Fewer listings, softer prices. What the July numbers say about the coast.

Two things are true at once on the coast right now, and most of the market talk you’ll hear picks one and ignores the other. Here are the numbers, and what I think they mean.

What moved

Per realtor.com’s county research data through July, the median asking price in Baldwin County was $499,450. That is down about 3.9 percent from a year ago. Active listings came in at 2,897, roughly 9 percent fewer than last July. Median time on market was 80 days.

The figure worth sitting with is price per square foot: $322, down about 6 percent year over year. Median price can drift just because the mix of homes for sale changed. Per-foot pricing is closer to what a comparable house actually asks, and it softened more than the headline number did.

Across the line in Escambia County, Florida, the same data put the median at $339,950, with a median 66 days on market.

If you’re buying

Fewer choices, more time. Both at once, which is an unusual combination and worth using. Nine percent less inventory means the well-priced house in the pocket you want may simply not be there this month. An 80-day median means the ones that are there are not moving fast, so you have room to see it twice, order the wind and flood quotes, and read the condo documents before you commit.

About 17.8 percent of Baldwin listings had taken a price cut by July. When roughly one in six sellers has already adjusted, an offer under ask is a normal conversation, not an insult.

If you’re selling

Low inventory does not hand you last year’s price. Asking prices are down year over year and per-foot pricing is down more, so the comparable that sold last summer is not your comparable. Price against what is closing now, not against what your neighbor listed at in 2025 and then cut twice.

The good news in an 80-day market is that being the sharp listing still works. Buyers are looking. They are just not in a hurry, and they can tell the difference.

One caution on all of it: these are countywide numbers, and Fort Morgan is not Fairhope is not Foley. The county tells you the weather, not your forecast.

If you want to see what these numbers look like for your specific street or your specific building, call or text me at (251) 597-5809. No pressure, just honest numbers.