Metropolitan market · Florida · September 2026 data

What is the Lakeland, FL real estate market doing?

As of September 2026, the median home listed in Lakeland, FL asks $329,000, down 3.2% year over year. Homes spend a median of 80 days on market, with 4,801 active listings and 23% carrying a price cut; pending contracts equal 34% of active listings, and inventory sits at 159% of the same month in 2019 — a buyer's market. Estimated gross rental yield on the median listing is 5.5%. Figures come from public records and industry data, updated monthly.

Median listing price
$329,000
▼ 3.2% YoY
Median $ / sq ft
$184
1,807 sq ft median
Median days on market
80
September 2026
Active listings
4,801
For sale now
New listings
1,296
September 2026
Listings with price cuts
23%
Share of active
Inventory vs 2019
159%
Same month, 2019 = 100
Pending / active
34%
Contract activity
Median sale price (closed)
$315,495
▲ 1.1% YoY · closed sales · July 2026
Sale-to-list ratio
97.6%
Closed sales · July 2026, seasonally adjusted
Homes sold / month
1,054
Closed sales · July 2026, seasonally adjusted

What is the Lakeland, FL housing market doing right now?

The Lakeland, FL housing market lists at a $329,000 median as of September 2026, down 3.2% year over year, with an 80-day median market time and 4,801 homes for sale (23% with a price cut). Active inventory is 159% of the 2019 level, reading as a buyer's market under WealthyBud's published buyer/seller rule. Gross rental yield is about 5.5%.

Lakeland housing market statistics

The table summarizes Lakeland's key housing figures for September 2026 — median listing and closed-sale prices, market pace, inventory and rental yield — each computed from public records and industry data. Closed-sale figures are Redfin's July 2026 data, the latest settled month Redfin reports for Lakeland.

Lakeland, FL housing market at a glance — September 2026
MetricLatestDetail
Median listing price$329,000-3.2% YoY
Median price per sq ft$1841,807 sq ft median
Median days on market80-4% YoY
Active listings4,801+1% YoY
New listings this month1,296September 2026
Listings with a price cut23%Share of active
Median sale price (closed)$315,495+1.1% YoY · closed sales, July 2026
Sale-to-list ratio97.6%Closed sales, July 2026, seasonally adjusted
Pending-to-active ratio34.3%1,648 pending
Inventory vs 2019159%Active listings vs same month in 2019
Gross rental yield5.5%2BR fair market rent

How have home prices changed in Lakeland?

Lakeland home prices are down 3.2% year over year and 0.0% month over month as of September 2026, at a $329,000 median listing price. The chart tracks the trailing eight-quarter trend in the metro's median asking price.

$343K$340K$336K$333K Q4'24Q1'25Q2'25Q3'25Q4'25Q1'26Q2'26Q3'26

Median listing price, Lakeland FL · trailing 8 quarters · source: public records and industry data.

The 10-year view
$370K$332K$293K$255K '17'18'19'20'21'22'23'24'25'26

10-year median listing price, Lakeland FL · June of each year, 2017–2026 · source: public records and industry data.

How much inventory is on the market in Lakeland?

Lakeland has 4,801 active listings, 1,296 new this month, 1,648 pending as of September 2026. About 23% of active listings have cut their price, and inventory sits at 159% of its 2019 level — a buyer's market by pace.

Active listings
4,801
New this month
1,296
Pending
1,648
Price-reduced
1,121

Is Lakeland a good real estate investment?

Lakeland scores 44/100 on WealthyBud's composite Investor Score, ranking #574 of 933 covered U.S. metros as of September 2026. The score blends price momentum, value, rental yield, supply and market heat into one percentile. It is a research opinion, not advice.

Investor Score
44/100
#574 of 933 covered metros
12-month outlook
-2.7%
▼ Cooling · model output, not advice
Price volatility
High
σ 10.6% · 20-yr price-index swings
Momentum
57
Value
27
Rental yield
88
Supply risk
92
Market heat
37

Lakeland scores 44/100 on our composite Investor Score (#574 of 933 covered metros), a percentile blend of momentum, value, rental yield, supply and market-heat readings; the metro's long-run house price index has it up 54% over five years and +142% over ten, leaving prices 87% above its own 2000–2019 trend; at the published FY2026 fair market rent of $1,497/mo for a two-bedroom, the gross rental yield on the median listing is about 5.5%; active inventory sits at 159% of its June 2019 level, so supply is fully rebuilt past pre-pandemic norms; listing prices are down 3.2% year over year; all against a national 30-year fixed mortgage rate of 7.28% (national weekly average, 2026-10-01).

