Living in Mirasol, Palm Beach Gardens

What Mirasol is

Mirasol is a private country club community in Palm Beach Gardens built around the Country Club at Mirasol. The club has two 18-hole courses: the Sunset course, designed by Arthur Hills and opened in 2001, and the Sunrise course, designed by Tom Fazio and opened in 2003, later renovated. The club is private and for residents only, with equity membership categories for golf, sports and social use.

The community holds a mix of home types, from villas and coach homes to large estate homes, spread across separate neighborhoods inside the community. That spread is why Zillow's typical value is an average of very different properties.

How Mirasol prices have moved

Mirasol's 70.8% five-year gain is about double the city's 35.5%, and its 12.9% one-year gain is nearly three times the city's 4.4%. It sits in the group of Palm Beach Gardens club communities that ran hardest:

• BallenIsles $1,782,559 (22.7%, 105.3%)
• Mirasol $1,917,993 (12.9%, 70.8%)
• Steeplechase $2,274,376 (6.2%, 63.1%)
• San Michele $2,367,911 (8.1%, 48.7%)
• Frenchmans Reserve $2,788,199 (9.0%, 71.8%)
• Frenchmans Creek $3,322,329 (7.4%, 70.5%)
• Old Palm $6,116,080 (5.3%, 67.4%)

Below that tier, Horseshoe Acres ($1,191,844) and Sanctuary ($1,056,157) are the next most expensive neighborhoods on Zillow's list. Mirasol sits near BallenIsles on price, and buyers often compare the two directly. Recent gains say nothing certain about future ones, and in a small community a handful of large sales can move the index a lot in a single year.

The club: what to ask before you write an offer

At this price, the club often costs more each year than the property tax. Ask the club, in writing:

• Whether membership is required for the specific home you're buying, and at what level (golf, sports or social).
• The equity or initiation fee, and what share comes back when you sell. Some clubs refund part of it once a new member joins, which can take time.
• Annual dues, food and beverage minimums and any cart or locker fees.
• Capital assessments. Clubhouse renovations, course renovations and equipment replacements are often funded by members. Ask what is planned and what was assessed in the last five years.
• Waitlists. Ask if there's a wait for a golf membership category.

A seller's real estate listing isn't the source for these numbers. The club's membership office and documents are.

The HOA layer and the houses

Besides the club, Mirasol homes pay a master HOA and, in many neighborhoods, a sub-association. Ask for both budgets, the reserves, the rules on renovations and exterior changes, and the most recent minutes. Villas and coach homes may have the association handle roofs and exteriors, which changes both the fee and your insurance.

The golf courses opened in 2001 and 2003, so much of the housing is newer than the Palm Beach County average, but many homes are now 20 years old or more. Check the roof age, since a tile roof can last longer than shingles but its underlayment still wears out. Check AC systems, pool equipment and water heaters. A wind mitigation report is worth having for insurance, and a 4-point inspection may be required on homes nearing 30 years.

Insurance, flood and taxes at this price

Mirasol sits inland, away from the coast, but you should still check the FEMA flood zone for the address and the home's elevation. A hurricane deductible is a percentage of the dwelling coverage, so a 2% deductible on $2 million of coverage is $40,000 and a 5% deductible is $100,000. Get quotes during your inspection period.

For a permanent residence, the homestead exemption takes up to $51,411 off the assessed value in 2026 and the Save Our Homes cap holds later increases to 3% or CPI. The assessed value resets to market after a sale, so budget from the purchase price. For a second home, there's no exemption and a 10% cap on non-school levies.

Resale and the size of the buyer pool

Club communities sell to a narrower group of buyers than ordinary neighborhoods: people who want that club, at that price, with those dues. When the market is strong, as Mirasol's five-year numbers suggest it has been, that matters less. When demand cools, homes that require a full golf membership can take longer to sell than nearby homes without one, and the equity refund may depend on a new member joining.

Before buying, ask the club how many memberships are waiting to be resold and how long the refund queue is. Those two answers give you a sense of how easy it will be to leave later. Also compare the home's price with recent sales of the same model or size inside Mirasol, since the community average blends very different properties.

Who Mirasol fits

Mirasol suits buyers who want to play golf often at a private, resident-only club, want a choice of home sizes inside one community, and have budgeted for equity, dues and possible assessments. It suits less well buyers who want golf only now and then or prefer to keep their annual costs simple. I can compare Mirasol with BallenIsles and other clubs on full yearly cost so the house prices are not the only numbers on the table.