sanibel led with 35 recorded sales at a $740,000 median and Shell Harbor followed with 33 at $1,435,000; golf-course and lake communities recorded lower medians than canal and Gulf ones.
Data updated: October 2026 (Lee County Property Appraiser recorded sales (DOR-qualified), October 2024 to September 2026, grouped by the county's legal-description name, including sales the county coded 03 (property changed after the sale), which after Hurricane Ian covered most island sales; communities with 10 or more sales shown; price per heated square foot on the current roll's heated area).
| Community (county legal-description name) | Island | Type | Recorded sales, 24 months | Median recorded price | Median per heated sq ft |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shell Harbor | Sanibel | Single-family, mostly canal | 33 | $1,435,000 | about $659 |
| Sundial of Sanibel | Sanibel | Condominium, Gulf-coded | 35 | $740,000 | about $776 |
| Beachview Country Club Estates | Sanibel | Single-family, golf | 23 | $1,225,000 | about $519 |
| Gumbo Limbo | Sanibel | Single-family | 22 | $727,000 | about $429 |
| The Dunes | Sanibel | Single-family, golf | 16 | $851,250 | about $463 |
| The Sanctuary (Wulfert Point and Golf Villages) | Sanibel | Single-family and condo | 15 | $1,950,000 | about $419 |
| Sanibel Estates | Sanibel | Single-family, mostly canal | 14 | $1,150,000 | about $607 |
| Oceans Reach | Sanibel | Condominium | 14 | $917,500 | about $1,068 |
| Sandalfoot | Sanibel | Condominium | 13 | $625,000 | about $849 |
| Gulf Pines | Sanibel | Single-family | 13 | $995,000 | about $573 |
| Sanibel Bayous | Sanibel | Single-family | 13 | $735,000 | about $399 |
| The Rocks | Sanibel | Single-family, lake | 13 | $750,000 | about $407 |
| Lake Murex | Sanibel | Single-family, lake | 11 | $1,035,000 | about $533 |
| Loggerhead Cay | Sanibel | Condominium | 10 | $821,250 | about $694 |
| Sanibel Moorings | Sanibel | Condominium | 10 | $675,000 | about $689 |
| South Seas family (condos and cottages) | Captiva Island | Condominium and cottage | 29 in 12 months | $765,000 | not shown |
The table shows three things a seller can use. Canal communities such as Shell Harbor and Sanibel Estates record the highest single-family prices per foot after the few Gulf homes. Golf communities such as Beachview Country Club Estates (its course is now Sanibel Island Golf Club, formerly Beachview Golf Club) and The Sanctuary price on lot and club rather than footage. And Sundial of Sanibel, the island's largest condominium complex, along with Oceans Reach, Sandalfoot, Loggerhead Cay and Sanibel Moorings, records enough sales to price a unit from its own building.
Many Gulf-side condominiums on Sanibel, including Pointe Santo de Sanibel, Gulfside Place and Sanibel Arms West, recorded fewer than 10 sales in 24 months. For those buildings we do not quote a median; we read each recorded sale in the building and its neighbors, unit by unit, and adjust for floor, view and renovation.
On Captiva Island, every named community recorded fewer than 10 sales in 24 months, from the South Seas villas to Sunset Captiva and Captiva Beach. We price a Captiva home from its own handful of recorded sales across a wider window, which is exactly why few homes here come up for sale and the next owner who sells should call us first.
We price a Sanibel or Captiva home from recorded sales on the same island, on the same kind of water and, for a condominium, in the same building or its neighbors, then adjust for elevation, age, condition, flood zone, the association's records and the season. Online estimates miss these islands because they cannot see split MLS data, water codes or post-Ian rebuilds.
We start with the county's recorded sales for your island, your type and your water, add the listing detail from both MLS systems, and set aside sales that are not like yours: a raised new home is not a comparable for a 1980 ground-level house on the same street.
A Sanibel canal lot, a lake lot and a golf lot sit hundreds of thousands of dollars apart at the same square footage. We read the route to open water for canal homes, the Gulf frontage and Coastal Construction Control Line position for beach homes, and the view corridor for condominiums.
Sanibel's single-family homes have a median year built of 1986, and only 101 single-family parcels show a year built of 2023 or later: the island has been repaired far more than it has been rebuilt. We price the structure on its elevation, its post-Ian repairs and whether a buyer can keep, raise or replace it.
For a condominium, the milestone inspection, the reserve study, any special assessment and the building's lender eligibility move the price. For a house, the permits, the elevation certificate, the wind mitigation report and the flood claim history do. We read them before we price, not after the buyer's inspector does.
Automated estimates rely on listing feeds, and the islands have two of them. They also cannot see an unpermitted enclosure, an elevation change, a building's assessment or the difference between a canal with Gulf access and one without. On islands where the land carries much of the value, those misses are large.
The first two weeks of a listing draw the buyers who have been waiting for your water or your building. A price set to the recorded sales brings them in; a price set to hope sends them to the next listing and leaves you with the slower, discount-seeking buyer.
Every island buyer asks about flood zone, elevation, storm history and the cost of insurance. Essentially the entire island of Sanibel lies in a FEMA Special Flood Hazard Area on maps effective November 17, 2022, and Captiva carries Zone VE on the Gulf side and Zone AE on the bay side, so the elevation certificate and the insurance quote often decide the offer.
