The Sanctuary Homes for Sale, Boca Raton

The Sanctuary is a gated waterfront enclave in north Boca Raton, off Spanish River Boulevard, built around a private canal system with direct Intracoastal frontage. It is small, it is guarded, and almost every house in it sits on water. Its streets are named for birds · Sanctuary Drive, Sanctuary Lane, Ibis Point Circle, Osprey Point Circle, Tern Point Circle, Oriole Circle, Sandpiper Way and Blue Heron Way.

The market right now

A snapshot taken November 4, 2026. Only a handful of homes trade here in a year, so closed activity is shown over a 24-month window. Figures are rounded and move with the market.

	On the market	Closed, past 24 months
Number of listings	Nine, one of them under contract	Ten
Asking prices	From about $3.8 million up to roughly $23 million	From about $4 million up to roughly $14 million
Average asking price	Close to $12 million	Around $6.9 million
Asking price per square foot	Roughly $1,490	Roughly $1,020
Typical size	Around 7,400 square feet	Around 6,800 square feet
Year built	1982 through 2024

A note on the closed figures: the MLS feed reports the asking price attached to a closed listing rather than the recorded sale price. The closed column tells you what those ten homes were asking. For what a specific house actually sold for, ask and I will pull the public record.

What the numbers actually mean

Two Sanctuaries, forty years apart

This is the single most useful thing to understand before you tour. Four of the nine homes currently listed were built before 1990. Those originals are asking in the $4 million to $12 million range. The houses rebuilt between roughly 2013 and 2024 are asking from the mid teens up to around $23 million. Same gates, same canals, same guardhouse · and roughly a three times difference in price depending entirely on which era you are buying.

The gap between asking and recent closings is about product, not softness

Homes listed today are asking roughly $1,490 per square foot. Homes that closed over the past two years were asking roughly $1,020. That looks like a large move, but most of it is composition: the current inventory skews toward the newest and largest houses, while the trailing closings included more of the 1980s stock. It is not evidence of a market running away, and it is not evidence of one falling. It is a different set of houses.

Thin inventory, so the waiting is the strategy

Ten closings in two years, against nine houses listed now. That is roughly one sale every ten weeks in the entire community. If you want a specific street, a specific exposure or a specific lot size here, you wait for it rather than choose from a shortlist.

A search warning worth knowing

"Sanctuary" is not a unique community name in Florida. Searched without a city filter, it returns homes in Hobe Sound, Palm Beach Gardens and Port St. Lucie alongside the Boca Raton ones. If you have been browsing listings labelled Sanctuary and the prices looked inconsistent, that is probably why. The search on this page is restricted to Boca Raton.

Before you write an offer here

Confirm the water access for the specific lot. Not every position in a canal community is equal. Check depth at low tide, turning room, and bridge clearance on the route to the inlet against the boat you actually own.
On a 1980s house, price the renovation before you price the house. Roof, impact glass, systems and seawall on a forty-year-old waterfront home are the real number.
Inspect the seawall and dock as separate items from the residence. Ask for permit history on any dock or lift work.
Get the association documents, dues and any assessment history in writing, including what the guarded entry and common areas cost to run.
If you intend to rebuild, confirm the build envelope with the City of Boca Raton first · setbacks, height and lot coverage decide what the lot is worth to you.
Price flood and wind insurance early. On gated waterfront this varies sharply with elevation and construction type.

Frequently asked questions

Where is The Sanctuary in Boca Raton?

In north Boca Raton, off Spanish River Boulevard, east of Federal Highway. It is a gated community built around a private canal system with Intracoastal frontage.

How many homes are usually for sale in The Sanctuary?

Very few. As of November 4, 2026 there were nine listings, one under contract, against ten closings over the previous two years. That is roughly one sale every ten weeks in the whole community.

What does a home in The Sanctuary cost?

Asking prices currently run from about $3.8 million to roughly $23 million. The spread depends mostly on whether the house is an original from the 1980s or a rebuild from the last decade.

Why is there such a large price range inside one gated community?

Because two very different products sit behind the same gates. Four of the nine current listings predate 1990 and ask between roughly $4 million and $12 million, while the 2013 to 2024 rebuilds ask from the mid teens upward. You are choosing an era as much as an address.

Is every home in The Sanctuary on the water?

Nearly all of them are, but the quality of the water position varies by lot. Confirm depth, turning room and the route to the inlet for the specific property rather than assuming they are equivalent.

Why do Sanctuary searches show homes in other cities?

Because the name is used by communities elsewhere in Florida, including Hobe Sound, Palm Beach Gardens and Port St. Lucie. A search without a city filter mixes them together. The listings on this page are Boca Raton only.

Talk to a broker who knows the lots

Damara Cohn is the founder and broker of Mangrove Realty, a boutique luxury brokerage in Delray Beach, with 25+ years in the business and over 35 years in Florida. In a community this small, knowing which lots and which vintages are worth waiting for is most of the work.

Email: brokerdelray@gmail.com · Office: (561) 637-4559