Waterfront Home Market Report for Sellers
Waterfront homes under $1.5 million sell. Above that, most of them wait. 44 of the 71 waterfront sales in the last year were under $1.5 million, and they took a typical 29.5 days. Of the 23 homes for sale at $1.5 million and up, 16 have sat more than 90 days. If your home is in that range, the first price decides more than the water does.
Jim's read
Waterfront buyers will pay for the water. They won't pay for a first price that ignores what sold. Over the last year, waterfront homes that started high and came down sold for 81.9% of their first asking price, after a typical four months. Homes priced right from day one sold for 94.7% in 12 days. Before I priced a waterfront home, I would have the seawall's age and condition, the dock and lift, and the water depth at the dock in writing. Those separate one bayou lot from the next, and the MLS doesn't record depth at all.
Where your house fits
Find your price. That row shows how many waterfront homes you are up against and how fast they sell.
| Your price | For sale | Under contract | Sold in the last 12 months | For sale over 90 days | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under $1,000,000 | 4 | 1 | 25 | 3 | The most sales and the fewest homes for sale. |
| $1,000,000 to $1,499,999 | 11 | 5 | 19 | 6 | Steady. Buyers are here and under contract. |
| $1,500,000 to $1,999,999 | 12 | 2 | 14 | 9 | Crowded. Nearly a year of homes for sale at last year's pace. |
| $2,000,000 to $2,999,999 | 8 | 2 | 10 | 4 | Slow but moving. Each sale is its own negotiation. |
| $3,000,000 and up | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 | Three sales all year. All three for sale have sat over 90 days. |
For sale and under contract go by asking price. Sold goes by sale price.
Know your square footage? Here's the same picture by size.
| Your home's size | Most sold for | Typical sale | Typical days to sell | For sale now | Under contract | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under 2,500 sq ft | $726,000 to $1,030,000 | $866,000 | 6.5 days | 7 | 1 | Fastest waterfront sales. The typical home for sale asks $1,099,000. |
| 2,500 to 2,999 sq ft | $800,000 to $1,260,000 | $980,000 | 31 days | 2 | 3 | Few for sale, three under contract. |
| 3,000 to 3,499 sq ft | $916,000 to $1,685,000 | $1,410,000 | 125 days | 11 | 4 | Slowest size. 7 of 11 for sale have sat over 90 days. |
| 3,500 to 4,499 sq ft | $1,275,000 to $1,890,000 | $1,650,000 | 105 days | 8 | 1 | Long waits. Price against the sales, not the other listings. |
| 4,500 sq ft and up | $2,198,000 to $2,556,000 | $2,475,000 | 46 days | 10 | 1 | Ten for sale against ten sales all year. |
Sales from the last 12 months. "Most sold for" is the middle half of sales.
By water
Bayou homes are most of the market. Bay homes for sale are asking twice what bay homes sold for.
| Water | Sold, 12 months | Typical sale | Typical $/sq ft | Typical days to sell | For sale now | Typical asking price | Under contract |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bayou | 26 | $1,212,500 | $445 | 32 | 22 | $1,496,579 | 5 |
| Bay | 23 | $1,250,000 | $381 | 54 | 9 | $2,499,900 | 2 |
| Sound or Intracoastal | 14 | $1,825,000 | $432 | 59.5 | 7 | $1,775,000 | 3 |
| Gulf or pass | 4 | $1,450,000 | $473 | 45 | 0 | 0 | |
| Canal | 4 | $769,525 | $371 | 19 | 0 | 0 |
Each home is counted once, by the main water it fronts. See how this was measured.
By dock, lift and seawall
| Feature | Sold with it | Typical sale | Typical $/sq ft | Sold without it | Typical sale | Typical $/sq ft |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dock | 59 | $1,250,000 | $430 | 12 | $1,125,000 | $325 |
| Boat lift | 37 | $1,275,000 | $430 | 34 | $1,160,000 | $427 |
| Seawall | 36 | $1,362,500 | $439 | 35 | $1,060,000 | $415 |
Features as listed in the MLS. Homes with and without them also differ in size and location.
By town
| Town | Sold, 12 months | Typical sale | Typical days to sell | Sold vs final list | For sale now | Under contract | For sale over 90 days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Walton Beach | 46 | $1,250,000 | 44.5 | 92.8% | 24 | 7 | 16 |
| Niceville | 19 | $1,250,000 | 54 | 94.5% | 9 | 3 | 5 |
| Shalimar | 6 | $1,312,500 | 3.5 | 97.3% | 5 | 0 | 4 |
Towns follow MLS areas, not city limits. See how this was measured.
What changed since last week
- Waterfront homes for sale fell from 40 to 38. Under contract held at 10.
- Homes for sale over 90 days rose from 24 to 25.
- Sales in the last 30 days rose from 6 to 7.
What it costs to sell here
You choose how you sell. Uber Realty offers three listing options. Here's what each looks like on a $1,250,000 sale, the typical waterfront price over the last 12 months.
| Option | How it works | Listing fee on $1,250,000 |
|---|---|---|
| Done-With-You | 1% listing fee. You and Uber Realty share the work. | $12,500 |
| Done-For-You | 2% listing fee. Jim attends your inspection and appraisal. | $25,000 |
| Simple Fee | A flat fee paid upfront instead of a commission. | Flat fee. Call for the amount. |
The minimum commission is $5,000 on all three options unless the Simple Fee is paid upfront.