FEMA's flood maps for Sanibel and Captiva are the Lee County countywide panels effective November 17, 2022. On Sanibel, essentially the entire island lies in a Special Flood Hazard Area (zones AE and VE, with small AO and X areas); the City's flood lookup shows the zone and any elevation certificate on file. On FEMA's live National Flood Hazard Layer, queried October 22, 2026, Captiva's Gulf side carries Zone VE with base flood elevations of 8 to 13 feet (NAVD88) and the bay side and interior carry Zone AE at 6 to 9 feet, with some Zone X.
Hurricane Ian made landfall on September 28, 2022. The National Hurricane Center measured surge of 9 to 13 feet above ground on eastern Sanibel, and Florida DEP counted 535 major coastal structures it surveyed on Sanibel with major damage or destroyed (105 destroyed, 430 major damage). On Captiva itself, flooding was mostly 0 to 4 feet above ground, with the heaviest damage from waves and beach loss. Ian destroyed sections of the Sanibel Causeway; residents regained access on October 19, 2022, visitors on January 2, 2023, and all lanes reopened on December 22, 2023.
Hurricanes Helene (September 2024) and Milton (October 2024) followed, and Sanibel ordered a mandatory evacuation for Milton. A buyer will ask what each storm did to your home. The honest answer, with the repair invoices and permits, protects the sale.
Citizens requires flood coverage on homes in a Special Flood Hazard Area, which covers essentially all of Sanibel, and from January 1, 2027 on all policies statewide; condo unit-owner policies are exempt (Citizens). For a seller, that means almost every financed island buyer will price a flood policy into the offer.
FEMA's Community Rating System list effective April 1, 2026 shows the City of Sanibel at Class 5 (a class held since May 1, 2001) and unincorporated Lee County, which includes Captiva, also at Class 5: a 25 percent discount on NFIP premiums for Special Flood Hazard Area policies.
An NFIP flood policy can be assigned to the buyer at sale. A policy with a favorable rating history and the CRS discount can save a buyer real money, so we put the current declarations page and the elevation certificate in the listing file.
Citizens' 2026 approved rates show an average Lee County HO-3 premium of $3,322 falling 8.5 percent to $3,039 (county-wide, not a Sanibel average). A current wind mitigation inspection documents the features that earn premium discounts under Florida law (s. 627.0629), and My Safe Florida Home offers free wind mitigation inspections. Having the report ready shortens the buyer's quote cycle.
The 50 percent rule decides whether a buyer can repair or remodel an older island home or must bring it up to current flood standards, usually by elevating it. Sanibel applies the rule through City permitting using the Lee County Property Appraiser's building value; Captiva falls under Lee County's rule, which counts improvements cumulatively over five years.
If the cost to repair damage, or of an improvement, equals or exceeds 50 percent of the building's market value, the whole building must be brought up to current floodplain standards, including elevation. The City of Sanibel uses the Lee County Property Appraiser's building value or a licensed appraisal for market value. The City's worksheet uses the structure's value only, excluding land, pool and spa, and requires subcontractor bids for mechanical, plumbing, electrical and roofing work.
Under Lee County Ordinance 22-30, substantial improvement is counted cumulatively over five years: if the combined cost of repairs and improvements in any five-year period reaches 50 percent of the building's market value before the work, the structure must be brought into compliance with current flood rules, usually meaning elevation. If a building was substantially damaged, any repair counts as substantial improvement.
A buyer of a ground-level 1970s or 1980s island home is really buying the lot and the right to rebuild or raise. The building value on the county roll, the cost of the work the buyer wants and the five-year history of permits on the home decide which path is open. We pull that history before we price.
Sanibel Ordinance 26-009, adopted June 2, 2026, lets a nonconforming structure that is below the minimum design flood elevation or substantially damaged be elevated up to 10 feet above predevelopment grade or highest adjacent grade, whichever is higher, even past height and angle-of-light limits. For the seller of a ground-level home, that gives the buyer a documented path to raise the home, and it belongs in the listing narrative.
An elevation certificate shows the lowest floor's height against the base flood elevation, and in Zones A and V it drives the NFIP rate. Check the City of Sanibel's flood lookup for a certificate on file; if none exists, a licensed surveyor can prepare one. We ask every island seller to have a current certificate before the first showing.
NFIP policies carry Increased Cost of Compliance coverage of up to $30,000 toward bringing a substantially damaged building up to code. A buyer of a damaged home may ask whether a claim was made under it, so keep the claim file with the listing documents.
Condominium buildings of three or more habitable stories on Sanibel and Captiva must complete milestone structural inspections and a structural integrity reserve study, and a selling owner must hand the buyer those records with the resale documents. Lender eligibility, special assessments and the buyer's 7-day cancellation window all turn on them.
Florida's milestone inspection law applies to condominium buildings of three or more habitable stories, first by December 31 of the year the building reaches 30 years and then every 10 years; a local agency may require the first inspection at 25 years for buildings near salt water. Sanibel adopted its own milestone ordinance, Ordinance 26-002, on March 17, 2026. Many South Seas condominium buildings on Captiva are low-rise, so whether a building is covered must be checked building by building.
The reserve study covers the roof, structure, fireproofing, plumbing, electrical, waterproofing, windows and other load-bearing items, and must be redone at least every 10 years. Associations that existed on July 1, 2022 had to complete it by December 31, 2025, or by December 31, 2026 where it is done together with a milestone inspection due by then, and reserves for those items cannot be waived for budgets adopted on or after December 31, 2024. DBPR's public SIRS reporting database lets a buyer check whether an association has filed.
