The Short Answer
On the Las Olas Isles, the houses for sale cost about twice what the houses that sell cost.
Across 106 closings on the isles since January 2025, the median sale was $4,810,000. The 52 houses listed on the isles right now ask a median of $9,375,000. That is a ratio of 1.95 to 1. On a rate basis, closings ran $1,167 per square foot and asking prices run $1,626, a gap of 39%.
Houses below $5 million were 53% of all sales and are 12% of current listings. Houses at $8 million and above were 21% of sales and are 56% of listings. The listing side of this market is concentrated in the half where very little trades.
The second finding surprised me, and it contradicts how the isles are usually discussed. Inside the Las Olas Isles, the isle itself barely moves price. Excluding the two groups too thin to read, median closings run from $4,000,000 on Seven Isles to $6,115,000 on Stilwell Isles, a spread of 1.5 times. Rates run from $1,093 to $1,369 per square foot. House size and year built separate these sales. The street name mostly does not.
The Listing Inversion
This is the table that should change how you read any isle listing.
| Price tier | Closings since Jan 2025 | Share of sales | Listings now | Share of listings | Months of inventory |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $1M to $3M | 14 | 13% | 1 | 2% | 1.5 |
| $3M to $5M | 42 | 40% | 5 | 10% | 2.5 |
| $5M to $8M | 28 | 26% | 17 | 33% | 12.8 |
| $8M to $15M | 19 | 18% | 18 | 35% | 19.9 |
| Above $15M | 3 | 3% | 11 | 21% | 77.0 |
Read the two share columns against each other. Below $5 million the isles produced 56 sales and hold 6 listings. At $8 million and above they produced 22 sales and hold 29 listings.
Translated into time, the bottom of this market clears in about two months, while the top holds from roughly twenty months to more than six years of supply. A buyer touring the 52 houses currently listed is touring a sample that does not represent what the isles transact.
The 77 months above $15 million rests on 3 closings and should be read as a direction, not a number. The tiers worth leaning on are the three in the middle, which carry 42, 28 and 19 closings.
This is the same pattern I measured across the whole Fort Lauderdale waterfront in The Fort Lauderdale Liquidity Cliff, where inventory ran 3.4 months under $3 million and 56 months above $15 million. The isles are a concentrated version of it, because they hold a disproportionate share of the city’s trophy inventory.
What the Isles Actually Transact At
| Measure | Closings, Jan 2025 to date | Current listings |
|---|---|---|
| Count | 106 | 52 |
| Median price | $4,810,000 | $9,375,000 asking |
| Median $/SF | $1,167 | $1,626 asking |
| Median size | 4,661 SF | n/a |
| Median year built | 1996 | n/a |
| Median days to contract | 120 | n/a |
| Sold to list | 92.5% | n/a |
| Range | $2,000,000 to $23,955,000 | n/a |
A seller on the isles took 92.5% of asking after a median 120 days. That is the normal outcome here, and it is a reasonable starting expectation for anyone pricing a house on the isles.
The 39% gap between asking and closing rates is not a 39% negotiating discount. It is mostly a composition effect: the expensive houses are the ones sitting, so the asking pool is richer than the closing pool. An individual house is very unlikely to transact 39% below its own asking price. What the gap does mean is that pricing a $4 million house against the asking prices of the $10 million houses on the next isle is pricing against listings that have not sold.
Ten Isles, One Market
I expected to find large differences between the isles. The closed data does not support that.
| Isle group | Closings | Median price | Median $/SF | Median size | Median year built | Median days | Sold to list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Idlewyld | 4 | $8,627,500 | $1,522 | 5,868 SF | 2009 | 36 | 91.0% |
| Stilwell Isles | 9 | $6,115,000 | $1,101 | 6,072 SF | 2008 | 70 | 92.7% |
| Pelican Isle | 6 | $5,600,000 | $1,369 | 5,546 SF | 1998 | 377 | 91.7% |
| Nurmi Isles | 18 | $5,337,500 | $1,216 | 5,510 SF | 2000 | 137 | 94.2% |
| Sea Island | 13 | $5,100,000 | $1,138 | 4,438 SF | 1992 | 100 | 89.2% |
| Coconut Isle and Bontona | 11 | $4,800,000 | $1,093 | 4,588 SF | 2003 | 236 | 88.6% |
| Coral Isles | 17 | $4,650,000 | $1,275 | 4,945 SF | 1980 | 89 | 93.4% |
| Solar Isle and Riviera Isle | 9 | $4,400,000 | $1,254 | 4,307 SF | 2008 | 121 | 96.0% |
| Seven Isles | 15 | $4,000,000 | $1,156 | 3,612 SF | 1986 | 188 | 90.5% |
| Las Olas Boulevard | 4 | $2,422,500 | $1,209 | 2,640 SF | 1965 | 11 | 98.9% |
Set aside Idlewyld and the Las Olas Boulevard frontage, which rest on four closings each. The remaining eight groups carry 9 to 18 closings and their medians run $4,000,000 to $6,115,000. That is a spread of 1.5 times across the entire isle system.
