Homes for sale inTerra Ceia, Florida
A quiet island of water, farmland and old Florida
9
Homes for sale
$819,000
Median list price
$452
Avg price / sqft
49
Median days on market
Terra Ceia sits where Tampa Bay meets the mouth of the Manatee River in northern Manatee County, a low-key peninsula of citrus-era homesteads, mangrove shoreline and bay-front lots that has stayed deliberately rural while the rest of the region filled in. This is a place for buyers who want space, water access and a slower pace within an easy reach of the city — most of what sells here are waterfront homes with boats in the backyard rather than a subdivision streetscape.
The market is small and patient. With just 10 active single-family homes and a median list price of $872,000, listings here trade less often and sit longer — a median of 94 days on market — so there's room to negotiate, with sellers collecting about 95% of asking over the last year. Buyers should expect to shop a narrow but distinctive inventory, from mid-$400s entries you can browse by price up to the luxury homes ($1m+) on prime water.
Terra Ceia is in Manatee County, Florida.
Quick facts
$454,000 – $1.7M price range
2,144 sqft median home
Balanced right now
Drive times
Living in Terra Ceia
Terra Ceia is a peninsula and island community at the north edge of Manatee County, where Tampa Bay meets the mouth of the Manatee River. It has a long agricultural history tied to citrus and farming, and much of that low-density, old-Florida feel survives today in its mix of homesteads, bay-front parcels and mangrove shoreline. Rather than master-planned subdivisions, you'll find individual properties spread across a quiet landscape, many of them on or near the water.
This is a place for buyers who prioritize space, privacy and water access over walkability and nightlife. The pace is slow, the lots tend to be generous, and boating is woven into daily life for many residents. It suits retirees, boaters and anyone who wants a rural base that's still within reach of a major metro.
Because the community is small and largely un-subdivided, the housing stock is eclectic — you'll see everything from modest older homes to substantial waterfront builds. That variety is part of the appeal for buyers who don't want cookie-cutter streetscapes, but it also means each property is its own story and worth evaluating on its own merits.
Neighborhoods and communities in Terra Ceia
The notable pockets here include Flagstone Acres, Edgewood Park and Bayou Vista, each a small cluster rather than a large gated development. Given the rural layout, these are best understood as named areas and plats across the peninsula rather than amenity-heavy communities.
Water-oriented areas like Terra-mana Harbor and River Terrace draw buyers focused on boat access and bay or river frontage. Elsewhere, Palmetto Gardens and nearby pockets round out the inventory with options a little further from the water.
Because there are no gated, golf or 55+ communities in the current active market, buyers won't find the structured HOA lifestyle common elsewhere in the region. Instead, the draw is independence and shoreline, with HOA dues running a median of just $21 a month across the listings that have them.
Homes for sale in Terra Ceia: prices and housing
The active market is small and all single-family: 10 homes are listed, with a median list price of $872,000 and prices spanning roughly $454,000 to $1,689,000. The average price is about $451 per square foot and the median home measures around 2,155 sqft, so you're paying a premium that reflects land and water frontage more than interior space. Three of the current listings are priced above $1 million.
Water defines the inventory — eight of the ten active homes are waterfront homes, and four come with a pool. There is no active new construction, so buyers wanting something brand-new typically acquire land & lots and build. Entry-level shoppers can start by exploring the lower price band, while those chasing the high end have the luxury homes ($1m+) segment.
On the carrying-cost side, the picture is friendly: the median HOA is about $21 a month and the median property tax is roughly $4,485 a year. Sales activity is thin — 15 homes closed over the past 12 months at a median of $865,000 — and homes take a median 94 days to sell, with sellers netting about 95% of asking. That combination of low volume and patient pricing tends to favor prepared, unhurried buyers.
Schools in Terra Ceia
Terra Ceia is served by the School District of Manatee County. The schools most commonly assigned to addresses here are Palm View Elementary, Lincoln Middle or Buffalo Creek Middle, and Palmetto High. Middle school assignment in particular can differ depending on the exact location.
