Sarasota Housing Market Q3 2026: The Market Tightened
The Sarasota real estate market got tighter in the third quarter of 2026, from Longboat Key and Siesta Key to Lakewood Ranch, Venice and Bradenton. Single-family homes are selling 13 days faster than a year ago, condo sales jumped 21%, and inventory fell in both segments. For the first time since late 2023, both property types sit below the 5.5-month line that marks a balanced market.
I was born and raised here, and I watch these numbers every quarter for one reason: to tell my clients what's actually happening, not what the headlines say. Here's what the latest Florida Realtors data for the North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton area shows, and what I'd do with it.
Sarasota Home Prices: Single-Family Homes Are Selling Faster
The median single-family home sold for $490,000 in Q3, up 4.3% from $470,000 a year ago. That's not a boom, it's a market finding its footing after a soft 2025.
The bigger story is speed and leverage:
Single-family metric | Q3 2026 | Q3 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
Closed sales | 4,088 | 3,946 | +3.6% |
Median sale price | $490,000 | $470,000 | +4.3% |
Average sale price | $733,393 | $651,219 | +12.6% |
Median days to contract | 50 | 63 | -20.6% |
% of original list price received | 95.0% | 92.9% | +2.1 pts |
Active listings (end of quarter) | 5,239 | 5,793 | -9.6% |
Months of supply | 3.8 | 4.5 | -15.6% |
Sellers are keeping about two points more of their original asking price than last year. On a $1.5M home, that's roughly $30,000. Meanwhile 3.8 months of supply is the lowest single-family reading since Q3 2023.
One caution: new pending sales were up just 0.7% while new listings rose 5.6%. Demand is holding, not accelerating. Homes that are priced right are moving; homes that aren't are sitting.
Sarasota Condo Market: The Comeback Quarter
If you've been reading the doom-and-gloom condo headlines, Q3 told a different story. After two rough years shaped by new reserve and inspection requirements, condo buyers came back in force.
Condo & townhome metric | Q3 2026 | Q3 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
Closed sales | 1,611 | 1,333 | +20.9% |
New pending sales | 1,509 | 1,283 | +17.6% |
Median sale price | $315,000 | $303,900 | +3.7% |
Dollar volume | $897.9M | $493.9M | +81.8% |
% of original list price received | 92.3% | 89.2% | +3.1 pts |
Active listings (end of quarter) | 2,792 | 3,204 | -12.9% |
Months of supply | 4.9 | 6.5 | -24.6% |
Supply is the number that matters most. Condo inventory peaked at 9.0 months in Q1 2025, a clear buyers' market. It's now 4.9 months. That's a real shift in leverage in 18 months.
Two honest notes. First, the 50% jump in the average condo price is mostly a mix effect: 27 condos sold above $5 million this quarter versus two last year. Second, condo sellers still received a median 92.3% of original list price, so buyers have room to negotiate. Pricing correctly from day one still matters more here than anywhere else in the market.
Sarasota Homes From $400K to $700K: The Heart of the Market
This is where most Sarasota-Manatee homeowners live, and for single-family homes it's the fastest-moving part of the market. Homes priced between $400,000 and $700,000 made up 1,634 of the 4,088 single-family sales in Q3, or 40%.
Price band | Q3 sales | vs. Q3 2025 | Median days to contract | Days to contract, Q3 2025 | Active listings | vs. Q3 2025 | Est. months of supply* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Single-family | |||||||
$400K–$499K | 762 | +3.8% | 49 | 71 | 980 | -7.0% | 3.9 |
$500K–$599K | 497 | +6.2% | 49 | 70 | 588 | -19.5% | 3.5 |
$600K–$699K | 375 | +9.0% | 46 | 65 | 411 | -23.5% | 3.3 |
Condo & townhome | |||||||
$400K–$499K | 173 | +16.9% | 74 | 92 | 284 | -18.6% | 4.9 |
$500K–$599K | 74 | +85.0% | 82 | 79 | 151 | -15.2% | 6.1 |
$600K–$699K | 40 | +53.8% | 144 | 87 | 115 | -12.2% | 8.6 |
*My estimate: end-of-quarter listings divided by Q3's monthly sales pace.
What this tells me:
- Single-family homes from $400K to $700K are in a seller's market. They're going under contract in about seven weeks, three weeks faster than last year, with under four months of supply.
- Competition is thinnest from $500K to $700K. Active listings there fell about 20% while sales rose. If you own a home in this range, buyers have fewer alternatives to yours than at any point in the past year.
- Condos in this range are a different market. The $400Ks are balanced. Above $500K, condos take longer and carry more supply, and $600K–$700K condos took a median 144 days to find a buyer. Condo owners here should price to the market, not to last year's neighbor.