Now look at the size column next to the price column. Stilwell Isles is the most expensive of the eight at $6,115,000, and it also has the largest houses at 6,072 square feet. Seven Isles is the least expensive at $4,000,000, and it has the smallest at 3,612 square feet. The rate column, which strips size out, compresses to $1,093 through $1,369. Nearly all of the price difference between isles is a difference in house size.
That is the Same-Building Test logic applied to a neighborhood, the same method I used in The Miami Condo Size Ceiling. Comparing isle to isle without matching size measures the housing stock, not the land.
The two numbers in that table that are not about size
Pelican Isle took a median 377 days to contract. That is three times the isle median of 120 days, on six closings. It is the one group where the holding period looks structurally different, and six sales is not enough to explain why. Treat it as a flag to investigate on a specific property, not as a verdict on the isle.
Coconut Isle and Bontona sellers took 88.6% of asking and waited 236 days. Both are the weakest in the table, on eleven closings. Sellers there conceded about seven points more than sellers on Solar Isle and Riviera Isle, who took 96.0%.
Price Buys Newness, Not a Better Isle
| Price tier | Closings | Median price | Median size | Median year built | Median $/SF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $1M to $3M | 14 | $2,750,000 | 2,197 SF | 1960 | $1,206 |
| $3M to $5M | 42 | $4,100,000 | 3,773 SF | 1986 | $1,086 |
| $5M to $8M | 28 | $5,875,000 | 5,726 SF | 2005 | $1,119 |
| $8M to $15M | 19 | $9,950,000 | 6,700 SF | 2023 | $1,522 |
| Above $15M | 3 | $21,500,000 | 10,216 SF | 2005 | $2,335 |
Median year built climbs 1960, 1986, 2005, 2023 across the four tiers with enough sales to read. A $2.75 million isle house is a 1960s house. A $9,950,000 isle house was built in the last three years. The money buys a new house on the same water, which is the same relationship I found in Teardown or Turnkey for Miami waterfront houses.
The rate column does something worth noticing. It does not rise steadily. It starts at $1,206 in the cheapest tier, drops to $1,086, then climbs to $1,522. The cheapest isle houses carry a high rate because they are small structures on full isle lots, so the land dominates the arithmetic. Price per square foot is at its least useful exactly where buyers reach for it most.
The three sales above $15 million were 529 Bontona Avenue at $23,955,000, 2 Pelican Drive at $21,500,000 and 2519 Aqua Vista Boulevard on Sea Island at $19,000,000. The largest isle sales below that line were 821 Solar Isle Drive at $14,400,000, 1 Royal Palm Drive on Nurmi Isles at $14,250,000 and 725 SE Poinciana Drive in Idlewyld at $14,000,000, the last of these built in 2025.
The Islands North of Las Olas Are a Different Market
Isla Bahia, Sunrise Key, Gould Island and Laguna Isle are often discussed alongside the Las Olas Isles. They do not price like them.
| Island | Closings | Median price | Median $/SF | Median size | Median year built |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laguna Isle | 2 | $18,800,000 | $1,901 | 9,588 SF | 2012 |
| Sunrise Key | 4 | $13,325,000 | $1,359 | 4,016 SF | 1999 |
| Isla Bahia | 5 | $9,900,000 | $1,507 | 6,686 SF | 1997 |
| Gould Island | 4 | $6,569,723 | $1,387 | 4,736 SF | 2022 |
Together these four islands produced 15 closings at a median of $9,900,000 and $1,491 per square foot, against the Las Olas Isles median of $4,810,000 and $1,167. They also hold 14 current listings at a median ask of $17,475,000.
Every row above rests on two to five closings, so none of them is a benchmark. The group total of 15 closings is the only figure here worth quoting, and it says the same thing twice: these islands transact at roughly twice the Las Olas Isles median and about 28% higher per square foot. The top sales in the combined data set were all on these islands, led by 84 Isla Bahia Drive at $34,000,000, 2626 Delmar Place on Gould Island at $27,800,000 and 2406 Laguna Drive at $26,000,000.
If someone sends you a comparable from Isla Bahia for a house on Seven Isles, that is not a comparable.