A selling unit owner supplies the declaration, articles, bylaws and rules, the annual financial statement and budget, the milestone inspection summary, the reserve study or a statement that none was done, the turnover inspection report where one applies, and the Division's frequently asked questions document. For contracts after December 31, 2024, the contract must also state conspicuously whether those reports are required and not yet completed.
A resale condominium buyer may cancel within 7 days after receiving the documents, not counting Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays. Deliver the complete packet on day one: every missing page restarts the clock and gives a hesitant buyer an exit.
Fannie Mae's Selling Guide (B4-2.1-03, dated August 5, 2026) makes a project ineligible if it needs critical repairs, including unfunded repairs of more than $10,000 per unit due within 12 months, or if it operates like a hotel, with rental pooling, owner-occupancy restrictions or marketing as an investment. Several island resort-style buildings sit near that line. Ask the association for its lender questionnaire before you list, so you know whether your buyer can finance.
A new owner is jointly liable with the seller for assessments unpaid at transfer, so the estoppel certificate, which the association must issue within 10 business days of a request, settles what is owed at closing. Estoppel fees are capped by Florida statute (s. 718.116) and adjusted for inflation. Agree in the contract who pays an assessment levied before closing but due after it.
A Sanibel or Captiva seller owes the buyer the statutory flood disclosure, the property tax disclosure summary, the condominium resale documents or the HOA disclosure summary where they apply, and every known defect that materially affects value and is not readily observable. On islands where Hurricane Ian put water in most homes, the flood disclosure carries the most weight.
Since October 1, 2024, a seller of Florida residential property must give the buyer the statutory flood disclosure at or before contract (s. 689.302). It asks whether you know of flooding that damaged the property during your ownership, whether you filed a flood insurance claim, including an NFIP claim, and whether you received federal flood assistance, including FEMA assistance. If your island home took water in Ian or you filed a claim, the answer is yes, and answering fully protects you.
Under Johnson v. Davis (Florida Supreme Court, 1985), a seller of a home who knows of facts materially affecting its value that are not readily observable and not known to the buyer must disclose them. An "as is" contract does not cure a concealed known defect. On the islands, that usually means past water intrusion, roof or window leaks, pilings or slab issues and unpermitted post-storm work.
Florida law (s. 689.25) says the fact that a property was the site of a homicide, suicide or death, or that an occupant had HIV or AIDS, is not a material fact that must be disclosed.
The property tax disclosure summary (s. 689.261) warns the buyer that taxes may rise after the sale because the assessed value resets. From February 1, 2027, Florida listing platforms must also show an estimated annual tax computed from the list price and current millage, and the current owner's tax amount may not appear in printed listing materials (ch. 2026-239). For a long-time island owner with a capped bill, that changes how the carrying cost reads to a buyer.
Where a Sanibel or Captiva home sits in a mandatory homeowners' association governed by chapter 720, the seller supplies the HOA disclosure summary before the contract is signed; if it is not given, the buyer may cancel within 3 days after receiving it or before closing, whichever comes first, and that right cannot be waived. Section 720.401 does not apply to condominiums under chapter 718, which have their own resale disclosure (s. 718.503). Many island communities mix the two regimes, so confirm which one governs your home with your closing agent or attorney; this is information, not legal advice.
After Ian, island homes were repaired fast and not always permitted. Work done without a permit on Sanibel is subject to code enforcement and liens, and a buyer's lien search will find open permits. Close or disclose every open permit before you list.
Rental rules change who will buy your home and what they will pay. On Sanibel, outside a permitted resort housing use, dwelling units may not be rented for periods of less than four consecutive weeks under the City's code. On Captiva, no Lee County minimum-stay ordinance was found, and the association's documents govern rentals.
Outside a permitted, code-compliant resort housing use, Sanibel's code provides that "dwelling units may not be made available for rental for periods of less than four consecutive weeks" (Sanibel Code Secs. 126-1075 to 126-1078). Every dwelling rental needs a City dwelling rental license, renewed each calendar year, non-transferable and shown in all advertising, plus a business tax receipt, a Lee County tourist tax account, Florida DOR transient rental registration and a DBPR transient lodging license where applicable. The rule traces to Ordinance 85-26 (1985).
Florida law bars new local limits on vacation-rental duration, but it does not apply to local rules adopted on or before June 1, 2011 (s. 509.032(7)(b)). Sanibel's rule dates from 1985. A buyer who plans weekly rentals on Sanibel needs a property in the Resort Housing District or a permitted resort housing use.
No Lee County minimum-stay ordinance was found for Captiva; Florida law (s. 509.032(7)(b)) bars new local rental-duration limits, so rental limits on Captiva come from each condominium or HOA's own documents and resort rental programs. A Captiva seller should hand buyers the association's rental rules up front.
A rental-minded buyer pays for documented rental rights. If your building allows rentals, show the rules, the rental history and the license numbers; if it does not, market to the owner-user and second-home buyer instead. Stays of six months or less carry 11.5 percent in lodging taxes in Lee County, which a buyer will factor into rental income.
Sanibel and Captiva have their own MLS, run by the Sanibel and Captiva Islands Association of REALTORS, separate from the Southwest Florida MLS that most Lee County agents use. A listing that appears in only one system is not seen by every buyer's agent, so a seller should confirm that the home will be marketed in both.
The island MLS serves agents based on the islands; the regional Southwest Florida MLS serves agents across Lee and Collier counties and the portals that read from it. A mainland buyer's agent searching only the regional feed can miss an island listing, and an island agent can miss a regional one. We list where every buyer's agent will find your home.
Because island sales are split across two MLS systems, the Lee County Property Appraiser's recorded sales are the only complete count of what sold. That is why this page uses the county record for every market figure, and why we read both MLS feeds for the listing detail.
