SWFL housing market cools as inventory climbs

It’s been a while since the real estate market felt normal in Southwest Florida.

A surge of interest in Florida homes during the pandemic pushed prices skyward. Prices peaked around 2024 and have slowly come down over the past two years as inventory has grown … although high interest rates and climbing insurance costs in recent years also have kept homeownership out of reach for some potential buyers.

Overall, the market has been softening recently, said Shelton Weeks, director of Florida Gulf Coast University’s Lucas Institute for Real Estate Development & Finance. Over the past year, median sales prices in Collier, Lee and Charlotte counties have consistently trailed where they were a year earlier. But Southwest Florida remains a diverse real estate market, meaning some segments are faring better than others, he said.

High-end coastal homes in Naples have remained in strong demand. Meanwhile, the condominium market continues to face pressure, as rising insurance costs and homeowners association fees are forcing some owners to sell and discouraging other buyers. For example, the value of a condominium in the Naples area has declined nearly 17% from its peak in August 2022, according to the Zillow Home Value Index.

While some local factors are contributing to the market’s softening, Weeks said the major drivers will come from outside the region, such as mortgage interest rates, which he predicts will probably continue inching upward through the rest of the year.

“I expect what we see here for the rest of the year will be affected by macro events,” he says. “That’s the story that’s hard to escape.” 

Lee County

April 2025

• Homes sold: 1,419 (-0.8%)

• Median sale price: $390,000 (-8.2%)

• Active listings: 14,580 (+41.4%)

May 2025

• Homes sold: 1,443 (-1.6%)

• Median sale price: $375,000 (-9.6%)

• Active listings: 13,757 (+36.1%)

June 2025

• Homes sold: 1,330 (+13.2%)

• Median sale price: $380,000 (-5%)

• Active listings: 12,892 (+30.5%)

July 2025

• Homes sold: 1,178 (-2.4%)

• Median sale price: $375,000 (-5.1%)

• Active listings: 12,353 (+29.4%)

August 2025

• Homes sold: 1,165 (-3.3%)

• Median sale price: $370,000 (-5.1%)

• Active listings: 11,160 (+20.6%)

September 2025

• Homes sold: 1,113 (+14.4%)

• Median sale price: $375,000 (-2.1%)

• Active listings: 10,670 (+13.5%)

October 2025

• Homes sold: 1,123 (+26.7%)

• Median sale price: $389,900 (-2.5%)

• Active listings: 11,041 (+13.3%)

November 2025

• Homes sold: 992 (+14.3%)

• Median sale price: $380,000 (-3.8%)

• Active listings: 11,692 (+6.7%)

December 2025

• Homes sold: 1,165 (+15.2%)

• Median sale price: $385,000 (-3.8%)

• Active listings: 12,045 (+3.5%)

January 2026

• Homes sold: 937 (+15.4%)

• Median sale price: $400,000 (+0.1%)

• Active listings: 12,332 (-3.3%)

February 2026

• Homes sold: 1,153 (+24.4%)

• Median sale price: $405,000 (-2.6%)

• Active listings: 12,677 (-10.1%)

March 2026

• Homes sold: 1,514 (+9.5%)

• Median sale price: $376,750 (-4.6%)

• Active listings: 12,539 (-14.2%)

Collier County

April 2025

• Homes sold: 450 (-10.7%)

• Median sale price: $817,500 (-8.1%)

• Active listings: 8,358 (+42.3%)

May 2025

• Homes sold: 431 (-15.3%)

• Median sale price: $767,800 (-19.2%)

• Active listings: 7,724 (+33.9%)

June 2025

• Homes sold: 457 (+15.4%)

• Median sale price: $755,000 (-4.3%)

• Active listings: 6,883 (+28.3%)

July 2025

• Homes sold: 395 (+18.3%)

• Median sale price: $720,000 (-7.1%)

• Active listings: 6,287 (+25.2%)

August 2025

• Homes sold: 350 (+12.5%)

• Median sale price: $767,500 (+3.7%)

• Active listings: 5,556 (+17.7%)

September 2025

• Homes sold: 358 (+25.2%)

• Median sale price: $772,500 (-1%)

• Active listings: 5,291 (+13.1%)

October 2025

• Homes sold: 380 (+32.4%)

• Median sale price: $743,650 (-1.5%)

• Active listings: 5,635 (+12.2%)

November 2025

• Homes sold: 280 (+13.4%)

• Median sale price: $720,000 (-6.5%)

• Active listings: 6,175 (+8.8%)

December 2025

• Homes sold: 420 (+30.4%)

• Median sale price: $826,267 (-1.3%)

• Active listings: 6,441 (+2.9%)

January 2026

• Homes sold: 358 (+6.3%)

• Median sale price: $860,000 (-7%)

• Active listings: 6,770 (-1.6%)

February 2026

• Homes sold: 351 (+3.2%)

• Median sale price: $860,000 (-7%)

• Active listings: 7,083 (-9.7%)

March 2026

• Homes sold: 553 (+24.3%)

• Median sale price: $845,000 (+5.6%)

• Active listings: 7,106 (-13.9%)

Charlotte County

April 2025

• Homes sold: 546 (+10%)

• Median sale price: $349,970 (-10.3%)

• Active listings: 4,871 (+32.6%)

May 2025

• Homes sold: 536 (+1.7%)

• Median sale price: $325,000 (-14.5%)

• Active listings: 4,595 (+25%)

June 2025

• Homes sold: 491 (+2.7%)

• Median sale price: $335,000 (-8.2%)

• Active listings: 4,300 (+20.7%)

July 2025

• Homes sold: 463 (+2.9%)

• Median sale price: $345,000 (-2.8%)

• Active listings: 3,971 (+17.1%)

August 2025

• Homes sold: 459 (-5.6%)

• Median sale price: $345,000 (-1.4%)

• Active listings: 3,631 (+10.8%)

September 2025

• Homes sold: 432 (+24.9%)

• Median sale price: $330,000 (-1.6%)

• Active listings: 3,458 (+6.5%)

October 2025

• Homes sold: 461 (+22.9%)

• Median sale price: $342,000 (-3.7%)

• Active listings: 3,553 (+10.1%)

November 2025

• Homes sold: 399 (+24.3%)

• Median sale price: $342,900 (-2%)

• Active listings: 3,657 (+1.6%)

December 2025

• Homes sold: 466 (+11.5%)

• Median sale price: $350,000 (+2.3%)

• Active listings: 3,774 (-2.8%)

January 2026

• Homes sold: 392 (+18.8%)

• Median sale price: $346,250 (-1.1%)

• Active listings: 3,801 (-8.3%)

February 2026

• Homes sold: 431 (+20.9%)

• Median sale price: $350,000 (+0.3%)

• Active listings: 3,780 (-17.6%)

March 2026

• Homes sold: 582 (+22.8%)

• Median sale price: $355,000 (-1.1%)

• Active listings: 3,721 (-23.5%)