What This Means If You Are Buying
Below $5 million you are competing, not negotiating. Six listings against 56 sales in 21 months, and 1.5 to 2.5 months of inventory. That is the tightest segment of the Fort Lauderdale waterfront. Be ready to move on the right house rather than waiting for a reduction the supply does not support.
At $8 million and above you have time. Twenty-nine listings against 22 sales, with roughly twenty months to more than six years of supply. The median isle seller took 92.5%, and at the top the waits ran to 236 and 377 days in some groups. Patience is the asset.
Choose the house, not the isle. This is the finding to act on. Across the eight isle groups with enough sales to read, medians span 1.5 times and that span is mostly house size. Paying a premium for an isle name is paying for something the closed data does not show. Paying for lot width, canal position and a recent build is paying for something it does show.
Match size before you compare rates. Seven Isles at $1,156 and Coral Isles at $1,275 look 10% apart. Their median houses are 3,612 and 4,945 square feet. Until you match size, the rate comparison is telling you about floor plans.
What This Means If You Are Selling
Price against isle closings, not isle listings. The asking pool runs $1,626 per square foot and the closing pool runs $1,167. If your comparables are the unsold houses nearby, you will join them. With 20 to 77 months of supply above $8 million, the listings you price against may sit for years.
Below $5 million, condition decides the outcome. At 1.5 to 2.5 months of supply, a well-presented older house on a good isle canal is the scarcest product on this coast. The median seller took 92.5% after 120 days, and the sellers who beat both numbers are the ones whose houses needed nothing.
Your isle will not carry a stretch price. Sellers on Coconut Isle and Bontona took 88.6% of asking after 236 days. Sellers on Solar Isle and Riviera Isle took 96.0% after 121 days. The difference between those two outcomes is pricing, not prestige.
Above $8 million, plan for a year. Twenty-nine of the 52 current isle listings are above $8 million, against 22 closings there in 21 months. Build the holding cost into the decision before listing.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a house on the Las Olas Isles cost?
A median of $4,810,000. Across 106 isle closings since January 2025 the median was $4,810,000 at $1,167 per square foot for 4,661 square feet, with a median year built of 1996. Sales ranged from $2,000,000 to $23,955,000. By isle group the medians run from $4,000,000 on Seven Isles to $6,115,000 on Stilwell Isles among the groups with enough sales to read.
Why do Las Olas Isles listings cost so much more than Las Olas Isles sales?
Because the listing side sits where the market does not transact. Houses below $5 million were 53% of closings and are 12% of current listings. Houses at $8 million and above were 21% of closings and are 56% of listings. Median asking is $9,375,000 against a median closing of $4,810,000. That gap is composition, not a 2 to 1 negotiating discount on any individual house.
Which Las Olas isle is the most expensive?
Among the groups with enough closings to read, Stilwell Isles at a $6,115,000 median. Idlewyld was higher at $8,627,500 but rests on only four closings. The spread between isles is narrow: eight of the ten groups fall between $4,000,000 and $6,115,000, and most of that difference is house size rather than location.
Which Las Olas isle is the best value?
The question matters less than it sounds. Rates across the isle groups compress to $1,093 through $1,369 per square foot, so no isle is a systematic discount to another. Seven Isles shows the lowest median price at $4,000,000, but its median house is also the smallest at 3,612 square feet. Value on the isles comes from the individual lot and house, not from picking the right street.
How long does a Las Olas Isles house take to sell?
A median of 120 days to contract across all 106 closings, at 92.5% of asking. By isle group it ranged from 11 days on the Las Olas Boulevard frontage to 377 days on Pelican Isle, though those rest on four and six sales. By price, houses below $5 million sit in 1.5 to 2.5 months of inventory while houses above $8 million sit in 20 to 77 months.
Are Isla Bahia and Sunrise Key part of the Las Olas Isles?
No. They are separate island neighborhoods north of the Las Olas corridor and they price differently. Isla Bahia, Sunrise Key, Gould Island and Laguna Isle produced 15 closings at a $9,900,000 median and $1,491 per square foot, about twice the Las Olas Isles median. Their 14 current listings ask a median $17,475,000. A comparable from those islands does not apply to a Las Olas isle house.
Do newer houses cost more on the Las Olas Isles?
Yes, and it is the clearest relationship in the data. Median year built climbs 1960, 1986, 2005 and 2023 across the four price tiers with enough sales to read. The three sales above $15 million are the exception to that trend and rest on too few closings to read.
Is price per square foot useful on the Las Olas Isles?
