Market Trends — Orlando, Florida

Orlando's residential real estate market sits within a broader metropolitan economy that added 37,500 jobs in 2024, according to the Orlando Economic Partnership. That employment expansion has maintained steady housing demand even as supply conditions have shifted notably toward buyers relative to the tight markets of the early 2020s.

As of March 2026, the Orlando Regional REALTOR® Association (ORRA) reports a median closed sale price of $385,000, reflecting a 3.8% year-over-year increase from March 2025. Active inventory stood at 12,010 listings, and months of supply reached 5.09 — a figure that ORRA describes as consistent with a more balanced market after years of historically constrained supply. Days on market averaged 77 in March 2026, a modest improvement from 83 days recorded in February 2026.

The Orlando market's current median price of $385,000 in March 2026 represents an increase from the $380,313 median recorded by ORRA in December 2024. Redfin corroborates the upward price trend while also documenting the sharp rise in active listings that has accompanied it. For broader context, the U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimated a median home value of $359,000 for the city, underscoring how much values have moved in the intervening period.

Months of supply — the standard measure of how long current inventory would last at the prevailing sales pace — fluctuated between 7.19 in January 2026 and 5.09 in March 2026, according to ORRA data. A reading above 6.0 months is conventionally associated with buyer-favorable conditions, while a reading below 3.0 months typifies seller-favorable markets. The January 2026 figure placed Orlando clearly in buyer-favorable territory for that month, while the March 2026 reading moved the market closer to equilibrium. Houzeo characterizes the current environment as a transitional market where sellers are achieving moderate price gains but buyers retain meaningfully more negotiating leverage than they did during the 2021–2022 period.

Days on market averaged 78 in December 2024, held at 83 in February 2026, and improved to 77 in March 2026, according to ORRA. That trajectory suggests some seasonal strengthening in absorption but remains well above the sub-30-day pace that characterized the pandemic-era Orlando market.

The rental side of Orlando's housing market has experienced a measurable softening relative to peak pandemic-era rents, though costs remain elevated relative to local incomes. As of March 2026, RentCafe documents an average apartment rent of $1,782, while an all-property median — including single-family rentals — runs approximately $1,900 to $1,950 per month, according to data aggregated by Zumper and local market analysis from Ackley Florida. For comparison, the ACS 2023 reported a median gross rent of $1,650, indicating that market-rate asking rents have continued to drift upward since that survey period.

Ackley Florida's 2026 analysis describes the rental market as a cooling market with ongoing affordability challenges — new apartment supply delivered in 2024 and 2025 has tempered year-over-year rent growth, yet the absolute cost of renting continues to outpace wage growth for a significant share of Orlando households. The ACS 2023 estimated Orlando's median household income at $69,268, a figure that places a $1,900 monthly rent at roughly 33% of gross median household income — above the 30% threshold conventionally used to define housing cost burden.

Orlando's affordability deficit is documented at the national level. The National Low Income Housing Coalition's 2025 Gap Report, as reported by Central Florida Public Media, ranked the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford metropolitan statistical area 6th worst in the nation for affordable housing availability. Florida as a whole, the report documents, offers only 26 affordable units per 100 extremely low-income renters — a structural shortfall that has persisted across multiple housing cycles.

Orange County Mayor Jerry L. Demings identified affordable housing as a priority theme in his 2025 State of the County address, according to Orange County Government and coverage by WKMG-TV (ClickOrlando). The affordability gap is not limited to the lowest income tier: the combination of a $385,000 median home price, prevailing mortgage rates above 6%, and a median household income of $69,268 places homeownership at or beyond the financial reach of a large share of Orlando's workforce. The ACS 2023 reported that 62.5% of Orlando's occupied housing units were renter-occupied, one of the highest renter-majority shares among Florida's major cities, reflecting in part the structural cost pressures that make owner-occupancy difficult to attain.

Several large-scale development projects are expected to influence Orlando's housing supply in 2026 and beyond, as documented by local market analysts and news coverage. The Creative Village Phase 2 project, a mixed-use redevelopment near downtown Orlando, is planned at an estimated $600 million and encompasses more than 1,100 housing units alongside a 180-room hotel, according to analysis published by Jared Jones Real Estate. The Westcourt project, located near the Amway Center arena in downtown Orlando, was reported on track for a 2026 completion as of late 2025, according to Fox 35 Orlando.

Demolition of the former Orlando Sentinel site — a 20-acre parcel in downtown Orlando — was underway as of late 2025, clearing ground for future mixed-use development. In adjacent Osceola County, the Cross Prairie master-planned community is scheduled to begin construction in 2026 on a 1,400-acre site, with national builders Lennar, David Weekley, Meritage, and Beazer among the confirmed participants, according to Jared Jones Real Estate. The Wellness Way development in the Clermont area, described as health-focused with smart-home features and fitness trail infrastructure, represents another significant supply addition anticipated for the broader metro market. The Fox 35 Orlando reporting also notes a $5 billion Central Florida Expressway Authority infrastructure plan that includes new road corridors — State Road 516 and State Road 534 among them — which are expected to open additional land for residential development across the metro area.