If you’ve been watching our market from the sidelines, here’s some good news: after a few frenzied years, things have leveled out. Inventory is up, homes are sitting a little longer, and sellers are actually negotiating again. That’s a real shift from where we were, and it means buyers finally have some breathing room to make a smart decision instead of a rushed one.
Mortgage interest rates were essentially flat over the past 30 days. As of this week, the average U.S. rate for a 30‑year fixed mortgage is 6.49%, compared with 6.52% a month ago. At this time, there are as many experts predicting a rise in mortgage interest rates for the remainder of 2026 as there are predicting a fall.
Florida Realtors has created the infographic below, helping people understand what helps homes sell faster. In today’s market, every little bit can help.
Manatee County’s single‑family home market in May 2026 showed modest softening across several key indicators. Closed sales dipped slightly, down 0.5% year over year to 782 transactions, while the median sale price declined 3.8% to $460,000, signaling some easing in pricing power. Active inventory also contracted by 12%, leaving 2,832 homes available and suggesting fewer options for buyers compared to last year.
Buyer composition shifted as well, with cash sales making up 27% of all closings, down from 31.2% a year earlier. This decline points to a relative pullback among cash buyers, often investors or second‑home purchasers, compared to traditional financed buyers. Despite softer pricing and fewer cash transactions, the market still showed signs of buyer engagement.
Originally, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) was bullish on a rebound for 2026 existing home sales, with an expected 14% increase in sales when compared to 2025. While there were a lot of drivers for that expectation, I believe two of the main ones were mortgage interest rate declines and pent-up demand from a few years of low sales.