Fort Lauderdale Real Estate Market Update: Q3 2025 Condos and Townhomes
Fort Lauderdale Real Estate Market Update: Q3 2025 Condos and Townhomes
Executive Summary
The third quarter 2025 data for Fort Lauderdale condos and townhomes is in, and some of it may surprise you:
Sales are up year-over-year (138 vs 102 units)
Average time to sell: 75 days
Current supply: 10 months of inventory
Market condition: Firmly in buyer's market territory
This comprehensive analysis will help buyers and sellers make smarter, more informed real estate decisions in the Fort Lauderdale condo and townhome market.
Key Metrics for Condos and Townhomes Median Sold Price: $430,500
Year-over-Year Comparison: Down from $485,000 last year
Why This Metric Has Limited Value: Fort Lauderdale has extremely divergent property types:
Properties west of I-95
Intracoastal properties
Beachfront properties
These represent wildly different price points. The chart shows how volatile this number is—it's difficult to draw meaningful conclusions from such a zigzagging pattern. Based on the number of sales and types of real estate in Fort Lauderdale, this metric shouldn't be heavily weighted in your analysis.
Total Properties Sold: 138 Units
Year-over-Year Comparison: Up from 102 sales in September 2024 (35% increase)
Breaking Through the Doom and Gloom: If you're in the camp that believes condos and townhomes are cratering in South Florida because "that's what the news says," the data tells a different story for Fort Lauderdale.
Market Context:
We've been bouncing between 100-200 sales for a couple of years
This is slower than COVID times (when we hit around 400 sales)
This represents a more normal, stabilized market
Historical Perspective: If we could look further back on this chart, you'd see this is what our market has looked like for a long time.
What 138 Sales Tells Us: Things aren't as bad as some people think, but we're definitely not in "crazy go wild COVID times." This is a normalized condo market for Fort Lauderdale.
List to Sales Price Ratio: ~94%
What This Means:
For Buyers: Lower percentages mean more negotiation room
For Sellers: Higher percentages mean less need to discount
This metric represents the percentage of the original listing price (not adjusted for price reductions) that properties actually sell for.
Current Negotiation Reality: Properties are selling about 6% off list price on average
Setting Realistic Expectations:
If you're a buyer expecting 15% off list: Probably a tough task
If you're a seller expecting everyone to pay full list: Probably a tough task
Market Trend: The chart shows a downtrend—there is negotiation happening in this market.
Critical Advice for Sellers:
You have the ability to sell now
You DON'T have the ability to sell at aspirational pricing
If given a price parameter and you go to the top of that range, it likely won't sell (unless there's something exceptional about the property)
You must be realistic with pricing
Even with realistic pricing, expect people to negotiate
Remember: List price is just an invitation to get people to view your property and make an offer—the sale price is what really matters
Median Days on Market: 75 Days
What This Measures: Time from active listing to pending contract (NOT pending to close)
Reality Check: On average, it takes 75 days (about 2.5 months) to get a condo or townhome from market listing to accepted contract.
For Sellers: If you list your property and have no offers after 30 days, don't panic. You've likely just set your market expectations a bit poorly. This is normal in the current market.
Year-over-Year Analysis: Last year at this time showed 47 days, which was an anomaly. That number didn't make sense and was likely influenced by zero-day preconstruction deals getting loaded into the system, dragging down the averages.
Overall Trend: Days on market has been trending upward.
Has This Trend Peaked? Possibly yes. More sellers are becoming realistic about pricing and what they need to do to get properties sold. As reality works its way through the market, days on market should improve because:
Sellers will come to market at appetizing price levels
Buyers will say "I don't have to keep looking, let me make an offer"
Properties will move faster when properly priced
Median Price Per Square Foot: $375
Why This Metric Has Limited Application: This number has been relatively level for a couple of years with not much movement.
Market Reality: Nicer properties are selling, and people are paying more for move-in ready condition.
The Location Problem:
Want to buy something beachfront for $375/sq ft? Tough sell
Want to buy something west of I-95 for $375/sq ft? Let's go shopping
This is why price per square foot isn't really applicable in Fort Lauderdale—location dramatically changes everything.
Total Dollar Volume
Current Status: Level for the last couple of years
Why This Metric Is Unreliable: This statistic can easily get skewed when preconstruction buildings start loading sales into the system.
Upcoming Impact: There are many condos and townhomes now selling preconstruction along the beach that will be loaded into the data in coming months. We'll see a spike in volume when those sales get recorded.
Recommendation: Don't put much weight into this metric.
Months of Supply: 10 Months
This is the most important metric. If you show me this slide more than anything else, I'll tell you what the real estate market is doing in a given area.
Why Supply and Demand Matters Most: What matters more than supply and demand? Seriously.
Understanding the Metric:
More supply = Better for buyers
Less supply = Better for sellers
National Benchmark:
6 months of supply: Market neutral (favors neither buyers nor sellers)
Less than 6 months: Favors sellers
More than 6 months: Favors buyers
Current Market Reality: At 10 months of supply, we are firmly in a buyer's market for condos and townhomes in Fort Lauderdale.
What's Been Happening: Seller fatigue has set in. Sellers have been "picking up their ball and going home," saying "I don't like what the market's doing, I'm not going to participate." This is exactly what was predicted, and supply has been coming down as a result.
The Truth About Selling Condos/Townhomes: It is a tough, very challenging market for sellers right now. There are some bright spots, but overall, it's difficult.
Is the Sky Falling? No. You won't get me to buy that narrative.
Opportunities for Buyers:
There are good deals available
It's a good time to be a buyer
You can negotiate well on many properties, including well-located ones
You'll likely look back in 5-10 years and say "that was a pretty good deal"
Fort Lauderdale's Geographic Advantage: We are geographically constrained. If you've driven around, there isn't much room left to build. Vacant land is non-existent. What exists is what you get. When something gets knocked down and rebuilt, it just gets more expensive.
Key Takeaways
Sales volume is up 35% year-over-year despite negative media narratives
Expect ~6% negotiation off list price as the market average
75 days to contract is normal—don't panic if your property doesn't sell in 30 days
10 months of supply firmly favors buyers with significant negotiation leverage
Realistic pricing is essential for sellers who want to transact
Long-term value remains strong due to geographic constraints and limited new supply
Market Positioning
For Buyers
Strong negotiating position with 10 months of supply
More time to make decisions (75-day average)
Good deals available on well-located properties
Likely good long-term value given supply constraints
For Sellers
Must price realistically—aspirational pricing won't work
Expect negotiation even when priced correctly
Market is challenging but transactions are happening
Properties with exceptional features or condition have advantages
Important Context
This analysis covers condos and townhomes only. Single family homes show very different market dynamics and require separate analysis. These are distinct marketplaces with different supply/demand characteristics.
Biggest Mistakes to Avoid
Buyers: Paying too much for a property
Sellers: Leaving money on the table or pricing unrealistically
For personalized guidance on buying or selling condos or townhomes in the Fort Lauderdale market, contact Casey at 786-443-7203 or casey@[email].com. Coffee or cocktails are the best way to get to know one another.
Market data reflects Q3 2025 Fort Lauderdale condo and townhome sales
