Momentum Housing Data · Home Values · Sarasota County
Buying here? See the Lakes homes for sale and the the Lakes community guide (Sarasota).
THE LAKES (SARASOTA, FL): 51 recorded closings in the 12 months ending 2026-08-02, a 12-year price record, and sales split by price band and home size — every number from recorded MLS closings, none from an estimate model.
In the current window, sellers accepted a median 97.9% of original asking; the median sale took 15 days (window ending 2026-08-02).
| Year | Median sold | Median $/sqft | Median DOM | Sold ÷ original ask | Sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $222,000 | $208 | 15 | 97.9% | 51 |
| 2025 | $246,500 | $205 | 21 | 97.8% | 66 |
| 2024 | $238,000 | $221 | 23 | 97.0% | 58 |
| 2023 | $227,000 | $207 | 21 | 95.9% | 40 |
| 2022 | $221,000 | $173 | 5 | 100.0% | 95 |
| 2021 | $200,000 | $161 | 3 | 100.0% | 21 |
| 2020 | $147,500 | $86 | 82 | 93.4% | 3 |
| 2019 | $120,000 | $102 | 72 | 93.5% | 19 |
| 2018 | $109,500 | $92 | 27 | 96.9% | 22 |
| 2017 | $100,000 | $80 | 29 | 94.1% | 73 |
| 2016 | $89,000 | $74 | 18 | 96.3% | 37 |
| 2012 | $46,000 | $39 | 480 | 59.5% | 3 |
Over the recorded series, THE LAKES’s median sold price moved from $46,000 (2012) to $222,000 (12 months ending 2026-08-02) — +383% over that span, with every year’s figure from recorded closings, not a model.
The recorded series starts in 2012 at $46,000. The 2020–22 run-up did what it did everywhere — THE LAKES’s median moved +84% from 2019 to 2022. Against the 2025 peak of $246,500, the current median stands at -10%. Annual sales volume here has ranged from 1 to 95 closings a year (10-yr average 44.8).
What actually trades here: 98% single-family residence, 1% condominium, 0% ?, 0% townhouse, 0% manufactured home - post 1977, 0% villa, with a median of 1,152 sq ft and a median price per square foot of $208 in the current window.
Of the 150 recorded THE LAKES closings since 2024, half landed between $210,000 and $270,000 (the middle two quartiles); the lowest recorded sale was $85,000 and the highest $1,318,000. If your home sits outside the middle band, the reason usually shows up in the size table below before it shows up in condition.
| Sold price band | Share of closings | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Under $200,000 | 24 (16%) | |
| $200,000 – $233,333 | 46 (31%) | |
| $233,333 – $266,667 | 39 (26%) | |
| $266,667 – $300,000 | 18 (12%) | |
| None and up | 23 (15%) |
The same recorded closings, split into thirds by living area. Find the row your home falls in: the $/sqft figure times your square footage is the recorded-sales bracket for homes like yours here — a starting range from real closings, not a valuation of your specific property. Smaller homes here have been selling at a higher price per square foot than larger ones ($240 vs $187) — the usual pattern, since lot, kitchen and baths do not scale with floor area.
| Size group | Median $/sqft | Median sold | Sold range | Sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smaller homes 720–1,008 sq ft | $240 | $211,000 | $85,000 – $254,900 | 50 |
| Mid-size homes 1,020–1,365 sq ft | $203 | $239,500 | $142,000 – $320,000 | 50 |
| Larger homes 1,365–3,383 sq ft | $187 | $285,000 | $166,100 – $1,318,000 | 50 |
From the live MLS feed as of 2026-08-02: 5 active listings (plus 1 pending) asking from $340,000 to $849,700, median $375,000; 1 of 5 have been on the market over 60 days (median 28 days so far); the homes listed or recently sold were built between 1983 and 1993 (median 1993). For a seller this is the competition a buyer will tour alongside your home; for a buyer, the stale share is where negotiating room usually is. See the current THE LAKES listings →
At THE LAKES’s $222,000 median and Sarasota County’s adopted 13.48 mills (FY2025-26), a home assessed at that price carries roughly $2,990 a year in property tax before exemptions, or about $2,460 with the full Florida homestead exemption — a buyer’s first-year figure; a long-time owner’s Save Our Homes cap can be far lower, which is one reason resale taxes jump at closing. Municipal and special-district millage varies inside the county; see the Sarasota County tax page.
Current asking prices run a median $375,000 against the $222,000 recorded sold median (+69%) — the gap between what sellers hope and what the record shows. Demand check: 17% of THE LAKES’s listings are under contract, against 14% for ZIP 32304 and 25% for Sarasota County as a whole — roughly in line with its surroundings. Since 2004, 489 THE LAKES listings were withdrawn, canceled, or expired without selling (11 so far in 2026) — overpricing is the recurring cause statewide. Over the recorded years, an average of 58% of THE LAKES listings ended without selling (withdrawn/canceled/expired); in 2026 that rate was 29%. Momentum’s market-heat index for THE LAKES reads 54/100 (computed from DOM, sale-to-list, and absorption; 2020–21 peaked in the 70s here).
Cash bought 22% of recorded THE LAKES sales in the window ending 2026-06 (13 of 58) — a fact worth knowing before assuming every buyer needs an appraisal to close. With asking prices running +69% over the recorded sold median, a THE LAKES listing priced against the closed record above stands out against its competition; one priced against the asking crowd joins the statewide list of homes that never sold.
We don’t publish algorithm guesses for specific homes — they can’t see condition, upgrades, or your lot. A local agent will prepare a records-based valuation from the same closed-sale data on this page, adjusted for your home. Free, no obligation.
By submitting, you agree Momentum Realty may contact you by phone, text, or email about your inquiry. Consent is not a condition of any purchase. Message/data rates may apply. Reply STOP to opt out. See our disclosures.
Communities buyers shopping THE LAKES are also weighing (same ZIP), each on its own recorded 12-month closings. A median well above the neighbors is a ceiling to price against; well below is where the value argument lives.
| Community | Median sold | Median $/sqft | Median DOM | Sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TERRACES OF FOREST LAKES | $215,000 | $171 | 112 | 3 |
| Village Green | $250,000 | $151 | 53 | 13 |
| Village Oaks | $262,500 | $188 | 181 | 12 |
| SUNILAND | $280,000 | $352 | 12 | 5 |
More THE LAKES: full community guide & homes for sale · choosing an agent here · should you sell now (statewide data) · what selling costs · cash offer vs. listing
Based on Stellar MLS data distributed by MLS GRID for the period 2003 through 2026. Compiled from recorded MLS closings; deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Figures are medians for the stated windows and change as new sales record; individual homes vary widely. No automated valuation for any specific property appears on this page. Equal Housing Opportunity. © 2026 Move With Momentum LLC — brokerage licensed in FL and GA. Disclosures
Content on this page is compiled from public records, MLS data, and automated data sources, and may contain errors or be out of date. It is provided for general information only and is not a representation about any specific property, community, builder, or association. Verify all information independently before relying on it.