Because zoning in a rural, spread-out area like this can shift from one parcel to the next, always confirm the specific assigned schools for any address directly with the district before making an offer. District tools and the enrollment office are the authoritative sources for current boundaries.
Families should also weigh drive times to and from campus given the area's low density, and confirm any magnet, choice or transportation options that may apply to a particular home.
Getting around Terra Ceia
Despite its secluded feel, Terra Ceia is well connected to the broader Tampa Bay region. Tampa International Airport is about a 48-minute drive, and Downtown Tampa is roughly 49 minutes away, generally via the I-275 and Sunshine Skyway corridor that links the peninsula north toward Pinellas and Tampa.
Day-to-day, this is a car-dependent area — there's little in the way of walkable retail, so residents drive for groceries, dining and services, often toward nearby Palmetto and Bradenton to the south. Boat owners frequently treat the water as a second roadway given the bay and river access.
The trade-off is simple: you accept a highway drive to reach city amenities in exchange for rural waterfront living. For commuters comfortable with that, the location strikes a workable balance between isolation and access.
Is Terra Ceia a good place to live?
For the right buyer, Terra Ceia is a genuinely distinctive option: rural, water-focused and quiet, with eight of ten listings on the water and HOA costs that are nearly negligible at a median of $21 a month. If you want space, boat access and privacy within commuting distance of Tampa — about 48 minutes to the airport — it delivers that in a way few places in the region still do.
The honest trade-offs are inventory and lifestyle. With only 10 active homes and 15 sales in the past year, choices are limited and you may wait for the right property; homes also sit a median of 94 days, and the market skews expensive at an $872,000 median list price. You won't find walkable amenities, gated communities or new construction, so this is not the place for buyers who want turnkey subdivision living.
For boaters, privacy-seekers and patient buyers who value character over convenience, Terra Ceia is worth the search — and the roughly 95% sale-to-list ratio suggests there's room to negotiate when the right home appears. Check the latest just reduced listings and open houses this week to get a feel for what's realistically available.
Fresh on the market
Newest homes in Terra Ceia
View all 9 homes →
$1,349,990
908 BAYSHORE DRIVE, TERRA CEIA
4 bd · 3.5 ba · 2,489 sqft
$454,000
27 MICHIANA DRIVE, TERRA CEIA
2 bd · 1 ba · 838 sqft
$1,689,000$1,789,000
849 TERRA CEIA ROAD, TERRA CEIA
4 bd · 3.5 ba · 4,308 sqft
$599,990$659,000
1831 BAYSHORE DRIVE, TERRA CEIA
3 bd · 2 ba · 1,669 sqft
$689,900$699,900
1914 KENNEDY COURT, TERRA CEIA
3 bd · 3 ba · 2,723 sqft
$819,000$839,000
119 BURNS ROAD, TERRA CEIA
4 bd · 2 ba · 1,764 sqft
$1,599,990$1,649,990
3 MICHIANA PLACE, TERRA CEIA
4 bd · 2.5 ba · 2,144 sqft
$925,000$1,000,000
1740 BAYSHORE DRIVE, TERRA CEIA
3 bd · 2 ba · 2,436 sqft
$655,000$675,000
160 BAYSHORE DRIVE, TERRA CEIA
2 bd · 2 ba · 1,691 sqft
9 of 9 active listings shown
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Property features
The numbers that matter
The Terra Ceia market
Balanced
6.8 months of inventory
Supply and demand are roughly even — negotiation cuts both ways.
15
Sold, last 12 months
$865,000
Median sold price
95%
Sale-to-list ratio
What sellers actually get vs asking
50 days
Median time to sell
Terra Ceia vs Manatee County
Median list price
Price per sqft
Days on market
Median sold price — 3-yr, 3-mo rolling
▼ 19.3% yr/yr
Homes on the market
▼ 27.8% yr/yr
Homes sold per month
Live Stellar MLS data — listings and closed sales in Terra Ceia, FL. Rolling medians smooth single-month swings in thin markets.
