Manatee County buyers are doing ‘homework.’ What that means for housing market
Manatee County’s housing market saw active buyer demand and declining inventory with an increase in pending sales, according to the latest Realtor Association of Sarasota and Manatee report.
Manatee County single-family homes had a decline in median sale price of 3.8% to $460,000, with new pending sales increasing 19.2% year-over-year. The report, which compared May 2026 to May 2025 showed the single-family home inventory falling 11.8% with the monthly inventory supply dropping from 5.2 months to 4.4 months.
According to the report, single-family homes in Manatee County had a median time on the market of 47 days and spent about 95 days from listing to closing, a shorter time frame than May 2025.
“We continue to see strong buyer demand alongside lower inventory, but what makes this market unique is that buyers are not rushing into decisions,” RASM president David Crawford said in a news release. “They are taking the time to evaluate each property, understand its value and complete their homework before moving forward. Buyers remain active, but they are also disciplined and strategic.”
Manatee townhomes and condos
Manatee County’s condo and townhome sector saw an increase in sales of 8.7% to 288 transactions compared to the same month in 2025, according to the report.
Median sale price dropped 5.1% to $297,000. New pending sales were 272, marking a 4.6% increase year-over-year. Active inventory plummeted 16.9% to 1,452 units, which means the monthly supply sits at 6.3 months, according to the report.
Townhome and condos had a median time on the market of 61 days in May, and spent about 106 days from listing to closing, according to the report.
Sarasota County’s housing market
In Sarasota County, there were 845 single-family homes sold in May, while condos and townhomes recorded 371 closed sales, an increase of 8.5% year-over-year, according to the report.
The median sale price for single-family homes increased 2.2% to $475,000. New pending sales jumped up 11.4% year-over-year, while the monthly supply dropped from 6.6 months to 4.4 months in May, according to the report.
Single-family homes in Sarasota County had a median time on the market of 50 days and 92 days from listing to closing, the report said.
Townhomes and condos in Sarasota County had a 4.9% increase in the median sale price to $336,829.
Active inventory fell 13.2% with the monthly supply falling from 9.2 months to 7.1 months in May, according to the report.
Properties had a median time of 67 days on the market before going under contract, which was an increase from 59 days in the same month last year.
Condos and townhomes in Sarasota County spent about 108 days from listing to closing, according to the report.