We market a Sanibel or Captiva home to the buyer who is most likely to pay for it: a second-home owner from the Midwest or Northeast, a Florida move-up buyer or an islander trading up. We launch in both MLS systems with professional photography, aerial and water views, a complete document file and a price set to the recorded sales.
Data updated: October 2026 (Lee County Property Appraiser parcel roll, export of October 18, 2026, owner mailing addresses and homestead exemptions).
Island buyers buy the water and the light. We shoot the dock, the canal or Gulf view, the path to the beach and the elevation, and we fly the lot so a buyer in Ohio can see the route to open water or the distance to the sand before they book a flight.
Our island listing file includes the elevation certificate, the flood disclosure, the wind mitigation report, the roof and window permits, the post-Ian repair invoices and permits, the survey, and for a condominium the milestone summary, the reserve study, the budget and the rental rules. A buyer's agent who can underwrite the home from the file writes a stronger offer.
On the current county roll, 47.3 percent of Sanibel single-family parcels and 9.4 percent of condominium parcels carry a homestead exemption, and on Captiva Island 17.2 and 6.1 percent. Most island buyers are second-home buyers, and the Census counts more than four in ten Sanibel homes as seasonal or second homes (ACS 2020 to 2024). We market where those buyers live, not only where the home sits.
The best island buyers have been watching for months. A home that launches at the right price, fully documented, in both MLS systems, meets them in the first two weeks; a home that waits for a price cut meets the bargain hunter.
We negotiate island offers personally, as partners, and we negotiate the issues island buyers raise: the inspection and repair list, the insurance quote and binding date, condominium approval and documents, the appraisal on a distinctive waterfront home, and the closing date against the season. Each one is a lever on your net, and none is handed to a junior agent.
Island inspections find salt air, post-storm repairs and aging systems. We answer the inspection with the permits and invoices already in the file, and we negotiate credits rather than open-ended repair promises.
A buyer's insurance quote can arrive late and high. We set the insurance contingency and the binding date in the contract so a late quote does not become a late renegotiation, and we share the seller's current declarations pages to speed the buyer's quote.
Some island associations approve buyers or hold a right of first refusal. We deliver the documents on day one, track the 7-day window and keep the approval on schedule.
A Gulf or bay home on an island with few recorded sales can appraise short. We give the appraiser the recorded comparables, the water code and the elevation facts, and we negotiate the gap with the buyer if it comes.
You may exclude up to $250,000 of gain, or $500,000 for a married couple filing jointly, on the sale of your main home if you owned it and lived in it for at least 24 of the last 60 months (IRS Topic 701). Most island second homes do not meet that test, so the gain is taxed; ask your CPA before you list.
A second home or rental does not qualify for the main-home exclusion, and depreciation taken on a rental is recaptured on sale (IRS Publication 523). Florida has no state income tax, but your home state may tax the gain.
A home held for investment, such as a rental that qualifies, may be exchanged for other U.S. investment real property under section 1031; a primary home or a personal second home does not qualify, and U.S. real property is not like-kind to foreign property. Work with a qualified intermediary before you sign the listing.
If the seller is a foreign person, the buyer generally must withhold 15 percent of the amount realized under FIRPTA, with lower or no withholding where the buyer will use the home as a residence and the price is $1 million or less (IRS). A withholding certificate can reduce it. On the current roll, 2.0 percent of Sanibel single-family owners and 2.3 percent of Captiva single-family owners have a non-U.S. mailing address.
If your island home is your Florida homestead, Save Our Homes has capped its assessed value growth at the lesser of 3 percent or inflation. Portability lets you move up to $500,000 of that accumulated benefit to a new Florida homestead, if you file for it. The cap ends for the buyer at sale.
Amendment 3 on Florida's November 3, 2026 ballot would raise the non-school homestead exemption to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028 and cut the annual assessment cap on non-homestead property from 10 percent to 5 percent; buyers who are not Florida residents on December 31, 2026 would get the larger exemption only from the fifth year. It takes effect only if voters approve it.
In Lee County, the seller customarily pays the documentary stamp tax on the deed at $0.70 per $100 of price, the owner's title insurance policy, the seller's share of prorated property taxes and association dues, any condominium or HOA estoppel and transfer fees, recording of the seller's documents and the negotiated commission. On a $725,000 Sanibel condo, deed stamps alone are $5,075.
Data updated: October 2026 (Florida statutes s. 201.02 and DFS promulgated title rates; Lee County Property Appraiser 2025 millage book; county-recorded medians, October 2025 to September 2026).
| Cost line | Sanibel condominium at $725,000 | Sanibel house at $1,080,000 |
|---|---|---|
| Documentary stamp tax ($0.70 per $100) | $5,075 | $7,560 |
| Owner's title policy (promulgated rate, original policy) | $3,700 | quoted by the title agent |
| Estoppel and transfer fees | capped by statute, set by the association | set by the association, where one exists |
| Prorated property taxes | your share for the months you owned | your share for the months you owned |
| Commission | negotiated in writing | negotiated in writing |
| Mortgage payoff and recording | actual | actual |
The $725,000 and $1,080,000 figures are the Sanibel condominium and single-family medians in the county record for October 2025 to September 2026. On a Captiva house at the $2,275,000 median, deed stamps would be $15,925. Your closing agent prepares the exact figures.
Florida's deed tax is 70 cents per $100 of consideration (s. 201.02), and in Lee County the seller customarily pays it. Consideration includes any mortgage the buyer assumes.