Where to look
Terra Ceia neighborhoods
Flagstone Acres
1 home · $575K median
Edgewood Park
1 home · $266K median
Bayou Vista
1 home · $420K median
Terra-mana Harbor
1 home · $3.4M median
River Terrace
1 home · $5.0M median
Palmetto Gardens
1 home · $220K median
Jackson Park
1 home · $255K median
Show all 28 Terra Ceia neighborhoods A–ZHide the full neighborhood list+
Neighborhood boundaries by edgeAI — listings matched to the actual polygon, not agent-entered subdivision names.
For the school run
School zones with homes for sale
Assigned schools as reported on active MLS listings — always verify zoning with the district.
Beyond the listings
Living in Terra Ceia
Water is the main event
Eight of the ten active listings are waterfront, so bay access, docks and boat parking define the inventory here.
Small, slow-moving market
With only 10 homes for sale and 15 sold in the past year, listings are scarce and sit a median of 94 days.
Room to negotiate
Sellers average 95% of asking, which gives patient buyers real leverage on the right property.
Almost no HOA burden
The median HOA runs just $21 a month, a reflection of the area's rural, un-subdivided character.
City access without city density
Tampa International is about 48 minutes away, so you get rural waterfront without being cut off.
What it really costs
Owning here
Owning the median Terra Ceia home
≈ $4,911/mo
$819,000 median · 20% down · 30-yr fixed at 6.9% · taxes/HOA from live listing data · insurance is a Florida estimate.
100%
In a FEMA flood zone
Ask about flood insurance early — it changes the payment
Straight answers
Terra Ceia real estate FAQs
Is Terra Ceia a good place to live?+
It suits buyers who want rural, waterfront Florida and don't mind trading walkable amenities for space and quiet. With eight of ten listings on the water and HOA fees averaging just $21 a month, it rewards people who value privacy and boat access. It's less ideal if you want shops, restaurants and a dense neighborhood within walking distance.
Is Terra Ceia expensive?+
It's a higher-priced niche market, with a median list price of $872,000 and an average of $451 per square foot. Prices range from about $454,000 up to $1,689,000, and three of the current listings are luxury homes ($1m+). The premium largely reflects water frontage rather than square footage — the median home is a modest 2,155 sqft.
What do homes cost in Terra Ceia?+
Active listings run from roughly $454,000 to $1,689,000, with a median list price of $872,000. Over the past 12 months, 15 homes sold at a median price of $865,000. If you want the lower end of the market, you can browse by price to find the entry-level options.
How is the Terra Ceia housing market?+
It's a slow, low-volume market: 10 homes are active and only 15 sold in the last year, with a median 94 days on market. Sellers average about 95% of asking, so buyers who are patient can often negotiate. Expect limited choice at any given moment rather than a fast-moving pool of inventory.
What are HOA fees and property taxes like?+
HOA costs are minimal here, with a median of about $21 a month thanks to the area's rural, largely un-platted layout. The median property tax is roughly $4,485 a year. Always confirm the specific tax and any community dues for a given parcel, since waterfront lots and homesteaded status can change the math.
What schools serve Terra Ceia?+
The most commonly assigned schools are Palm View Elementary, Lincoln Middle or Buffalo Creek Middle, and Palmetto High, all within the Manatee County district. School zoning can vary by exact address, so verify the assignment for any specific home with the district before you commit.
What's the commute like from Terra Ceia?+
Despite its rural feel, it's well positioned for the region — Tampa International Airport is about 48 minutes away and Downtown Tampa roughly 49 minutes via I-275 and the Sunshine Skyway corridor. Points south in Manatee County are even closer. It works for commuters who don't mind a highway drive in exchange for waterfront living.
Is there new construction in Terra Ceia?+
There's no active new-construction inventory on the market right now — all 10 current listings are existing single-family homes. Buyers wanting to build look to the area's available land & lots instead. Given the rural character, custom builds on acquired lots are the typical path to something new here.
Keep exploring
Nearby areas
IDX information is provided exclusively for consumers’ personal, non-commercial use and may not be used for any purpose other than to identify prospective properties consumers may be interested in purchasing. Data is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed accurate by Stellar MLS. Market statistics are computed from listing and sold data and change as the market moves.
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