Sarasota Real Estate Market Report – August 2026

The Sarasota real estate market showed several encouraging signs in August, led by lower inventory, faster sales, and continued strength in the luxury and waterfront segments.

While prices were relatively stable compared with last year, buyers had fewer properties to choose from than they did in August 2025. At the same time, homes that sold moved to contract considerably faster.

And at the top of the market, Sarasota’s waterfront lifestyle continued to command attention: 8 of the 10 highest-priced sales in the coastal region were waterfront properties, including the month’s top sale—a Bird Key waterfront estate that closed for $10.5 million.

Sarasota Luxury Real Estate Remains Active

Luxury real estate continued to account for a significant portion of Sarasota County’s August activity.

The month saw 78 single-family sales of $1 million or more. That included:

• 23 sales from $1 million to $1.249 million
• 13 sales from $1.25 million to $1.499 million
• 19 sales from $1.5 million to $1.999 million
• 13 sales from $2 million to $2.999 million
• 7 sales from $3 million to $4.999 million
• 2 sales from $5 million to $9.999 million
• 1 sale of $10 million or more

Waterfront Real Estate Dominates Sarasota’s Top Sales

The luxury market tells an even more interesting story when you look specifically at Sarasota’s highest-priced properties.

Eighty percent of the 10 sales in the coastal region during August were waterfront properties.

That concentration reinforces the premium buyers continue to place on Sarasota’s coastal lifestyle. Bird Key, Longboat Key, Lido Key, Siesta Key and Sarasota’s other waterfront neighborhoods offer something that cannot simply be replicated. Direct access to Sarasota Bay and the Gulf, boating, water views, and proximity to the area’s beaches and cultural amenities are hard to beat!

Scarcity also matters. Premier waterfront property is finite, especially homes with desirable water frontage, views, and boating access.

For luxury buyers, that means evaluating more than price per square foot. Water depth, bridge restrictions, dockage, seawall condition, boating access, view orientation, lot position, and proximity to the Gulf can create substantial value differences between properties that may initially appear comparable.

New Construction Continues to Drive Golf Community Sales

New construction remains another important part of the Sarasota-area real estate market, particularly for buyers looking for golf and resort-style communities.

Some of the region’s most active new-home development is occurring in and around Lakewood Ranch and Wellen Park, which continue to rank among the country’s top-selling master-planned communities. Through the first half of 2026, Lakewood Ranch recorded 1,064 new-home contracts while Wellen Park recorded 727, up 37% from the same period last year.

Golf communities are contributing to that activity as well.

In Wellen Park Golf & Country Club, new construction has accounted for a significant share of recent closings as Lennar continues building out the bundled golf community. An analysis of recorded sales through the first half of the year found that approximately 65% of sales during the preceding 12 months were new construction.

New construction is also an important part of the golf market farther north in the Lakewood Ranch area, including communities such as Esplanade at Azario, where buyers continue to have both new-build and quick-move-in opportunities. Current offerings span a wide range of home sizes and price points.

For golf buyers, however, comparing new construction with resale requires looking beyond the home price.

Builder incentives, closing-cost contributions, and financing incentives can affect the true cost of a new home. Just as important are the golf membership structure, initiation or capital fees, annual dues, membership availability, and the timing of future amenities.

A resale home may offer upgrades, an established neighborhood, and immediate access to club amenities, while new construction gives buyers the opportunity to select a newer home and, in some cases, take advantage of builder incentives.

That is why we help our clients compare new construction and resale side by side. The goal isn’t simply to determine which house costs less. It’s to determine which home, golf membership, and community best fit how they plan to live.