Market Report

Preseason data points to a busy summer

The temperature is going up. The lake level is going up. The activity at local restaurants and clubs is going up. Traffic count on local highways is going up. Preseason sales activity is going up too. Sounds like this might be a busy summer for Lake Martin real estate.

We have recently compiled data for the waterfront property sales for the 12-month period ending on March 31, 2025. We then compared those results to the same period last year, and like the lake level, restaurant activity, and traffic counts, all the key market metrics are moving up.

Here is a look at a few of the market metrics we track on a monthly basis:

Key Data for the most 12-month period ending March 31, 2025:

• WF Residential sales volume up 11.8% to $338,718,195 from $302,868,847 last year.
• WF Residential property unit sales up 5.2% to 265 units from 252 last year
• WF Residential average sales price up 6.4% to $1,278,182 from $1,201,182 last year
• WF Residential median price up 5.8% to $965,000 from $912,500 last year
• WF Lot volume up 12.1% to $68,268,751 from $60,897,659 last year
• WF Lot average price up 13.5% to $822,515 from $724,972 last year

A look at the overall market volume for residential waterfront property shows that we are experiencing a very healthy rebound after the COVID peak of 2021. The chart below shows sales volume dating back to 2015. As you can see, while the recent volume is a bit lower than in 2021, the current volume is significantly higher than the normal “pre-COVID” period.

What we expect

A deeper dive into the metrics shows that for-sale inventory is slightly higher for residential waterfront as compared to last year (149 properties now verses 112 last year). This additional inventory provides more choices for a potential property owner. The inventory-to-sales ratio currently indicates a 6.75-month supply of for-sale property, just slightly higher than last year’s 5.33-month supply.

We also note that the list-price-to-sales-price ratio for residential waterfront is 95.8%, which means that buyers and sellers are going through reasonable negotiations to reach a fair selling price. (As a note, this ratio means a property listed for $1,000,000 will sell for $958,000 on average.) This is a fairly normal negotiating range.

Given the positive metrics coupled with reasonable inventory and negotiation range, we have every reason to expect a good real estate market this summer. Reasonable sellers should expect a reasonable offer. Buyers should expect more choices with time to formulate reasonable offers.

Given the long-term trend for increased property values and relatively light inventory (compared to historical norms), we believe any investment in Lake Martin property is a good bet. Like one of our old friends said, “Lake Martin is an investment that your whole family can enjoy!”

If you want more information about available lake property, please give one of our Realtors^® a call today.

Note: The metrics above are based on an analysis of sales information derived from data pulled from the Lake Martin Area Association of Realtors^® MLS for the period of April 1, 2024, through March 31, 2025, and compared to the same period in 2024.