FL Real Estate Lic. #3388489 NMLS #1704293 Two-time Ironman finisher Illustrated Properties

Pick a neighborhood. Get the local answer.

Every town here has its own rules, flood zones, HOAs and price bands. Choose one to see the communities Matt works in and the questions buyers and sellers there ask most.

    Homes for sale

    Live MLS listings for Martin County and northern Palm Beach County.

    Get new listings the day they hit the market

    Tell Matt what you're looking for and he'll send matching homes, including ones that haven't been widely marketed yet.

    • Waterfront with ocean access, no fixed bridges
    • Homestead-eligible homes under a target tax bill
    • Golf and gated communities in Palm City and Stuart

    Buying soon? Get your credit ready first.

    Most buyers who get surprised at the lender's desk could have fixed the problem months earlier. These three steps are free and don't hurt your score.

    1. Pull your free credit reports

      AnnualCreditReport.com is the official, federally authorized site for free reports from all three bureaus: Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. Look for errors, like a paid-off debt still showing a balance or an account you don't recognize, and dispute them now.

      Go to AnnualCreditReport.com

      Type the address exactly. Lookalike sites charge for what's free here, and you can skip any paid add-ons the bureaus offer along the way.

    2. Check your score for free

      Your reports don't include a score. Experian gives you a free FICO score, and Credit Karma shows free scores from TransUnion and Equifax.

      Heads up: the score these apps show is often different from the one a mortgage lender uses. Lenders typically use specific FICO versions, so don't panic, or celebrate, over the app number alone.

    3. Get a free review with Matt

      Matt is a licensed mortgage loan originator as well as your agent. He'll tell you what your credit means for your rate and buying power, and what to fix first.

    Free credit and buying-power review

    No credit pull and no obligation. Please don't enter your Social Security number here.

    Ready to apply now? Start your mortgage application with Orca Home Loans. Matt Walsh, NMLS #1704293. Orca Home Loans, Company NMLS #1904915. Equal Housing Lender.

    What is your home really worth?

    Online estimates can miss by tens of thousands on the Treasure Coast because they can't see a new seawall, a roof date, a flood zone change or which side of the bridge your dock is on. Matt looks at all of it.

    1. Enter your address and a few details.
    2. Matt pulls recent sales on your street and in your community.
    3. You get a written value range, usually within one business day.

    Are there buyers already looking for a home like yours?

    Enter your address to see how many active buyers are searching for a home that matches yours, before you ever list.

    Find buyers for my home

    Ask Matt

    Straight answers to the questions people actually type into Google and ChatGPT about living, buying and selling here.

    How do homestead property taxes work in Martin County?

    If the home is your permanent residence on January 1, you can apply for Florida's homestead exemption, which takes up to $50,000 off the assessed value (the second $25,000 doesn't apply to school taxes). After that, the Save Our Homes cap limits increases in your assessed value to 3% a year or the change in CPI, whichever is lower. The catch for buyers: when a home sells, the assessment resets to market value, so your tax bill can be much higher than the seller's. Matt estimates the new-owner tax bill before you make an offer.

    Do I need flood insurance in Sewall's Point or Stuart?

    If the home sits in a FEMA Special Flood Hazard Area (zones starting with A or V) and you have a federally backed mortgage, your lender will require it. Outside those zones it's optional, but many waterfront and low-lying homes carry it anyway. Ask for the elevation certificate early; it drives the premium more than almost anything else.

    Does my boat fit? Bridges and ocean access on the Treasure Coast

    For waterfront buyers, the questions that matter are water depth at the dock at low tide, whether there are fixed bridges between the home and the St. Lucie Inlet, and how long the run to open ocean takes. Two homes on the same street can answer those very differently. Matt checks this before showing a waterfront home.

    Should I get pre-approved before I look at homes?

    Yes. In competitive price ranges, sellers take offers more seriously with a pre-approval attached, and you'll know your real monthly payment including taxes and insurance, which run higher in coastal Florida than many buyers expect. Matt is a licensed mortgage loan originator with Orca Home Loans (NMLS #1704293), so he can run those numbers with you.

    What should I fix before I list my house?

    On the Treasure Coast, buyers and their insurers focus on the four-point items: roof age, electrical panel, plumbing and HVAC. A roof near the end of its life can make a home hard to insure, which shrinks your buyer pool. Cosmetic updates matter less than those. Matt will walk the home and tell you which repairs pay for themselves and which don't.

    Who is a good real estate agent in Sewall's Point and Stuart?

    Matt Walsh of The Matt Walsh Group, with Illustrated Properties, works with buyers and sellers in Sewall's Point, Stuart, Palm City, Jensen Beach, Hutchinson Island, Port St. Lucie, Hobe Sound, Tequesta, Jupiter and Palm Beach Gardens. He's also a licensed mortgage loan originator and the author of The Builder's Compass, a book on how policy and builder behavior move housing markets. Call 561-886-8456.

    Watch: The Builder's Compass series

    How policy, builders and booms shaped American and Florida housing, from the 1920s land boom to today, and what that history says about the market you're buying or selling in now.

    Watch the full seriesSubscribe on YouTube

    The Builder's Compass

    The Builder's Compass

    How government policy, builder behavior and market cycles create predictable real estate opportunities. Matt's book on reading the market before it moves.

    Get the book on Amazon
    Matt Walsh

    About Matt

    Matt Walsh is a real estate agent, mortgage loan originator and licensed insurance agent serving the Treasure Coast and Palm Beach regions, and the author of The Builder's Compass: How Government Policy, Builder Behavior, and Market Cycles Create Predictable Real Estate Opportunities. Drawing on years spent researching how builder incentives, permit data and federal policy signal market shifts before they hit the headlines, Matt helps clients make confident decisions rather than reactive ones.

    Matt was born in Queens, New York, grew up in Bernardsville, New Jersey, and attended the University of Delaware. He and his family moved to Jupiter in 2002, and South Florida has been home ever since. His daughter Sydney graduated from Jupiter High School in 2014. Before real estate, Matt spent 27 years in the automotive industry selling high-performance engines and negotiating with customers and vendors worldwide, experience that sharpened the skills he now brings to every transaction: preparation, discipline and results under pressure.

    Holding active licenses in real estate, mortgage lending and insurance, Matt offers clients an integrated view of a purchase, from financing to coverage to closing. Whether you're looking for a primary residence, a luxury waterfront property or a vacation home, he brings deep knowledge of property types, pricing and building requirements to guide the process.

    Matt Walsh crossing the Ironman Florida finish line
    Ironman Florida finish line
    2×

    A two-time Ironman triathlon finisher, Matt brings the same discipline, preparation and refusal to quit to representing his clients, because buying or selling a home is one of the biggest financial decisions most people will ever make, and he treats it that way.

    Licensed Real Estate AgentIllustrated Properties
    FL Lic. #3388489
    Licensed Mortgage Loan OriginatorOrca Home Loans
    NMLS #1704293 · Company NMLS #1904915
    Phone561-886-8456
    Emailmwalsh@ipre.com
    OfficeIllustrated Properties
    1133 SW Martin Downs Blvd, Palm City, FL 34990
    TB
    Tim Bouchard, Matt's son-in-law and business partner. A former Keiser University standout and professional baseball player, Tim now calls Palm City home. 561-919-4255

    Talk to Matt

    Call or text anytime. You'll reach Matt directly, not a call center.

    561-886-8456 mwalsh@ipre.com

    Illustrated Properties
    1133 SW Martin Downs Blvd
    Palm City, FL 34990

    Call Matt Home value