A trust tied to Ashley Ford has quietly stepped into Palm Beach’s North End spotlight, closing on the midcentury home at 244 Nightingale Trail on May 15, 2026, for about $15.8 million. The property, relisted in January with a $16 million asking price, was sold by an entity connected to Martha and Stan Johnson and joins a string of high-end Palm Beach deals this spring that highlight just how hungry buyers are for turnkey, beach-adjacent homes on the island.
Buyer and seller
The buyer is listed as a trust tied to Ashley Ford, while the seller was a company linked to Martha and Stan Johnson, according to The Real Deal. The outlet reports that the Johnsons acquired the property in 2018 for roughly $3.1 million, making the latest sale a sizable paper gain in less than a decade.
Listing and representation
The house hit the market on Jan. 26 with a $16 million price tag and was listed across the Beaches MLS. Public listing data shows Gary Pohrer of Serhant as the agent who handled the transaction. The MLS feed on Redfin calls out some of the key perks, including deeded beach access and a separate Nightingale beachside cabana bundled into the offering.
Inside the house
Listing materials describe the home as a renovated midcentury residence of roughly 4,050 square feet, with four bedrooms and 4.5 baths, plus a pool and direct access to both the lake trail and the beach. Price history on Zillow shows the sale recorded on May 15, 2026, at $15.8 million, coming in just under the original ask.
What the sale signals
The roughly fivefold jump in value since 2018 underscores tight inventory and strong seasonal demand for move-in-ready product on the North End, where buyers routinely pay a premium for privacy and turnkey condition. The Real Deal notes that buyers at this level commonly use trusts and LLCs to structure deals, which tracks with how this transaction was recorded.
Photos and credits
Photographs circulated with coverage of the sale are credited to Giles Bradford, according to the South Florida Business Journal, which also reports that the buyer holds other South Florida properties, including a holding in Jupiter. County records and official deed filings are expected to provide the final ownership details as they are posted to the public record.