Buyer-agent pay, title, taxes, and concessions are separate from the listing fee. All commissions are negotiable.
See exactly who you're up against. Call or text (850) 499-2940 with your address. You'll get the waterfront homes competing with yours, plus a net sheet showing what you'd walk away with.
Call or text (850) 499-2940Seller questions
How fast do waterfront homes sell?
About six weeks. The typical waterfront home sold in the last 12 months took 41 days. Under $1.5 million, it was 29.5 days. At $1.5 million and up, it was 72.
Should I list high and come down?
No. Over the last 12 months, waterfront homes that cut their price sold for 81.9% of their first asking price after a typical 122 days. Homes that never cut sold for 94.7% in 12 days.
Does a dock or seawall change the price?
It shows up in the numbers. Homes with a dock sold for a typical $430 per square foot. Homes without one sold for $325. Homes with a seawall sold for a typical $1,362,500. Homes without one sold for $1,060,000. Location and size differ too, so treat these as a starting point.
How many homes am I competing with?
It depends on your price. Under $1.5 million, 15 homes are for sale against 44 sales last year. At $1.5 million and up, 23 are for sale against 27 sales.
What counts as a waterfront home in this report?
Detached single-family homes in the Niceville and Fort Walton Beach MLS areas listed as fronting a bay, bayou, canal, the Gulf, a pass, a harbor or the Intracoastal Waterway. A water view alone doesn't count.
Full data
Sales by window
| Window | Sales | Typical sale price | Typical $/sq ft | Typical days on market | Sold vs final list | Sold vs original list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 days | 2 | $1,250,000 | $469 | 116 | 90.9% | 88.0% |
| 30 days | 7 | $1,260,000 | $447 | 35 | 102.2% | 101.1% |
| 90 days | 19 | $1,300,000 | $461 | 35 | 96.4% | 93.9% |
| 180 days | 41 | $1,300,000 | $447 | 35 | 93.6% | 90.4% |
| 12 months | 71 | $1,250,000 | $428 | 41 | 93.6% | 88.7% |
| 2026 to date | 54 | $1,267,500 | $427 | 39.5 | 93.4% | 90.1% |
With this few sales, one house moves the short windows. The 12-month row is the one to trust.
Days on market
| Days | Sold, last 12 months | For sale now |
|---|---|---|
| 0 to 15 | 21 | 1 |
| 16 to 30 | 8 | 3 |
| 31 to 60 | 12 | 6 |
| 61 to 90 | 4 | 3 |
| 91 to 180 | 13 | 14 |
| 181+ | 13 | 11 |
Reported MLS days on market. It resets when a home is relisted.
2026 by month
| Month | Sales | Typical sale price | Typical $/sq ft | Typical days on market |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 5 | $1,625,000 | $425 | 38 |
| February | 3 | $1,000,000 | $301 | 72 |
| March | 3 | $900,000 | $362 | 8 |
| April | 3 | $980,000 | $335 | 41 |
| May | 9 | $950,000 | $287 | 33 |
| June | 9 | $1,350,000 | $450 | 54 |
| July | 5 | $1,300,000 | $508 | 29 |
| August | 8 | $1,325,000 | $496 | 53 |
| September | 4 | $1,700,500 | $421 | 26 |
| October (through the 25th) | 5 | $1,260,000 | $447 | 90 |
Three to nine sales a month. Monthly medians swing with whichever homes sold.
Original, final and sold prices, last 12 months
Across 71 sales, the average original asking price was $1,596,700. The average final asking price was $1,512,630. The average sold price was $1,415,754.
How this was measured
Source: Emerald Coast Association of Realtors MLS, through Flexmls, pulled October 25, 2026 at 7:16 PM. Area: Fort Walton Beach and Niceville MLS areas. Filters: residential, detached single-family homes listed as fronting a bay, bayou, canal, the Gulf, a pass, a harbor or the Intracoastal Waterway. Statuses: active, pending, sold, expired, cancelled, coming soon, and temporarily off market. Sold, cancelled, expired, and withdrawn records reach back 400 days.
Records: 164. That's 38 active, 10 pending, 79 sold, 11 expired, 23 cancelled, and 3 temporarily off market. Status counts match the Flexmls CMA report for the same search. 71 of the 79 sales fall in the last 12 months.
Towns: Niceville is MLS area 13, which includes Valparaiso. Shalimar is subarea 1209, Poquito Bayou. Fort Walton Beach is the rest of the Fort Walton Beach MLS area, including Okaloosa Island and subarea 1210. Town counts in earlier editions used a different Shalimar split and don't compare.
Water: many listings name more than one type of water. Each home is counted once, in this order: Gulf or pass, Sound or Intracoastal, bay, bayou, canal. Dock, lift and seawall come from the listing's feature fields. The MLS does not record water depth.
The price-cut comparison uses all 71 sales from the last 12 months: 34 with a cut, 37 without. Homes that cut may also differ in condition or location. The split shows what happened, not every reason why.
One active listing shows an original asking price of $17,750,000, which appears to be an entry error. It does not affect any sold figure.
Days on market is the MLS-reported figure. No records had a negative value this week.
Information deemed reliable but not guaranteed. © 2026 ECARMLS and FBS. Based on information from ECAR for the period October 3, 2025 through October 25, 2026.