Third Quarter 30A Beach Home Market Update

Beach homes along 30A sold faster and at higher prices this summer than they did a year ago. From July through September 2026, 307 residential homes closed along the 30A corridor south of Hwy 98, up 10.8 percent from 277 in the third quarter of 2025. Over the same stretch, the supply of homes for sale fell to its lowest level in the past year. These numbers come from a custom map area Jonathan Hill drew in FlexMLS covering residential homes along the 30A corridor south of Hwy 98. It is not all of MLS Areas 17 and 18, so it reads as a true beach corridor snapshot for luxury vacation and second homes, from WaterColor and Seaside to Rosemary Beach, Alys Beach, Seagrove Beach and Inlet Beach.

Sales along 30A

July led the quarter with 111 closed sales, against 85 in July 2025. August closed 90, against 93, and September closed 106, against 99. Pending sales, many of which will close in the fourth quarter, came to 326 for the quarter, up 9.0 percent from 299.

The year to date tells the same story in bigger numbers. Through September, 970 homes closed along 30A, up 32.7 percent from 731 over the first nine months of 2025.

Prices

The average sale price for the quarter was about $2.54 million, up 7.6 percent from about $2.36 million in the third quarter of 2025. The median sale price rose against the same month last year in all three months:

• July: $1,940,000, up from $1,750,000
• August: $1,697,500, up from $1,412,500
• September: $1,600,000, up from $1,450,000

Through September, the year to date median sale price was $1,712,500, up 14.2 percent from $1,500,000. Medians and averages move with the mix of homes that closed. A month with more high end sales reads higher without any one house being worth more, which is part of why August's average slipped while its median climbed.

Sellers also gave up less in the deal. Homes along 30A sold for 95.6 percent of their final list price in August and 95.8 percent in September, against 94.0 and 93.6 percent a year earlier. Measured against the original list price, the September figure was 93.7 percent, up from 89.2 percent.

Homes for sale and months of supply

At the end of September, 863 homes were listed for sale along 30A, down 22.6 percent from 1,115 a year earlier. New listings for the quarter came to 520, down 4.4 percent from 544. Fewer homes came on this quarter, and the ones that do are selling.

That shows up in months of supply, which FlexMLS reports as its absorption rate, in months. It measured 9.0 months in July, 8.3 in August and 8.3 in September, against 16.5, 15.6 and 14.5 months in the same months of 2025. September's figure is the lowest of the past twelve months. Asking prices moved up with it: the median list price of homes for sale in September was $1,900,000, up from $1,725,000.

Homes also spent less time on the market. Average cumulative days on market for homes that sold in the quarter worked out to about 114 days, against about 151 in the third quarter of 2025. The median in September was 50 days, down from 93. For more on reading that number, see our guide to days on market on 30A.

Price bands

The quarter's sales leaned toward the upper end. Homes from $3 million to $5 million closed 50 sales, up from 37, and homes at $5 million and above closed 35, up from 30. Together, homes at $3 million and above made up 27.7 percent of the quarter's sales, against 24.2 percent a year earlier. Below $3 million, sales held close to last year: 87 under $1 million (83 in the third quarter of 2025), 91 from $1 million to $2 million (88) and 44 from $2 million to $3 million (39).

Inventory tightened almost across the board. Compared with September 2025, homes for sale under $1 million fell from 322 to 231, from $1 million to $2 million fell from 302 to 228, and from $2 million to $3 million fell from 180 to 126. From $3 million to $5 million, the count fell from 183 to 151. The $5 million and above band was the exception, steady at 127 against 128, and that band also added more new listings this quarter, 86 against 71.

What this means for beach homes on 30A

For buyers, a market with about eight months of supply gives you less room to wait on a well priced beach home than last year's 14.5 to 16.5 months. At $5 million and above, the one range where the count of homes for sale held steady, buyers have as much choice as they did a year ago. Start with the town that fits how you will use the house, then narrow by position: gulf front, gulf view or north of 30A.

For sellers, shorter market times and stronger sale to list figures are good news, but price your beach home against recent sales in the same town and the same position on the water, not against the 30A average. A gulf front home in Rosemary Beach and a home north of 30A in Blue Mountain Beach are different markets, even in the same quarter. For a number built on your own street, request a home valuation.

For help choosing the right town, start on our 30A realtor page or our Santa Rosa Beach realtor page, or call The Jonathan Hill Team at (205) 370-5905. To browse by town, see our 30A homes for sale by town guide, and the Blue Mountain Beach homes for sale and Grayton Beach homes for sale pages. Our team serves Destin, 30A and surrounding areas from Santa Rosa Beach, FL.

Source: ECAR MLS via FlexMLS, residential homes inside a custom polygon along the 30A corridor south of Hwy 98 (not all of Areas 17 and 18), data pulled Oct 21 2026. Information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed.