Sebastian Real Estate and Housing Guide

The typical owner-occupied Sebastian home is valued at $317,000 in the Census Bureau's ACS 2020-2024 estimate, below the Indian River County median of $351,500.

That Sebastian median comes from the American Community Survey five-year table on home value (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2020-2024), and the county figure from the same table for Indian River County (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2020-2024). On the same survey, a Sebastian home is valued $34,500 below the countywide median.

Older figures from earlier ACS releases still circulate, and the 2024 release replaces them; anyone pricing a Sebastian home in October 2026 should start from the newer $317,000 and then look at recent sales on the Indian River County Property Appraiser search. The Sebastian market trends guide follows prices quarter by quarter, and the housing stock and age guide explains what the year built means for roofs, wind rules and insurance.

Median gross rent in Sebastian is $1,451 a month, about $94 more than the Indian River County median of $1,357, in the ACS 2020-2024 estimates.

Gross rent includes utilities the tenant pays, and the Sebastian figure carries a margin of error of $162 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2020-2024); the county median of $1,357 has a margin of $58 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2020-2024). The Sebastian rental market guide compares fair market rents and the city rules on short term and seasonal rentals.

When a Sebastian lease ends in court, the case runs through the Indian River County Clerk. A tenant served with an eviction summons must answer and deposit the rent in dispute into the Registry of the Court within 5 days, and only cash or cashier's checks are accepted (Indian River County Clerk of the Circuit Court). If the judge orders removal, the sheriff serves a Writ of Possession that gives the tenant 24 hours to move. The evictions and landlord tenant court guide covers notices and filing fees.

A Sebastian owner who is a permanent Florida resident on January 1 files for homestead with the Indian River County Property Appraiser by March 1, and the state homestead assessment cap then limits yearly increases.

The Property Appraiser keeps a Sebastian office at 1921 U.S. 1, phone (772) 226-1133, open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays, besides the main office at 1800 27th Street in Vero Beach (Indian River County Property Appraiser). Timing matters this fall: the office says that as of September 6, every homestead application submitted counts for the 2027 tax year, so a buyer closing on a Sebastian house in October 2026 is filing for 2027.

Under the homestead assessment cap known as Amendment 10, in effect since January 1, 1994, a homestead is assessed at full market value in its first year, and after that the assessed value can rise no more than 3% or the change in the Florida Consumer Price Index, whichever is lower (Indian River County Property Appraiser). A buyer of a long-held Sebastian house should expect the assessment to reset to market value after the sale, which is why the seller's tax bill is a poor guide to the buyer's.

Sebastian permitted 87 new single-family homes from January through August 2026, after 141 in all of 2025.

The permit counts come from the Census Bureau's Building Permits Survey, which lists Sebastian with 87 one-unit homes valued at about $29.7 million through August 2026 (U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey) and 141 one-unit homes valued at about $45.6 million for 2025 (U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey).

Larger subdivisions and annexations on the edge of the city go before the Sebastian City Council, and the Sebastian new developments guide tracks each project as it moves.

Manufactured and age-restricted housing already rings the city. In southern Brevard County, Barefoot Bay is the largest unincorporated, deed-restricted manufactured home community and recreation district, with 9,212 residents in the 2020 Census, and Sebastian is its nearest commercial area (Barefoot Bay Recreation District). The 55-plus and manufactured home communities guide lists the parks with Sebastian addresses and the Florida lot rent rules.

The Sebastian waterfront real estate guide covers property on the Indian River Lagoon and the St. Sebastian River and the rules for building there.

A new Sebastian house needs a City of Sebastian building permit from the Building Department at Sebastian City Hall, 1225 Main Street, and must be designed for a 160 mph ultimate wind speed.

The Building Department answers at 772-589-5537, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., closed noon to 1 p.m., and takes applications through the MGO online permitting portal (City of Sebastian Building Department). Under City Ordinance O-12-08, the adopted ultimate wind speeds are 150 mph for Risk Category I, 160 mph for Risk Category II, which covers ordinary homes, and 170 mph for Risk Category III and IV buildings (City of Sebastian).

Permit fees scale with construction value. The city schedule charges $90 for work valued at $3,000 or less, $1,055 for the first $100,000 plus $5.50 for each additional thousand up to $500,000, and $3,255 for the first $500,000 plus $2.50 per thousand above that (City of Sebastian). By that schedule a house valued at $300,000 carries a general building permit fee of $2,155, before specialty and impact charges. The building on a vacant lot guide covers zoning, sewer and elevation rules for Sebastian Highlands lots.

Sebastian households turn to Indian River County's SHIP program and Florida Housing loans, but the county SHIP waitlist was closed to new applications in October 2026 except for emergencies.

Indian River County's State Housing Initiatives Partnership notice says the waitlist is closed to all new applications except Emergency Rehabilitation and Foreclosure Prevention, and will stay closed until further notice; the program answers at (772) 226-1870 (Indian River County). Florida Housing's first-time homebuyer loan, available through approved lenders statewide including in Sebastian, requires a minimum credit score of 640 and no owner-occupied home in the prior three years (Florida Housing Finance Corporation). The Sebastian affordable housing programs guide covers vouchers and down payment help in detail.

Each Sebastian real estate question has its own guide in this section, from prices and rent to permits and evictions.

Last verified: October 14, 2026, on the City of Sebastian website and the Indian River County Property Appraiser website (Indian River County Property Appraiser).