In Lee County, by custom, the seller pays for the owner's title policy and chooses the title agent; the contract can change this, and the contract controls. Florida's promulgated rate for an original owner's policy is $5.75 per $1,000 for the first $100,000 and $5.00 per $1,000 from $100,000 to $1 million (DFS), so a $1,000,000 policy costs $5,075. Ask about the reissue rate if you have your own prior owner's policy.
Condominium and HOA estoppel fees are capped by Florida statute (s. 718.116 for condominiums) and adjusted for inflation, with higher caps for expedited or delinquent requests. The certificate is due within 10 business days of the request.
Florida property taxes are paid in arrears, so at closing the seller credits the buyer for the months of the current year the seller owned the home. As an illustration, a $1,080,000 taxable value at Sanibel's 2025 rates (the sum of the 2025 rates, 14.0882 mills) works out to about $15,215 a year, before exemptions and non-ad valorem charges; a Captiva taxable value at 13.5908 mills works out to about $1,359 per $100,000, before exemptions and non-ad valorem charges.
On August 31, 2026 the Captiva Erosion Prevention District board voted 4 to 0 to approve the apportionment for a $10 million non-ad valorem assessment based on 2025 just values; amounts vary by beach zone and use, so request the parcel's figure from CEPD. The district's operating millage was 0.3740 for 2025. Agree in the contract who pays any installment that falls due around closing.
Since August 17, 2024, compensation offered to a buyer's agent is no longer published in the MLS, and buyers sign a written agreement with their own agent. Every commission is negotiable. We agree ours in writing up front and discuss with you whether to offer a buyer-agent concession in a given market.
For most Sanibel and Captiva sellers, a full listing in both MLS systems produces the highest net, because it reaches every buyer's agent and the out-of-state buyer. A cash sale to an investor trades price for speed and certainty, and a sale by owner saves a listing fee but limits exposure on islands with a split MLS.
| Factor | List with a full-service team | Sell to a cash buyer | Sell by owner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exposure | Both island and regional MLS, portals, out-of-state marketing | One buyer | Your own marketing; MLS reach limited |
| Price | Market price, set by competing buyers | Usually below market for speed | Often below market; buyers expect the saved fee |
| Speed | Weeks to months, tied to the season | Fast | Unpredictable |
| Paperwork | Team prepares disclosures, condo documents and file | Buyer may take as is | Seller prepares everything |
| Condition | Repairs negotiated with documentation | As is | Negotiated alone |
| Commission | Negotiable, agreed in writing up front | None, priced into the offer | None on the listing side; a buyer's agent may still ask to be paid |
Choose a cash buyer when speed or condition outweighs price, for example an unrepaired storm loss you cannot fix before selling. Choose by owner when you already have a buyer and only need a closing agent. For everyone else, and especially for canal and Gulf homes and condominiums with good paperwork, the full market pays more than one buyer.
The fastest way is the Home Valuation form at the top of this page: enter your address and we send a value built from recorded Sanibel or Captiva sales on your water and in your building, adjusted for elevation, condition and the season. For a full in-person comparative market analysis, call Jesse direct at (239) 898-6072 and we will walk the home with you.
Scroll up to the Home Valuation form directly below the page header, enter your Sanibel or Captiva address, and answer the three short steps. Your request goes straight to Jesse McGreevy and Marc Comisar, not to a call center. You can also request a free Sanibel and Captiva home valuation on its own page, or call Jesse direct at (239) 898-6072.
Tell us the street address or the building and unit, the water and view, the year of any roof, seawall, dock or window replacement, whether the home took on water in Ian, whether it has been elevated, and any association assessment you know about. Those facts move an island value more than bedroom count.
A valuation costs nothing and commits you to nothing. Asking for one a season before you sell gives you time to choose the listing month, finish the right repairs and gather the documents buyers will ask for.
Jesse McGreevy is a top-reviewed Sanibel and Captiva listing agent and Marc Comisar is a top-reviewed Southwest Florida realtor. Every review below is copied word for word from our Google Business Profile, where you can read them all in full, and each one comes from a client who sold a home with us.
★★★★★ "I can only say he is a refreshing and highly motivated professional. No tricks exaggerations nor falsehoods. His way of bringing quality clients is exceptional. He does not bring lookers. He brings buyers!" Verified Google review
★★★★★ "We had been on the market for several months with no offers. When we signed with Marc our house was sold in 2 weeks. He has a unique system for selling homes." Verified Google review
★★★★★ "Their recommendation on pricing my unit was sound and proved prescient. I never questioned their integrity and found it easy to rely on their recommendations. I would work with them again in a heartbeat." Verified Google review
★★★★★ "I have had 13 real estate transactions and this is the most professional and helpful agency that I have ever worked with. Marc actually called me with a response to my questions and concerns on a Sunday evening. The resources that this agency has access to goes above and beyond any other I have ever worked with. The professional process that they use to present your home for sale goes beyond anything I have ever experienced." Verified Google review
★★★★★ "Marc made an extremely stressful time of selling my parents' house easier because of his expertise, compassion, and diligence. I cannot thank him enough and I would recommend him without reservation." Verified Google review
These are the questions Sanibel and Captiva owners ask us most often before they sell, answered from the county's recorded sales, Florida law and the City of Sanibel and Lee County rules that apply on the islands. Market figures cover county-recorded sales from October 2025 to September 2026 unless a different window is named.
