Daytona Beach is 22.5% aged 65 or older with Volusia County at 27.3%, and only 41.3% of the housing is single-family detached. Nearly half sits in multifamily or attached buildings, much of it along the beach.
That makes this a condominium market, and in Florida a condominium market means inspection rules. Volusia County identified 86 structures at 52 locations as due for milestone inspection by the end of 2024, with 31 of those locations in Ormond Beach and 21 in New Smyrna Beach. If you own in a beachside building, where yours stands in that process is the first thing to establish.
Daytona Beach and Volusia County by the numbers
| Figure | Value | Source and period |
|---|---|---|
| Daytona Beach median sale price | $314,829 | Redfin, June 2026, up 0.4% year over year across 395 sales |
| Median value of owner-occupied homes | $287,700 | US Census QuickFacts, ACS 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates |
| Residents aged 65 or older | 22.5% | US Census QuickFacts. Volusia County is 27.3% |
| Owner-occupancy rate | 47.5% | US Census QuickFacts, ACS 2020-2024 |
| Single-family detached share of housing | 41.3% | US Census ACS 2019-2023. Multifamily and attached is roughly 48.6% |
| Median year built | 1981 | US Census ACS 2019-2023 5-Year Estimates |
| Volusia structures due for milestone inspection | 86 at 52 locations | Volusia County officials, March 2024, deadline 31 December 2024. Ormond Beach 31 locations, New Smyrna Beach 21 |
| Hurricane Ian damage, Volusia County | $285.4 million | Volusia County Property Appraiser assessment, October 2022, including $166.3 million single-family |
| Hurricane Nicole damage, Volusia County | $481 million and rising | County early assessment, November 2022, later reported above $500 million |
| Average home insurance premium, Volusia | $2,808 per year | Florida Office of Insurance Regulation, July 2026, data as of 31 March 2026 |
| FHA HECM maximum claim amount | $1,249,125 | HUD Mortgagee Letter 2025-22, for 2026 case numbers |
Volusia County certified millage could not be verified from a primary source, so no figure appears above. Figures are as published as of August 2026 and will move. Nothing here is an offer of credit or a quote for your property.
The milestone position in Volusia
Florida requires a milestone structural inspection of condominium and cooperative buildings of three habitable storeys or more at 30 years, with local enforcement agencies able to require it at 25 years for buildings within three miles of a coastline. Daytona Beach is on the coast, and the median local building dates to 1981.
Volusia County officials identified 86 structures at 52 locations as due by 31 December 2024. Alongside the milestone sits the structural integrity reserve study, covering roof, structure, fireproofing, plumbing, electrical, waterproofing, windows and exterior doors, with the deadline that moved to the end of 2025 under HB 913.
For a reverse mortgage, what matters is not the statewide law but your building's actual position: whether the inspection was done, what it found, whether repairs were priced, and whether an assessment has been levied or is coming. A completed inspection with no significant findings makes everything simpler. A building that has not yet been through it carries an unknown, and unknowns matter when a lender is assessing whether you can keep property charges current for twenty years.
Two hurricanes in six weeks
Ian in late September 2022 caused roughly $285.4 million of damage across Volusia County, including $166.3 million to single-family homes. Nicole followed six weeks later in November and produced an early county estimate of $481 million, later reported above $500 million. Nicole was particularly damaging to beachfront structures.
That history matters in three ways for a reverse mortgage. The property has to appraise acceptably, so unrepaired damage is a live issue. Insurance has to stay in force for the life of the loan, and letting it lapse is a default trigger. And where a beachside building took structural damage, that can interact with the milestone inspection findings and any resulting assessment.
Where work is outstanding, a repair set-aside can sometimes fund it from the loan itself rather than from savings, which for owners who have been deferring repairs is often the practical reason this makes sense.
The 55+ market, and it is substantial
Volusia has some of the larger age-restricted communities in this part of the state. Latitude Margaritaville Daytona Beach runs to about 3,900 homes, Pelican Bay to about 1,806. Elsewhere in the county, Plantation Bay in Ormond Beach is about 3,500, Venetian Bay in New Smyrna about 1,561, Cresswind at Victoria Gardens about 1,070, Halifax Plantation about 1,000, Breakaway Trails about 976 and Cresswind DeLand about 600.
Most of these are fee-simple single-family homes in HOAs, which places them outside the condominium framework entirely: no FHA project approval requirement, no milestone inspection, no reserve study. That is a very different position from a beachside condominium tower a few miles away, and it is why we ask what kind of property it is before anything else.
Counseling for Volusia borrowers
Federal rule 24 CFR 206.41 requires counseling with a HUD-approved agency independent of your lender before any HECM. No HUD-approved agency in Volusia County carries the reverse mortgage counseling designation. Community Legal Services of Mid-Florida at (386) 255-6573 and Mid-Florida Housing Partnership at (386) 274-4441 are HUD-approved locally but for other services.
The nearest agency listed for reverse mortgage counseling is H.E.L.P. Community Development Corp in Eatonville at (407) 628-4832, about 46 miles away. HUD permits HECM counseling by telephone through national agencies including GreenPath at (888) 860-4167.
Check the current roster at HUD's counselor search or call (800) 569-4287.
Questions we get from Daytona Beach homeowners
How do I find out where my building stands on the milestone inspection?
Your association should have the report and is required to provide unit owners with a summary. The county or municipal building department can confirm the building's status. Volusia identified 86 structures at 52 locations as due by the end of 2024, so if yours is beachside and three storeys or more it is worth asking directly.
Our building took damage in Nicole. Does that stop a loan?
Not automatically. The property has to appraise acceptably and be insurable, so unrepaired structural damage is the issue rather than the storm itself. Where repairs are outstanding, a repair set-aside can sometimes fund them from the loan. Where the association has a pending assessment for storm work, that is a known obligation and belongs in the conversation early.
Is a home in Latitude Margaritaville treated differently from a beach condo?
Very differently. Most of the large 55 plus communities in Volusia are fee-simple single-family homes in HOAs, which puts them outside the condominium framework entirely. No FHA project approval, no milestone inspection, no reserve study. A beachside condominium tower faces all three.
Is Volusia insurance expensive?
Moderate for a coastal county. Volusia averaged $2,808 a year in the state regulator's July 2026 report, well below Brevard at $3,532 to the south and far below the south Florida coastal counties above $6,000. Insurance has to stay in force for the life of the loan, so it is a permanent part of the budget.
My building is not FHA approved. Any options?
Three. Full project approval, FHA Single-Unit Approval for your unit within FHA's concentration caps, or a proprietary reverse mortgage where FHA approval does not apply. Check your building first at HUD's condominium search, since Expired is common and simply means an approval lapsed.
Talk to someone who works Volusia
If you are in a beachside building, its inspection position is the first thing we look at. Free, no obligation, and if a reverse mortgage is not the right answer for you we will say so. Hablamos Español.
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Sunshine State Home Loans, LLC. NMLS ID 1901827, Florida license MBR3278. We are not affiliated with, and are not acting on behalf of, HUD, FHA or any government agency. Proprietary and jumbo reverse mortgages are not FHA insured. Reverse mortgage proceeds are loan proceeds rather than income; consult a tax advisor about your situation. Borrowers remain responsible for property taxes, homeowners and flood insurance, association dues and property maintenance, and the loan may become due if those obligations are not met. This is not a commitment to lend.