If you bought in this range during 2020–2022, the takeaway is simple: well-prepared, well-priced single-family homes are selling, and selling quickly.
Sarasota Luxury Real Estate: $750K to $3M
Luxury is where I spend most of my time, and it was the strongest part of the market in Q3. Single-family sales above $1 million rose 9.9% to 512 homes. Luxury condo sales above $1 million more than doubled, from 51 to 119.
But "luxury" isn't one market. Speed and supply vary a lot by price point:
Single-family price band | Q3 sales | vs. Q3 2025 | Median days to contract | Active listings | Est. months of supply* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
$700K–$799K | 260 | +8.3% | 47 | 329 | 3.8 |
$800K–$899K | 188 | +14.6% | 48 | 216 | 3.4 |
$900K–$999K | 132 | +20.0% | 42 | 169 | 3.8 |
$1M–$1.25M | 143 | -11.7% | 48 | 207 | 4.3 |
$1.25M–$1.5M | 109 | +18.5% | 39 | 176 | 4.8 |
$1.5M–$2M | 106 | +19.1% | 82 | 183 | 5.2 |
$2M–$3M | 74 | +19.4% | 84 | 192 | 7.8 |
$3M–$5M | 52 | +4.0% | 82 | 179 | 10.3 |
*My estimate: end-of-quarter listings divided by Q3's monthly sales pace. Florida Realtors doesn't publish supply by price band.
What stands out to me:
- $800K to $1.5M is a seller's market. Homes are going under contract in about six weeks, with under five months of supply.
- $1.5M to $3M is balanced to buyer-leaning. Sales are up nearly 20%, but it takes 80-plus days to get a contract, and $2M–$3M carries almost eight months of supply.
- Above $3M, buyers set the terms. At roughly 10 months of supply, pricing and presentation decide who sells.
On the condo side, the gains were concentrated at the very top: $1M+ condo sales went under contract in a median 88 days, about six weeks faster than last year, and 27 sold for more than $5 million. High-end condo buyers are back.
Is It a Good Time to Sell or Buy a Home in Sarasota?
If you're selling: This is a better quarter to list than any in the past year, but the market rewards preparation, not optimism. Below $1.5M, a well-priced home should see real activity in its first six weeks. Above $2M, plan for a longer runway and a sharper launch. If your listing expired or sat this year, the market didn't ignore you; the price or the presentation missed. That's fixable.
If you're buying: Leverage is shrinking, especially for single-family homes under $1.5M. Expect fewer listings to choose from and less room to negotiate than in 2025. Condos and $2M-plus homes still offer the most negotiating room. Over half of condo buyers (55.9%) paid cash, so financed buyers should come in with strong pre-approvals and clean terms.
On distress: Foreclosure sales of single-family homes rose to 45 from 14 a year ago. That sounds alarming, but it's about 1% of all sales. Traditional sales still made up more than 98% of the market. This isn't 2008.
Sarasota Housing Market Outlook: My Take Heading Into Season
Q3 is usually one of our slower quarters, and it still produced faster sales, higher prices and shrinking supply. With seasonal buyers arriving over the next few months, I expect the window for sellers to stay open through the early-2027 peak season, especially between $800K and $1.5M.
The averages only tell you so much. What your home is worth depends on your street, your condition and your competition this week. If you're thinking about selling, buying or just want to know where you stand, reach out and I'll put together a no-pressure valuation for your property.
— Keith Curcio, Associate Broker, Coldwell Banker Realty
Sarasota Real Estate FAQ: Q3 2026
What is the median home price in Sarasota right now? The median single-family home in the North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton area sold for $490,000 in Q3 2026, up 4.3% from a year earlier. The median condo or townhome sold for $315,000, up 3.7%.
Is Sarasota a buyer's or seller's market? It leans toward sellers. Single-family homes have 3.8 months of supply and condos have 4.9, both below the 5.5 months that marks a balanced market. Homes above $2 million and condos above $500,000 still favor buyers.
How long does it take to sell a house in Sarasota? The median single-family home went under contract in 50 days in Q3 2026, down from 63 days a year earlier. Homes priced $400K to $700K went under contract in about 46 to 49 days.
Are Sarasota condo prices dropping? No. The median condo price rose 3.7% to $315,000, sales jumped 21%, and condo inventory fell 12.9% year over year.
Are home prices going down in Sarasota? Not in Q3 2026. Median single-family prices rose 4.3%, and sellers received a median 95% of their original list price, up from 92.9% a year ago.
Sources
Florida Realtors, Quarterly Market Detail, Q3 2026, North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton MSA: Single-Family Homes and Townhouses & Condos (released October 16, 2026).
