Is It a Buyer's or Seller's Market in Central Florida? 2026

Central Florida is not one market right now: of the 12 areas we track, 4 lean toward a buyer's market, 4 lean toward a seller's market and 4 are close to balanced. Across Orange, Seminole, Lake and Volusia counties there are 4.3 months of supply, and the typical seller closes at 96 percent of their original asking price. Not one of the 64 submarkets we track is closing at full original asking price.

Updated October 13, 2026: active listings as of October 13; sales through September 2026. Stellar MLS.

4.3

months of supply, four counties

96%

of original asking price, typical sale

0 of 64

submarkets closing at full original ask

4 / 4 / 4

areas leaning buyer / seller / balanced

TL;DR: Neither label fits the whole region; it depends on where you buy or sell. The table below gives each of the 12 areas its own verdict, judged against the four county figures.

Buyer's or seller's market, area by area

Area	Verdict	Months of supply	Percent of original asking price
Orange County	Balanced	4.4	96.2%
Seminole County	Leans seller	3.6	96.4%
Lake County	Leans buyer	4.4	95.9%
Volusia County	Leans buyer	4.5	95.1%
Orlando	Balanced	4.8	96%
Sanford	Leans seller	3.9	96.7%
Winter Park	Balanced	4.2	95.2%
Altamonte Springs	Leans buyer	5.4	95.3%
Lake Mary	Balanced	3.7	95.8%
Clermont	Leans seller	4	97.1%
DeLand	Leans seller	3.9	96.1%
Daytona Beach	Leans buyer	6.7	93.6%
Four counties	The yardstick	4.3	96%

Months of supply: active listings as of October 13, 2026 over the average monthly closed sales, October 2025 through September 2026. Percent of original asking price: median close price against original list price over the same months. Stellar MLS.

Leaning toward buyers: Lake County, Volusia County, Altamonte Springs and Daytona Beach.

Leaning toward sellers: Seminole County, Sanford, Clermont and DeLand.

Close to balanced: Orange County, Orlando, Winter Park and Lake Mary.

What that means for you

Buying in Central Florida? Look up the area you want in the table first. Where it leans toward buyers, sellers there have given up more of their asking price than across the four counties, so you have more room to negotiate. Wherever you buy, check how long a home has been listed and whether the price has already been cut.

Selling? Price to what comparable homes actually closed at, not to the asking prices around you. Across the four counties the typical sale closed about 4 percent below the original asking price, and the first price decides most of the outcome. Start with the current market report.

Want the read on one specific home instead of the four county average? Call or text Brenden at 407-616-9019. Buyers can also see where sellers have sat longest in the buyer leverage index, updated weekly.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is Central Florida a buyer's or seller's market right now?

It depends on where. Of the 12 areas we track, 4 lean toward a buyer's market, 4 lean toward a seller's market and 4 are close to balanced. Across Orange, Seminole, Lake and Volusia counties there are 4.3 months of supply, and the typical seller closes at 96 percent of their original asking price.

Which areas of Central Florida favor buyers?

Lake County, Volusia County, Altamonte Springs and Daytona Beach. In each, both measures we track favor the buyer: more months of supply than the four county figure of 4.3, and sellers keeping a smaller share of their original asking price than the 96 percent typical across the four counties.

Which areas of Central Florida favor sellers?

Seminole County, Sanford, Clermont and DeLand. In each, both measures we track favor the seller: fewer months of supply than the four county figure of 4.3, and sellers keeping a larger share of their original asking price than the 96 percent typical across the four counties.

How many months of inventory does Central Florida have?

Orange, Seminole, Lake and Volusia counties have 4.3 months of inventory, also called months of supply. That is how long the homes listed for sale would last at the past year's average sales pace if nothing new came on the market: 13,662 active listings divided by 3,176.08 closed sales a month comes to 4.3 months.

Do homes in Central Florida sell for asking price?

Usually not the original asking price. The typical sale across the four counties closes at 96 percent of the original asking price, and not one of the 64 submarkets we track is closing at full original asking price. A price cut counts in that figure, because it is part of what the seller gave up.

What is the absorption rate in Central Florida?

About 23 percent. In a typical month, closed sales across the four counties equal about 23 percent of the homes listed for sale: 3,176.08 closed sales a month over 13,662 active listings. On its own it does not decide who has the edge, so we do not use the national 15 and 20 percent cutoffs.

Why don't you use the six month rule?

That number is roughly the long run average of a national sales series, and it does not describe this market: across the 64 Central Florida submarkets we track, not one is currently closing at full original asking price. A six month line would call the whole region a seller's market while the median sale in every one of those submarkets closes below its original asking price, so we compare each place to the four county figures instead.

How do you decide whether an area is a buyer's or seller's market?

Two measures, each compared to the four county figure: months of supply, and the median close price against the original asking price. When both point the same way, that is the verdict. When they point different ways, or either one is level with the four county figure, we call it balanced.

Find out which side of that line your home is on

The answer depends on the area, the house and the price, not the headline.

See the Buyer Leverage Index Call 407-616-9019