Greater Orlando Real Estate Market Update | September 28, 2026

September 28, 2026

Buyers Remain Selective — But the Market Is Still Getting Deals Done

Last week, I said the balance we had been seeing in the Greater Orlando housing market was beginning to be tested as buyers became more selective.

This week's numbers give us an interesting follow-up.

Buyer activity did not rebound, but it also didn't decline any further. At the same time, closed sales jumped significantly, price reductions moved lower, and more homes returned to the market.

So, are we seeing the market stabilize as we head into October, or are buyers gradually gaining more leverage?

The answer isn't completely clear yet—but the trends we're seeing are worth watching.

This Week's Market Snapshot

For the seven-day period ending September 28th, residential activity in my immediate Southwest Orlando market area showed:

• 150 New Listings
• 135 Pending Sales
• 151 Closed Sales
• 223 Price Reductions
• 31 Price Increases
• 54 Back on Market

There are a few important stories behind those numbers.

Buyer Activity Has Stabilized — For Now

Pending sales continue to be one of the most important numbers I'm watching.

At the end of August, we saw 178 homes go pending in a single week. Since then, buyer activity has cooled.

Pending sales moved into the mid-150s during early September before falling to 135 last week.

This week, we're still at 135.

That's significant because buyers didn't come rushing back into the market, but we also didn't see another decline.

Meanwhile, new listings increased slightly from 147 last week to 150 this week.

That gives us 150 new listings versus 135 pending sales.

Compare that with the week of September 14th, when we had 161 new listings and 160 pending sales—essentially perfect one-for-one balance.

We're no longer seeing that.

The difference isn't large enough for me to call this a major market shift, but it does suggest that buyers have become more selective and that inventory has a little more opportunity to build.

Closed Sales Just Rebounded Sharply

This may be the most surprising number in this week's report.

Closed sales increased from 114 last week to 151 this week.

That's an increase of approximately 32.5% in one week.

Closed sales had fallen from 154 at the end of August to just 114 last week. This week's rebound essentially brings us back to where we were about a month ago.

It's important to remember that closed sales are a backward-looking indicator. Most of these contracts were negotiated weeks ago, so 151 closings doesn't necessarily mean buyer demand suddenly surged this week.

What it does tell us is something equally important:

Deals are still getting done.

This is not a market where buyers have disappeared or transactions have stopped.

Price Reductions Are Moving Lower Again

We're also seeing an encouraging development with price reductions.

Price reductions peaked at 292 in late August and have generally been trending lower since then.

After briefly increasing to 241 last week, they fell to 223 this week, a decline of approximately 7.5%.

That's also the lowest weekly level we've recorded during this recent stretch.

But there's an important distinction.

We still had 223 price reductions compared with only 31 price increases.

So pricing pressure hasn't disappeared.

Instead, I think this reinforces something we've been discussing for several weeks: buyers are extremely focused on value.

A property that is priced appropriately for its condition and competition can still generate attention.

A property that's priced ahead of the market may find buyers perfectly willing to wait.

Back on Market Is the Number I'm Watching

Not everything improved this week.

Homes returning to the market increased from 35 two weeks ago to 47 last week and now 54 this week.

That's two consecutive increases, and 54 is the highest level we've seen since the spike to 63 in early August.

There are many reasons a property can return to the market, so I don't want to speculate about what's driving those numbers.

But the combination is worth watching.

We have softer pending activity while more homes are returning to the market.

If back-on-market activity continues rising over the next couple of weeks while pending sales remain around current levels, that could provide stronger evidence that buyers are gaining additional leverage.

For now, I consider it something to watch—not something to overreact to.

What Does This Mean for Sellers?

The good news for sellers is straightforward:

Homes are still selling.

We had 151 closings in just the past seven days.

But buyers aren't simply chasing whatever comes onto the market.

They're comparing properties. They're paying attention to condition. They're watching price reductions. And they're making decisions based on perceived value.

That's why I continue to believe this isn't the market to start significantly above the competition just to "see what happens."

That doesn't mean you automatically need to discount your home.

It means you need to understand today's competition and make sure your price, condition, presentation and marketing work together from the beginning.

The first few weeks on the market still matter.

What Does This Mean for Buyers?

For buyers, this continues to be an interesting environment.

We had slightly more new listings than homes going pending this week. There were still 223 price reductions, and we're seeing more properties return to the market.

Those conditions can create negotiating opportunities.

But having leverage doesn't mean having no competition.

135 homes still went under contract this week.

A well-priced home in good condition can still attract attention quickly.

My advice remains:

Be patient on the wrong house—but be prepared on the right one.

The Bigger Picture Heading Into October

At the beginning of September, our weekly numbers were showing almost perfect balance between new inventory and buyer activity.

By last week, that balance was beginning to be tested.

This week gives us a little more clarity, but not enough to declare a major directional shift.

Pending activity remains softer than it was at the end of August, but it didn't decline further.

Closed sales rebounded significantly.

Price reductions moved to their lowest level in this recent stretch.

At the same time, more homes are returning to the market.

Taken together, I would describe the current environment as an active, increasingly selective and price-sensitive market.

The Bottom Line

Buyers remain selective—but the market is still getting deals done.

As we move into October, I'm going to be paying especially close attention to pending sales and homes coming back on the market.

If pending activity starts climbing back toward the levels we saw earlier in September while fewer properties return to the market, that would point toward stabilization.

If pending sales remain around current levels while more properties continue coming back onto the market, that could be an early indication of additional buyer leverage heading deeper into the fall.

Either way, the biggest lesson from the past several weeks hasn't changed:

Price and positioning continue to separate the homes that move from the homes that sit.

These seven-day numbers reflect residential activity in my immediate Southwest Orlando market area. Individual communities, neighborhoods and price points throughout Greater Orlando can behave very differently.

If you're curious about the Greater Orlando real estate market or would like to know what's happening in your specific neighborhood, reach out anytime. I'd be happy to provide a personalized market analysis and help you understand what today's market means for your home or your next move.