Less than buyers assume, and least useful at the bottom. The rate by price tier runs $1,206, then $1,086, then $1,119, then $1,522. It falls before it rises. The cheapest isle houses show high rates because they are small structures on full isle lots, so the land dominates. Rate comparisons only work between houses of similar size.
How many houses are for sale on the Las Olas Isles right now?
Fifty-two, at a median asking price of $9,375,000. One is below $3 million, five are between $3 and $5 million, 17 are between $5 and $8 million, 18 are between $8 and $15 million and 11 are above $15 million.
Buying or Selling on the Las Olas Isles?
What an isle house is worth cannot be reduced to the Las Olas name or to an average price per square foot. It depends on lot width at the water, canal width and whether it dead ends or runs through, bridge clearances and the run to the inlet, lot orientation and afternoon sun on the dock, seawall condition and cap height, whether the existing structure has value to you, and how many houses of similar size are listed on your own canal right now.
If you’re evaluating a property on Nurmi Isles, Seven Isles, Coral Isles, Sea Island, Coconut Isle, Bontona Avenue, Solar Isle, Riviera Isle, Stilwell Isles, Isle of Palms, Royal Plaza, Pelican Isle or Idlewyld, contact Ashton Coleman for a property-specific comparison using recent closed sales and current competing inventory.
Explore current listings on Miami Penthouses & Estates.
📞 305.978.7704
📧 AColeman@onesothebysrealty.com
About the Market Data
This analysis uses two Southeast Florida MLS (SEFMLS) exports of waterfront single-family sales in the Fort Lauderdale coastal corridor, one covering $1,000,000 to $5,000,000 and one covering $5,000,000 and above, both from January 2025 through early October 2026, a span of 21 months. From those, 106 closings and 52 active listings fall on the Las Olas Isles, and a further 15 closings and 14 listings fall on the four islands north of the corridor.
Isle groups are assigned by street name, not by the MLS subdivision field, which labels the same isle several different ways. The groups are: Nurmi Isles (Nurmi Drive, Royal Palm Drive, Fiesta Way), Seven Isles (Castilla Isle, Desota Drive, Barcelona Drive, Seven Isles Drive), Sea Island (Sea Island Drive, Aqua Vista Boulevard), Coral Isles (San Marco Drive, Lido Drive, Coral Way), Coconut Isle and Bontona (Coconut Isle Drive, Bontona Avenue), Stilwell Isles (Isle of Palms Drive, Royal Plaza Drive), Solar Isle and Riviera Isle (Solar Isle Drive, Riviera Isle Drive, Flamingo Drive), Pelican Isle (Pelican Drive), Idlewyld (Idlewyld Drive, Poinciana Drive) and the East Las Olas Boulevard frontage. The four northern islands are Isla Bahia Drive, First through Fifth Key Drive on Sunrise Key, Delmar Place on Gould Island and Laguna Drive on Laguna Isle. Anyone comparing these figures to a report built on subdivision names will find differences for that reason.
Sample sizes vary and the small ones are labeled in the text. Idlewyld and the Las Olas Boulevard frontage rest on four closings each, Pelican Isle on six, and every northern island on two to five. The tier above $15 million rests on three closings and its 77 months of inventory is a direction rather than a measurement. The figures to rely on are the 106 isle closings in total and the eight isle groups carrying nine or more sales.
Months of inventory divides current active listings by the average monthly closing rate across the 21 months of closed data, and assumes the forward absorption rate matches the trailing one, which it will not exactly.
Price per square foot is calculated from the closed price and the living area on each record rather than taken from the MLS rate field, which is populated on a minority of these records. Five of the 106 isle closings report no living area and are excluded from size and rate medians but included in price medians and counts.
The comparison between asking and closed price per square foot is across two different sets of houses, not the same houses. It measures how the listing pool differs from the transaction pool, which is the point of the section it appears in, and it is not a prediction of what any individual house will concede. Sold to list uses the list price on the closed record, which is frequently a reduced price rather than the original asking price, so the discount from original asking is larger than 92.5% implies.
Lot size, water frontage width and number of stories are absent from these exports. On an isle lot all three move value more than anything in these tables, and frontage width in particular is the largest single driver of the differences between individual sales. Nothing here accounts for it, which is a real limit on the finding that the isle name does not matter: it is possible that frontage, not the street, is doing work that these tables attribute to house size. Year built is the MLS field and does not capture renovations. MLS information is believed accurate but is not guaranteed.
Disclaimer
Information is provided for informational purposes only and is subject to change without notice. Real estate statistics, listings and sales information should be independently verified. Nothing contained herein constitutes legal, tax, financial or investment advice. Buyers and sellers should consult appropriate professional advisors before making real estate decisions.
