Real estate isn't one-size-fits-all, and your neighborhood deserves a closer look. See how our regional expertise across Florida reveals the truth about home values.

Are you hearing that the market is slowing down, but still watching homes go under contract quickly in your neighborhood?

If you’ve been watching the news lately, you’ve probably heard some headlines about values "plummeting" in places like Fort Lauderdale or that a total crash is just around the corner. But if you’re looking at Stonebridge, Valencia Sound, or our active communities in Boca, Boynton, and Delray, the reality on the ground looks very different.

That disconnect is exactly why we wanted to talk about what’s really happening locally as we move through early 2026. Here are some trends we see in our current market: 

Shift to a balanced market. Right now, we are seeing a clear move toward a balanced market. The "strong buyer's market" we experienced recently is shifting. 

How do we know? It’s a simple formula: we’ve gone from having a high number of active listings and very few pending sales to the exact opposite.

Today, we have fewer active listings and an uptick in pending sales. This is a "trailing indicator" that shows us that the inventory is being absorbed. When those active listings come off the market and go pending, it signals that buyers are getting off the sidelines. They are becoming highly motivated to connect with a house that works for them rather than risking losing it to someone else.

Local data beats national news. Our team has offices across the state, from Tampa and Orlando to Naples. We see firsthand that real estate isn’t one-size-fits-all. A reporter writing for a national paper doesn't have the hyper-local knowledge of what’s happening in a specific Lake Worth neighborhood or a gated community in Delray.

When people ask me, "Is the market crashing?" I tell them we have to look at the local data. In our area, inventory is still super tight. Broad strokes and national headlines don't help you make a good decision for your family; specific local facts do.

“Real estate decisions work best when they’re based on local data, not headlines.”

The "wait until May" trap. I spoke with a client last Friday who said, "We love this house, but we think mortgage rates will fall in May, so we're going to wait."

My question back was simple: Do you really want to wait until May to buy a property that works for you now? If you wait for a slightly better rate in a market where inventory is already tight, you might find yourself in a bidding war that costs you way more than the interest rate savings would have gained you. 

While we support whatever choice our clients make, our job is to provide the data so you aren't guessing.

At the end of the day, we are your partners. The more you share your goals with us, the better we can help you make the best long-term decision for your housing needs based on what is actually happening in your backyard.

Call us at (561) 843-4464 or email dankarp@kw.com or laurie@activeluxury.com. Whether you’re staying local or moving from out of state, our goal is simple: to be your trusted advisor.