Price it from recorded Sanibel sales on your own water or in your own building, gather the flood disclosure, elevation certificate, permits and association documents, list in both the island MLS and the Southwest Florida MLS, and launch so the contract lands between January and April. Call Jesse direct at (239) 898-6072 to start with a free valuation.
Price it from Captiva Island's own recorded sales over a wide enough window, since only 11 houses and 30 condominiums recorded sales in the last 12 months, document the water on both sides, the septic or sewer arrangement, the beach assessment and the association's rental rules, and market to the out-of-state buyer who owns most of the island.
The best listing agent for your home is the one who can show you recorded sales like yours, explain the flood and condominium documents a buyer will ask for, list in both MLS systems and negotiate personally. McGreevy and Comisar are the #1 Team in Southwest Florida since 2012, and our island agent guide, linked earlier on this page, sets out the questions to ask any listing agent.
It depends on the water, the elevation, the structure and the condition. In county records for October 2025 to September 2026, Sanibel single-family homes recorded a $1,080,000 median and condominiums a $725,000 median, about 19 and 17 percent below the last pre-Ian year. Request a free Sanibel and Captiva home valuation for your own number.
In the county record for October 2025 to September 2026, Sanibel single-family homes recorded a $1,080,000 median on 243 sales and condominiums a $725,000 median on 145 sales, with an all-types median of $900,000 on 404 sales. Use the type that matches your home, not the blended figure.
Captiva Island recorded 11 single-family sales at a $2,275,000 median and 30 condominium sales at a $642,000 median from October 2025 to September 2026. The South Seas family of condominiums and cottages made up 29 of 47 recorded sales, at a $765,000 median. North Captiva is a separate market: 15 sales at a $905,000 median.
Recorded medians have been level for two years. Sanibel single-family homes recorded $1,068,800 from October 2024 to September 2025 and $1,080,000 in the following 12 months, while sales rose from 152 to 243 (earlier window counted including sales the county coded 03 (property changed after the sale), which after Hurricane Ian covered most island sales). Against the last pre-Ian year, medians are about 19 percent lower for houses and 17 percent lower for condominiums.
If your home is ready, the months before the winter season are the best time to list, because a January to April contract meets the year's busiest closing months. Sales volume has recovered: 243 Sanibel single-family sales recorded in the last 12 months against 152 the year before.
Days on market are an MLS measure that the county record does not carry, and island listings are split across two MLS systems, so we read the current figure listing by listing for the homes that compete with yours. Plan for the season: a home under contract by April usually closes by June.
April is the busiest month for recorded Sanibel closings: 13.3 percent of single-family closings from 2015 to 2021, with March through June carrying 45.1 percent. Because a closing lags the contract by one to two months, list by early January to have the best chance of a spring closing.
Look at your building, not the market. If the milestone inspection and reserve study are done, the reserves are funded and the building is lender-eligible, your unit competes for every buyer now. If a large assessment or repair is coming, price for it or wait until it is funded; we can read the association's records with you first.
Yes. Florida's flood disclosure (s. 689.302) requires a residential seller to tell the buyer, at or before contract, whether the seller knows of flooding that damaged the property, filed a flood insurance claim or received federal flood assistance such as FEMA aid. Answer it fully; it protects you.
Yes, where the damage or its repair materially affects value and is not readily observable, and the flood disclosure asks directly about flood damage and claims. Disclose the damage, the repairs, the permits and any insurance or FEMA claims, and keep the invoices in the listing file.
Yes. An "as is" contract lets the buyer inspect and walk away without asking for repairs, but it does not excuse you from disclosing known defects or the flood history. For a heavily damaged home, the buyer is often buying the lot and the right to rebuild or raise under the 50 percent rule, and we price it that way.
If the cost to repair damage, or of an improvement, equals or exceeds 50 percent of the building's market value, the whole building must be brought up to current floodplain standards, including elevation. The City of Sanibel uses the Lee County Property Appraiser's building value or a licensed appraisal for market value.
Yes. Captiva is under Lee County's rule, not Sanibel's. Under Lee County Ordinance 22-30, substantial improvement is counted cumulatively over five years, so repairs and improvements across any five-year period are added together against 50 percent of the building's market value before the work.
Often, yes. Sanibel Ordinance 26-009, adopted June 2, 2026, allows a nonconforming structure below the minimum design flood elevation or substantially damaged to be elevated up to 10 feet above predevelopment grade or highest adjacent grade, whichever is higher, even past height and angle-of-light limits. Each home must still meet the ordinance's conditions.
It is not legally required to sell, but island buyers and their insurers ask for it first, and in Zones A and V it drives the NFIP rate. Check the City of Sanibel's flood lookup for one on file; otherwise a licensed surveyor can prepare it before you list.
Yes. Essentially the entire island lies in a FEMA Special Flood Hazard Area (zones AE and VE, with small AO and X areas) on Lee County flood maps effective November 17, 2022. Captiva's Gulf side is Zone VE and its bay side and interior Zone AE, with some Zone X.
Almost certainly. A buyer with a mortgage in a Special Flood Hazard Area must carry flood insurance, and Citizens requires flood coverage on homes in a Special Flood Hazard Area, which covers essentially all of Sanibel, and from January 1, 2027 on all policies statewide; condo unit-owner policies are exempt (Citizens).
Yes, an NFIP flood policy can be assigned to the buyer at sale. If your policy carries a favorable rating and the Community Rating System Class 5 discount of 25 percent, offering it can lower the buyer's cost and make your home easier to finance.
Florida requires milestone inspections for condominium buildings of three or more habitable stories, first by December 31 of the year the building turns 30 and every 10 years after, and Sanibel adopted its own milestone ordinance in March 2026. You can sell either way, but you must give the buyer the inspection summary, or say that none was required.
Buildings of three or more habitable stories need one at least every 10 years, and you must give the buyer the study or a statement that none was done. A missing or unfunded study can make the building ineligible for conventional financing, which narrows your buyer pool to cash and portfolio lenders.
A resale condominium buyer may cancel within 7 days after receiving the required documents, not counting weekends and legal holidays (s. 718.503). Deliver the complete packet at the start so the clock starts and ends early.
Fannie Mae will not buy loans in projects that need critical repairs, including unfunded repairs over $10,000 per unit due within 12 months, or that operate like hotels, with rental pooling or owner-occupancy restrictions. Some island resort-style buildings fall near that line, so their buyers need cash or a portfolio loan.
If your home is in a mandatory homeowners' association under chapter 720, yes: give the buyer the disclosure summary before the contract is signed. Condominiums under chapter 718 use their own resale disclosure instead. Confirm which applies to your home with your closing agent or attorney.
In Lee County the seller customarily pays documentary stamp tax at $0.70 per $100, the owner's title policy, prorated taxes and dues, estoppel and transfer fees, recording and the negotiated commission. On a $725,000 Sanibel condominium, deed stamps are $5,075 and a promulgated-rate owner's title policy is $3,700.
In Lee County, by custom, the seller pays for the owner's title policy and chooses the title agent. It is custom, not law, and the contract controls; check the title and closing-agent checkboxes in your contract.
Seventy cents per $100 of price under s. 201.02: $7,560 on a $1,080,000 house and $5,075 on a $725,000 condominium, the Sanibel medians for October 2025 to September 2026.
The estoppel certificate states what the owner owes the association at closing. Its fee is capped by Florida statute (s. 718.116 for condominiums) and adjusted for inflation, with higher caps for expedited or delinquent requests, and the association must issue it within 10 business days.
Sometimes, by agreement. Since August 17, 2024, offers of buyer-agent compensation no longer appear in the MLS and buyers sign written agreements with their agents. A seller may still agree to pay a buyer's agent or offer a concession; it is negotiated, sale by sale.
The sum of the 2025 rates for the City of Sanibel taxing district is 14.0882 mills, about $1,409 per $100,000 of taxable value before exemptions and non-ad valorem charges. Captiva's district 006 rates sum to 13.5908 mills. Your buyer's bill resets to the purchase price, so do not market your capped bill.
Usually, yes. Save Our Homes and the non-homestead cap end at sale, and the assessed value resets. From February 1, 2027, Florida listing platforms must show an estimated tax based on the list price and current millage, and your own tax amount may not appear in printed listing materials.
Amendment 3 on Florida's November 3, 2026 ballot would raise the non-school homestead exemption and cut the non-homestead assessment cap from 10 to 5 percent, but it takes effect only if voters approve it. If it passes, a buyer's future tax picture may improve, which can help demand; it does not change your own sale costs.
A second home does not qualify for the $250,000 or $500,000 main-home exclusion, so the gain is subject to federal capital gains tax and any state tax where you live; Florida has no state income tax. Depreciation on a rental is recaptured. Ask your CPA before you list.
FIRPTA applies when the seller is a foreign person: the buyer generally withholds 15 percent of the amount realized at closing, with reduced or no withholding where the buyer will live in a home priced at $1 million or less. A withholding certificate can reduce it.
Yes, within the rules. Outside a permitted resort housing use, Sanibel dwelling units may not be rented for less than four consecutive weeks, and every rental needs a City dwelling rental license. A tenant's lease and showing access should be settled before you list.
They can, depending on your building. No Lee County minimum-stay ordinance was found for Captiva, so rental limits come from each condominium or HOA's documents and resort rental programs. If your association allows shorter stays, document the rules and the rental history for buyers.
It may. The Captiva Erosion Prevention District approved a $10 million non-ad valorem assessment apportionment on August 31, 2026, with amounts that vary by beach zone and use. Request your parcel's figure from CEPD and agree in the contract who pays any installment due around closing.
Yes. The Sanibel and Captiva Islands Association of REALTORS runs its own MLS, separate from the Southwest Florida MLS, and a listing that reaches only one system is not seen by every buyer's agent. We market island listings so every buyer's agent finds them.
Yes. July through November carried about a third of Sanibel single-family closings from 2015 to 2021. Set a clear casualty clause and insurance-binding date, because insurers will not bind new coverage while a named storm threatens.
Fix what an inspector or insurer will flag: roof, windows, water intrusion, electrical panels and anything permitted but not closed. Get a wind mitigation report and an elevation certificate. Skip cosmetic remodels that a buyer planning to raise or rebuild will tear out.
Confirm who has authority to sign, usually the personal representative or trustee, and gather the death certificate, letters of administration or trust documents early. Inherited property generally receives a stepped-up tax basis, and the flood disclosure is answered on the seller's knowledge. Your attorney and CPA should guide the steps.
Sanibel and Captiva are two small islands with their own rules: a city with its own building department, flood review, rental code and Sanibel Plan, and an unincorporated island with its own fire and erosion districts, its own beach assessment and a separate island MLS over both. A listing agent who knows which of those facts a buyer will ask about prices and negotiates better, and that local depth is how we have stayed Top 1% Real Estate Agents Nationally Since 2008.
