Indian River County, Florida

It's a good fit if you want Treasure Coast beaches, the Indian River Lagoon, and a slower pace than South Florida's metros. The county blends the resort feel of Vero Beach with the more laid-back riverfront character of Sebastian, and the housing leans heavily toward single-family homes on real lots. With homes selling in a median of 32 days, it's active without being frantic.

It's mid-range for coastal Florida. The median list price is $389,900 and homes sold over the last year at a median of $325,939, though the range runs from $95,900 all the way to $9,900,000 depending on how close you get to the water. If budget is the priority, it helps to browse by price to see what's available at the lower end.

The average is about $288 per square foot, and the median home runs 1,719 square feet. That puts a typical mid-market house in the high $300s to low $400s, with waterfront homes and $1M-plus listings pushing well past that.

Inventory is limited — 35 active listings — and homes are moving in a median of 32 days. Sellers are averaging about 97% of asking price on the 112 homes sold in the past year, so priced-right listings tend to close near ask, but there's negotiating room on homes that have been sitting or been just reduced.

The median HOA runs about $302 a month, though many single-family homes carry no HOA at all, while gated and golf communities sit at the higher end. Property taxes come in around a median of $2,965 a year, and median rent is about $2,300 a month if you're weighing renting against buying.