Median Home Prices, Inventory Growth & Buyer Leverage — A Healthier Market Emerges

This chart shows the national median home sales price since 1980, providing critical context for understanding today’s market dynamics. While annual appreciation rates fluctuate, the broader trajectory continues upward.

In 2025, the national median home price increased approximately 1.7% year-over-year, marking a notable deceleration compared to the rapid growth of 2020–2022.

Why Slower Appreciation Is Not a Bad Thing

A slower pace of price growth typically signals:

• Improved affordability

• Reduced speculative activity

• A shift toward end-user buyers rather than investors

  
  

At the same time, housing inventory expanded meaningfully:

• New listings increased ~6% in 2025

• Total active inventory rose ~14% compared to 2024

  
  

Buyers nationally had more choice than at any point in the past five years.

How This Shift Impacts Fort Lauderdale

In Broward County, increased inventory translated into:

• Longer average days on market

• Fewer multiple-offer scenarios

• Greater negotiation power on price, credits, and inspections

  
  

Importantly, this does not indicate falling values. Instead, it reflects a market transitioning from extreme seller dominance toward balance.

Fort Lauderdale buyers are now:

• Taking more time to evaluate neighborhoods

• Prioritizing property condition and insurance costs

• Negotiating more assertively on homes that are overpriced

  
  

Sellers, meanwhile, are being rewarded for:

• Accurate pricing from day one

• Strong presentation and staging

• Professional marketing and exposure

  
  

Markets that rebalance gradually tend to avoid sharp corrections, a key takeaway for both sides.

Written by Lourdes Maestres

The MPH Team – Compass Florida

Weekly Market Insights for Broward & Fort Lauderdale