Sanibel covers 16.18 square miles of land (2020 Census Gazetteer) and had 6,382 residents and 7,708 housing units in the 2020 Census; the Captiva census-designated place had 318 residents and 1,108 housing units. The J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge covers more than 6,470 acres, and the City's Shared Use Path runs more than 26 miles. Buyers come for the beaches, the shelling, the refuge and the quiet.
The Sanibel Causeway, rebuilt after Ian with permanent restoration completed in 2025, charges a $6 toll for a two-axle vehicle on the trip onto the island. Captiva is reached through Sanibel across the Blind Pass bridge. Sand from Captiva's 2025 renourishment closed the Blind Pass inlet by mid-March 2026; WINK News reported on June 5, 2026, citing Lee County officials, that the sandbar had cleared and the waterway reopened, and Lee County expects dredging in 2027. Passes on barrier islands open and close naturally, so check current conditions.
Sanibel and Captiva sit at the western edge of our Lee County market, across the causeway from Fort Myers and Punta Rassa. Read our Sanibel and Captiva community guide, our Sanibel Island guide and our Captiva Island guide for the full picture. If you also own on the mainland, see how we sell homes in Fort Myers.
On Sanibel we work Shell Harbor, Sanibel Estates, Kinzie Island, Yachtsman and the other east-end canal communities; Sundial of Sanibel, Loggerhead Cay, Pointe Santo de Sanibel, Sanibel Moorings and the Gulf-side condominiums; The Dunes, Beachview Country Club Estates and The Sanctuary at Wulfert Point; and The Rocks, Gumbo Limbo, Gulf Pines, Sanibel Bayous and Lake Murex. On Captiva we cover the South Seas condominiums and cottages, Sunset Captiva, Captiva Beach and the Gulf and bay homes along Captiva Drive.
If you are selling to buy again, on the islands or nearby, we work both sides of the move. Call Marc at (239) 287-5873, read how we represent buyers on Sanibel and Captiva, and see how we represent buyers across Southwest Florida.
If you are thinking, "I need someone to sell my house on Sanibel or Captiva, Florida," McGreevy and Comisar helps homeowners price, market, negotiate, and sell with a local strategy built for Sanibel, Captiva, Fort Myers, Estero, Bonita Springs, Naples, Lee County, Collier County, and Babcock Ranch. Whether you are selling in Shell Harbor, Sanibel Estates, Sundial of Sanibel, Loggerhead Cay, The Dunes, Beachview Country Club Estates, The Sanctuary at Wulfert Point, Gumbo Limbo, or a South Seas condominium on Captiva, our team provides local market guidance, professional listing exposure, and a clear plan to help you sell confidently.
As the leaders of Domain Realty Group, our team has closed over $2.5 billion in real estate, and McGreevy and Comisar alone have over $900 million in personal sales.
Sanibel and Captiva market record, last 12 months: 243 Sanibel single-family sales at a $1,080,000 median and 145 condominium sales at a $725,000 median; on Captiva Island, 11 single-family sales at a $2,275,000 median and 30 condominium sales at a $642,000 median (Lee County Property Appraiser recorded sales, October 2025 to September 2026).
Request your free Sanibel and Captiva home valuation and we will send a value built from recorded sales on your water and in your building. Talk to Jesse direct: (239) 898-6072, text or call. Confidential conversations welcome.
Jesse McGreevy is a top-reviewed Sanibel and Captiva realtor and Marc Comisar is a top-reviewed Southwest Florida buyer's agent; you can read every review on our Google Business Profile. McGreevy and Comisar are based in Bonita Springs and have represented buyers and sellers across Southwest Florida since 2008.
Top 1% Real Estate Agents Nationally Since 2008
5 Star Award for Customer Satisfaction for 21 Straight Years. Only 5 out of 21k+ Licensees (Gulfshore Life Magazine)
#1 Team in Southwest Florida since 2012
McGreevy and Comisar and their Domain Realty Group team have sold over $2.5 Billion in Real Estate
McGreevy and Comisar alone have over $900 million in Sales
Nationally Recognized Top Producing Realtors
Platinum Sales Production Award Winners
Jesse McGreevy: (239) 898-6072 · [email protected]
Marc Comisar: (239) 287-5873
Office: 24031 S Tamiami Trl #101, Bonita Springs, FL 34134
Jesse McGreevy (Sales Associate) and Marc Comisar (Broker Associate) are licensed Florida REALTORS® with Domain Realty; Florida real estate licensure is regulated by the Florida Real Estate Commission (FREC). Florida license numbers: Jesse McGreevy SL3101296, Marc Comisar BK3060671.
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McGreevy and Comisar lead Domain Realty Group, a full-service Southwest Florida real estate team. Learn more about our team at DomainRealtyGroup.com. Read more about McGreevy and Comisar, see how we represent buyers, or contact us.
Every fact on this Sanibel and Captiva page traces to a primary source below: the Lee County Property Appraiser, the City of Sanibel and Lee County government, special districts, state and federal agencies, Florida law, the National Hurricane Center and reputable local news. We do not cite brokerage or listing sites. Research sources were retrieved between 18 and 22 October 2026.
These are the forms, statutes and reference files a Sanibel or Captiva seller is most likely to need, each linked to the official source that publishes it: the State of Florida, the City of Sanibel, Lee County, FEMA, Florida's standard contract publishers or the federal government. Save the ones that apply to your home before you list.
Market data from Lee County Property Appraiser recorded sales (DOR-qualified), index built 21 October 2026, newest recorded sale 15 September 2026, computed 22 October 2026, for the City of Sanibel (ZIP 33957) and Captiva Island; tax, flood and law facts from the primary sources listed above. Brokered by Domain Realty.