Destin condo prices are down 3% this year. Destin home prices are up nearly 26%. Same town, same six months — two completely different markets, and if you own beach property here, which one you’re in changes everything about your next move.
I’ve been selling real estate in Destin, Ft. Walton Beach, Miramar Beach, and Sandestin for more than 20 years, and true negotiation — where both sides actually have to work for the deal — is rare here. It’s happening right now. I don’t expect it to last.
The condo market:
Closings are down 3.7% year-over-year, median price is down 3.0% (from $500,000 to $485,000), and new listings are down 4.5%. Higher mortgage rates and SIRS reserve requirements are pushing real costs up, and the market is responding.
- If you own: This isn’t a summer for passive ownership. Audit your HOA’s reserve funding now. A building with fully-funded reserves holds value; one under 30% funding should be preparing owners for a special assessment.
- If you’re buying: You have leverage. Ask for the building’s SIRS report and reserve balances before you fall for the view. Longer days-on-market means room to negotiate.
- If you’re selling: Speed is rewarded. Price 3-5% below your most ambitious competitor from day one — a listing that sits gets labeled “stale,” and buyers assume something’s wrong.
The home market:
A completely different story. Closings up 14.8%, median price up 25.9% (from $895,000 to $1,127,000). This is a genuine seller’s market, no assessments, no reserve risk.
- If you own: You’re sitting on a real wealth event. Worth knowing the exact number, even if you’re staying put.
- If you’re buying: Bring deep pockets and move fast — other buyers are competing for the same homes.
- If you’re selling: This is your window to capture peak dollar volume.
Every one of these situations comes back to the same question: is your specific property in the tier that’s winning this market, or the tier that needs a strategy? A CMA can’t answer that — ask three realtors, get three different opinions. The SaleAbility Score uses consistent data instead: rental performance, booking history, building health, location. Same inputs, same result, every time.