Wait, summer’s over? Almost. While August is still hot and plenty of families will continue flocking to the beach through Labor Day, it’s also a transition month. By the end of August, families with school-aged kids will pack up their beach chairs and head into a new school year.
As the heavy summer season gives way to the shoulder season, we will naturally see a slowdown. Smaller, slightly older travel groups will replace families with young kids. How you handle the next few months can be the difference between your year-in-review ending with an exclamation point or just a period!
What Owners, Buyers, and Sellers Need to Consider
Whether holding or selling, owners need to shift their mindset from “putting heads in beds” to cleanup, maintenance, and positioning property for future success.
High SaleAbility Score Wins
Looking back at past market shifts, one thing is clear: early buyers move on properties that “make sense” – they have high SaleAbility Scores. That means properties which are in great condition with outstanding views and amenities, or the numbers work right out of the box win. Have that as a seller, and you can expect a quick sale, a good price, and maybe multiple offers. Without it, expect your Days on Market to pile up alongside pressure to lower the price.
What The Stats Don’t Show… Yet
The “feeling” I am talking about is like peaking out from behind the curtain to see what’s happening. Right now we are seeing two primary indicators that indicate buyer activity is picking up. We are too early in the cycle for the results to show up in the stats but I can assure you… the market is moving.
The first indicator comes from Jackson’s Deal of the Week. A couple of weeks ago, I asked Jackson Stanford, our buyer specialist, to comb the MLS — not just our listings, the entire MLS and every off-market property we’re watching — for a “good deal” they could actually defend: numbers that truly work, or a location, amenities, and interior package that’s demonstrably underpriced. We posted it here in our weekly market report.
You’d be surprised by the response we got and are still getting. Our buyer’s agent is still fielding inquiries.
To be clear, the buyers are looking for properties that work as an investment — a diamond in the rough, or a genuine one-of-a-kind. There aren’t a lot of them out there right now. But there are always some.
Creative Financing – DSCR Loans
I made a video about DSCR loans — how investors use them to buy vacation homes and condos here at the beach by leveraging the property’s rental history instead of the investor’s personal financial history. It’s ideal for business owners with cash for a down payment but not a lot of income showing on paper, or investors who want to protect their debt-to-income ratio.
That video has almost 40,000 views and dozens of inquiries from investors wanting to use a DSCR loan to buy here.
Thinking about a DSCR loan for your next purchase?
Get the DSCR Buyer’s Guide and see if it’s a fit.
The Listings for Sale Right Now – Supply?
One of the biggest misconceptions in today’s market is that every listing represents a motivated seller.
It doesn’t.
From what we’re seeing, most owners fall into one of four groups.
Low or No Motivation. These owners often get cold feet once the property is listed. We’ve seen sellers reject full-price offers and then pull the listing from the market entirely.
High Motivation…If. They’ll sell—but only for a premium. If the property is unique, they may get it. They’re comfortable pricing high and waiting.
High Motivation, But… These owners genuinely want to sell, but they need more money than today’s market is willing to pay.
The “Good Enough” Group. The property rents well enough, the owner isn’t under financial pressure, and they don’t have to sell. But if the right offer comes along, they’ll gladly move on. In my opinion, this represents the largest group of sellers in today’s market.
Why Does This Matter?
Because inventory and opportunity aren’t the same thing.
A market may have hundreds of listings, but only a fraction of those owners are truly motivated to sell. Understanding who you’re negotiating with helps buyers recognize where opportunities exist and helps sellers develop a strategy based on today’s market—not yesterday’s.
That’s exactly why we created the SaleAbility Analysis.
Traditional market valuations tell you what your property may be worth. The SaleAbility Analysis goes a step further by evaluating how buyers are likely to view your property in today’s market. It helps identify your property’s strengths, potential weaknesses, and the strategy most likely to produce the best result.
Are Prices Really Dropping?
If you’ve been following the news over the past three years, you would have every reason to believe property here at the beach should be in freefall.
Mortgage rates climbed to levels we hadn’t seen in years. Insurance costs surged. Condominium owners faced new reserve funding requirements. Economic uncertainty caused many buyers to step back and wait.
Given all of that, most people expected prices to fall.
And they did – kind of, but nowhere near what was expected.
The reality is far more nuanced.
Single-family homes have remarkably remained in the black across much of our market. Condominiums have experienced a more meaningful correction, largely reflecting higher ownership costs and changing buyer expectations. Still nothing like we saw after the Great Recession.
Here’s how the major markets compare with their previous peak.
What Does It All Mean?
After more than 20 years and 1,500+ transactions, I’ve learned something important:
The market changes before the statistics do.
By the time the monthly reports confirm a trend, the best opportunities are often already behind us. That’s why I spend as much time talking to buyers and sellers as I do studying the numbers.
Here’s what we’re seeing right now: buyers are back.
Not every buyer. Not every property.
But buyers with confidence are stepping off the sidelines and competing for the best homes and condos. Well-priced, move-in-ready properties are attracting offers quickly, while average properties continue to sit.
That’s how every market begins to turn.
It doesn’t happen all at once.
It starts with the best properties.
Then momentum spreads.
I believe that’s exactly where we are today. If I’m right, the headlines won’t recognize it until months from now. By then, the best buying opportunities may already be gone.
That’s why we created the SaleAbility Analysis.
The question isn’t simply, “What’s my property worth?”
The real question is:
“Will today’s buyers see my property as one of the winners?”
Final Thoughts
Whether you’re buying, selling, or holding, our job is to help you see your real position clearly — not guess at it. That’s especially true right now, in a market where the old safety nets (predictable pricing, predictable demand) have thinned out on both sides.
Get your SaleAbility Score above, or reach our team directly at 850-654-3325 to talk through where you stand.
John Moran – CEO
The Smart Beach Investor | Keller Williams Realty At The Beach Team