Everyone Asks...how's the market?
I've watched this market before the storms, during the storms, and now as it rebuilds. If there's one thing I've learned, it's that markets don't move in straight lines—but they do move on. Buyers already have. Sellers need to, too.
Short answer? The Barrier Islands real estate market is doing better than you thought. No, we're not back to the insanity of 2022. Thank God. That market was about as sustainable as my New Year's resolutions.
In 2026, home sales are actually up! Check out the yellow line on the graph. And inventory actually slipped a little. Look at the graph's orange line. Fewer sellers are throwing in the towel and pulling their homes off the market. That's the blue line.
I know that's not the picture the national headlines are painting.
But it IS the picture I'm seeing every day.
One thing I've noticed...
Home sellers are finally accepting that 2022 wasn't "normal." It was weird. Historically low interest rates. Everybody wanted to move to Florida. Buyers were throwing money around like they were on a game show. People were waiving inspections like they'd suddenly developed X-ray vision. People were paying stupid money because they were terrified that if they hesitated, they'd pay even more for the next house. 
That wasn't a normal market.
That was a sugar high.
The problem is, a lot of homeowners were still using it as their benchmark. It's kind of like insisting gas should still be $1.25 because it was that price in 1980.
You can be mad about it, but it doesn't change what you'll pay at the pump.
Real estate works the same way.
Meanwhile...
Want proof the Barrier Islands are changing?
Go for a drive.
Count the cranes.
Count the dumpsters.
Count the porta-potties.
(Actually...don't count the porta-potties. That's gross.)
Like it or not, our little beach communities are changing.
The old one-story block houses? The little fishing cabins?
Disappearing. They're either getting lifted twelve feet into the air...or they're making room for homes built to survive the next hundred years.
Some people hate it.
Some people love it.
Some people manage to do both before lunch.
Where Is Your Property In This Market?
If you're wondering where your home fits into all of this...
Give me a call (727) 496-6112.
I promise not to show up with a 97-page PowerPoint presentation.
We'll look at the numbers, talk about your options, and figure out what makes sense for you. Just an honest conversation about where your property fits in today's market and the best way to get the most for it.
Meanwhile, click below for the same Barrier Islands Market Report I use when advising my own clients. No hype. Just hyper-local data in plain English.
I Want This Month’s Report


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They don’t come in at all.
Beach markets are small. People run into each other. Buyers don’t want to offend a seller and ruin their chance to come back later with better terms.

Ever walk into a home that just feels right? Even before you’ve seen the kitchen or checked the view? That’s not luck. It’s good staging. And yes, scent plays a role in that, but it’s just one part of the pre-listing puzzle.
New to our local market? Welcome to the Barrier Islands, where real estate doesn’t follow the usual playbook.
There's a quiet tug-of-war happening in our market right now — and
At a recent Open House, a couple told me their story. Their 1-story house flooded. They decided to elevate. As it turns out, "just lifting the house" isn't so simple. After wading through the red tape, they found themselves seventh in line with one of the only local companies doing that kind of work.






The Real Story: What’s Selling. What’s Sitting.






