SWFL Real Estate: First Quarter 2026 Report
March 04, 2026 / RERI Research Team
Southwest Florida Real Estate First Quarter 2026 Report
During the fourth quarter of 2025, the residential market in Southwest Florida continued to adjust in the post pandemic and post hurricane environment. Single family home sales increased slightly compared to one year earlier, rising 4 percent from Q4 2024 to 5,270 sales. Condominium sales fell more noticeably, declining 12 percent year over year to 1,152 sales. Real median prices continued to soften across major residential categories, with prices for both single-family homes condominiums falling 7 percent in Q4 2025 compared to Q4 2024. The share of total housing units listed as active rose from a year earlier across all five counties, and the combined Southwest Florida estimate increased to 3.0 percent in Q4 2025.
Housing affordability improved in Q4 2025 as measured by the Housing Affordability Index. All residential HAI values were above 1.0 in all three coastal counties, with Collier at 1.08, Lee at 1.19, and Charlotte at 1.52. However, first-time homebuyer affordability remained below 1.0 in each coastal county. Single-family home affordability also improved year over year, although Collier’s single-family HAI remained below 1.0 at 0.88. Real median rents declined year over year across the three coastal counties in Q4 2025, falling 8 percent in Charlotte, 7 percent in Collier, and 9 percent in Lee.
In the commercial sector, sales volume was mixed by property type in Q4 2025. Retail and entertainment transactions were lower than a year earlier, while office transactions increased. At the regional level, real median prices per square foot declined year-over-year for retail (12 percent), office (3 percent), and entertainment (16 percent), though county-level measures varied with the quarter’s sales mix.
Other findings from the latest report include:
- In Q4 2025, there was a 4 percent increase in single-family home sales year over year, but a 12 percent decrease in condominium sales.
- Real median prices in Southwest Florida continued to decline in Q4 2025, with single-family home and condominium prices falling 7 percent from Q4 2024.
- The Housing Affordability Index (HAI) for all residential properties improved across all three coastal counties in Q4 2025, with improvements ranging between 14 and 32 percent over Q4 2024.
- In the last quarter of 2025, retail property sales dropped 11 percent, office sales increased 16 percent, and entertainment property transactions fell 17 percent compared to Q4 2024.
Downloads:
Southwest Florida Real Estate First Quarter 2026 Report
Acknowledgments:
This report is the product of a collaborative effort between the Regional Economic Research Institute and the Lucas Institute for Real Estate Development and Finance. We would like to thank the various property appraiser offices for providing the data that made this analysis possible.
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