Scores are percentile ranks (0–100) across all covered U.S. metros, computed from the public data cited on this page — formulas here. They are data-derived opinions, not investment advice. See how Lakeland ranks on the trending markets index.

How much is a monthly mortgage payment in Lakeland?

A home at Lakeland's $329,000 median listing runs about $1,801 a month in principal and interest — 20% down on a 30-year fixed loan at the current 7.28% national average rate. Taxes, insurance and HOA are extra.

If rates fall 1% · 6.28%
$1,626/mo
−$175/mo vs today
At today's rate · 7.28%
$1,801/mo
National weekly average
If rates rise 1% · 8.28%
$1,983/mo
+$182/mo vs today

Principal & interest on the $329,000 median listing with 20% down and a 30-year fixed loan — excludes taxes, insurance and HOA. Current rate: 7.28% (national weekly average, 2026-10-01). Model a full deal in the deal analyzer.

How much income do you need to buy a home in Lakeland?

To buy Lakeland’s $329,000 median listing with 20% down, a household needs about $86,000 a year in gross income, keeping principal, interest and property tax ($2,004/mo) at 28% of income. That is 1.3× the area’s $63,644 median household income, so a typical Lakeland household cannot afford the median listing on these terms.

Income needed to buy the median home in Lakeland, FL — September 2026
ItemAmountBasis
Median listing price$329,000September 2026
Down payment (20%)$65,800Assumption
Principal & interest (7.28%, 30-yr fixed)$1,801/moRate as of 2026-10-01
Property tax (0.74% effective rate)$203/moCensus ACS
Income needed (28% rule)$86,000Gross household income / yr
Median household income$63,644Census ACS 2023 ACS 5-year

Excludes homeowners insurance, HOA dues and mortgage insurance, so the true income needed is higher. Compare every market in the income-needed ranking and the price-to-income ranking.

What is driving the Lakeland housing market?

Longer-run demand in Lakeland shows up in 8,098 homes permitted in 2025; net migration of +18,556 residents; +1.3% job growth. Natural-hazard risk rates Relatively High. These federal supply-pipeline, migration and jobs signals shape where prices head next.

Building permits (2025)
8,098
▼ 22.0% vs 2024
10.6 per 1,000 residents
Net migration (2022–2023)
+18,556
▲ people, via tax-return records
net income flow +$590.5M/yr
Job growth (YoY)
+1.3%
▲ 283.4k nonfarm jobs · August 2026
Natural-hazard risk
Relatively High
National hazard index · top hazard: Hurricane

Based on public government records — building-permit, tax-return migration, employment and natural-hazard statistics, aggregated to the metro. Details on /methodology.

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Lakeland housing market FAQ

What is the median home price in Lakeland?
As of September 2026, the median listing price in Lakeland, FL is $329,000, down 3.2% year over year (source: public records and industry data). Figures cover the Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL metro area.
How much does it cost to buy a home in Lakeland?
The median home listed in Lakeland asks $329,000 as of September 2026. With 20% down on a 30-year fixed loan at the current 7.28% national average rate, that runs about $1,801 a month in principal and interest, before taxes, insurance and HOA.
How fast are homes selling in Lakeland?
The median property in Lakeland spends 80 days on the market, with 4,801 homes actively listed and 23% of them carrying a price cut — a buyer's market as of September 2026.
Is it a buyer's or seller's market in Lakeland?
With a median 80 days on market and 23% of active listings carrying a price cut, pending contracts at 34% of active listings, Lakeland reads as a buyer's market as of September 2026. Labels use WealthyBud's published DOM / sale-to-list / price-cut / pending rule. Conditions shift monthly.
Is Lakeland a good place to invest in real estate?
Lakeland scores 44/100 on WealthyBud's Investor Score, ranking #574 of 933 covered U.S. metros as of September 2026. The score blends price momentum, value, rental yield, supply and market heat. It is a data-derived research opinion, not investment advice.
Who are the top real estate agents in Lakeland?
See WealthyBud directories for the top-producing agents, teams and brokerages serving Lakeland and the wider Florida market, ranked by recent sales from public profile data.
Based on public records and industry data, September 2026 — see our methodology for how every figure is computed. Figures cover the Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL metro area. Figures change monthly — verify current conditions with a local agent or MLS. Portions of market data courtesy of Realtor.com and Redfin; additional statistics from U.S. government sources.

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Samuel Okonkwo Property Investment Analyst

Samuel Okonkwo is a property investment analyst who covers cap rates, cash-flow modeling and rental-property ROI for single-family and small multifamily investors. He builds his models from public rent and price data to help readers compare markets objectively.

Editorial persona: WealthyBud bylines are editorial personas, not real individuals. Pages are produced by the WealthyBud research team from the public data cited on each page.