Report: Home sales rise in region while inventory continues to drop

The housing market across the region showed some strength in July, with homes sales jumping double digits across the Gulf Coast — except in Tampa.

According to CoStar’s Homes.com data released Tuesday, home sales around the area saw mostly year-over-year growth as median sales prices remained relatively stagnant. Buyers also continued to purchase below asking price, as inventory declined, giving buyers more leverage.

The data looked at the Tampa, Sarasota/Manatee, Fort Myers and Naples MSAs. For Tampa, that includes Hernando, Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas counties. Sarasota/Manatee is made up of Sarasota and Manatee counties. Fort Myers includes Lee County and Naples includes Collier County.

The Homes.com data shows home sales were up 13.9% from July last year in Sarasota/Manatee; up 14.5% in Fort Myers; and 14.2% in Naples. Sales in Tampa, which saw about 4,600 house change hands, were also up when compared with a year ago. but only by 3.8%.

While sales were slightly higher in the Tampa market, Homes.com says “mortgage rates continued to make buying a home difficult for many households.”

A breakdown per region of home prices includes:

• Sarasota/Manatee: The median home sale price rose 1.9% from a year ago to $430,275. The homes sold, on average, for 92.2% of list price in July.
• Fort Myers: The median home sale price rose 0.8% from a year ago to $358,000. The homes sold, on average, for 91.9% of list price.
• Naples: The median home sale price fell 0.8% from a year ago to $605,000. The homes sold for an average of 89.8% of list price.
• Tampa: The median home sale price rose 2.6% from a year earlier to $384,900. The homes sold for an average of 93.8% of list price.

One of the reasons homes sold for lower than the asking prices, Homes.com says, is a decline in inventory, reflecting that “some of the leverage buyers enjoyed during the recent period of elevated supply appeared to be fading.”

A breakdown per region of home inventory in the region includes:

• Sarasota/Manatee: 8,582 homes were for sale in July, marking the first time since December 2024 that inventory fell below 9,000 homes. Sellers also put 1,997 homes on the market in July, the fewest number of new listings added in a month so far this year.
• Fort Myers: 11,547 homes were for sale in July, down nearly 950 listings from June and the lowest inventory level recorded in 2026.
• Naples: 5,552 homes were for sale in July, down 20.9% year-over-year and the lowest inventory level recorded since September 2025.
• Tampa: The number of homes on the market fell to 20,690 in July, the first-time inventory dropped below 21,000 homes since December 2025