Florida markets show housing mismatch despite more inventory
Most Florida metros still show a significant gap between available home listings and local household incomes, despite inventory gains, according to a new NAR affordability analysis.
Florida buyers may be seeing more homes for sale, but many still are not finding homes that match what they can afford, according to a new National Association of Realtors® and Realtor.com® report.
The Housing Mismatch report found that the national market’s Listing-Income Alignment Score reached 74.9% in March 2026, up from 66.7% a year earlier but still below the pre-pandemic baseline of 84.4%.
The score measures how well available listings match local household incomes. A score of 100% means listings are well aligned with buyer incomes. At 75%, buyers have about three-quarters of the options they would have in a balanced market. Anything below 70% signals a significant or severe shortage of affordable listings.
According to the NAR report, several Florida metros improved from 2025, but most still showed a mismatch between available listings and what local households can afford:
- Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville: 80.1%, a mild mismatch
- Jacksonville: 77.6%, a moderate shortage
- Lakeland-Winter Haven: 77.1%, a moderate shortage
- Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater: 72.9%, a moderate shortage
- Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford: 72.8%, a moderate shortage
- Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach: 68.8%, a significant shortage
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach: 67.0%, a significant shortage
- North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota: 66.8%, a significant shortage
- Cape Coral-Fort Myers: 66.1%, a significant shortage
The report says the issue is not just the number of homes for sale, but whether those homes are priced for the buyers in the market.
“A market with abundant listings priced for high earners and a shortage of listings priced for middle- and lower-income households is not well supplied, even if its total inventory is rising,” the report said.
The data frames pricing and affordability conversations. Sellers may need local income and sales data, not just active-listing counts, to understand buyer limits. Buyers may need help widening searches, comparing financing options and identifying homes where negotiation is realistic.
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