Data Analysis
Walton County's October 2026 single-family median fell 20.0% from a year earlier to $660,000, while Okaloosa County's rose 5.4% to $374,000 and sits above its 2022 peak.
Our October Market Pulse: Walton houses closed at $660,000, down 20.0% and 24.1% under the 2022 peak; Okaloosa at $374,000, up 5.4%.
Walton County's single-family median sale price fell to $660,000 in October 2026, down 20.0% from October 2025 and 24.1% below its 2022 peak month, across 245 closings, according to the October edition of our Emerald Coast Market Pulse. Next door, Okaloosa County's median rose 5.4% to $374,000 on 214 closings and now sits 2.5% above its own 2022 peak. Walton houses took a median 73 days to sell, against 48 days in Okaloosa. All figures come from the Market Pulse, computed by Momentum from Emerald Coast MLS records; information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed.
The regionwide median, days on market and closed sales are on the Destin market data hub. This article looks at the split between the two counties behind those regionwide numbers.
Why did Walton County's median fall 20%?
A county median moves with the mix of homes that close in a given month, so a 20% drop does not mean a typical Walton house lost a fifth of its value. Walton covers the 30A beach towns, where single-family medians run above $1 million, and inland areas around Freeport and DeFuniak Springs, where they run near $250,000 to $400,000. A month with fewer beach closings pulls the county median down sharply.
The Market Pulse price-band table points that way. Across all residential types in the region, closings at $1 million and up fell to 124 in October from 144 a year earlier (down 13.9%), even though year-to-date $1 million-plus closings are up 33.1% (1,444 against 1,085). One soft month at the top end weighs heavily on Walton's median because so much of the county's value sits there.
How do Walton and Okaloosa compare?
| October 2026, single-family | Walton County | Okaloosa County |
|---|---|---|
| Closings | 245 | 214 |
| Median sale price | $660,000 | $374,000 |
| Change from October 2025 | -20.0% | +5.4% |
| Versus the 2022 peak month | -24.1% | +2.5% |
| Median days on market | 73 | 48 |
Source: Momentum Market Pulse, Emerald Coast, October 2026 edition, computed by Momentum from Emerald Coast MLS records. "Versus 2022 peak" compares this month's median with each county's highest 2022 month. Deemed reliable but not guaranteed.
Okaloosa is the only one of the two above its 2022 high. Its homes are concentrated between $300,000 and $500,000 around Fort Walton Beach, Niceville and Crestview, a range where October closings held steady across the region.
Why is the regional median up 9.2% if Walton fell?
The Emerald Coast single-family median for October was $475,000, up 9.2%. When the higher-priced county makes up a larger share of the month's closings, the combined median can rise even while that county's own median falls. The report's other measures show how much of the 9.2% is mix:
- Constant-mix median, which reweights this month by last year's price tiers: down 2.1%
- Same-home resales, houses bought one to three years earlier and sold again: up 1.6% a year across 426 pairs
- Owners who bought five or more years earlier: up 6.5% a year across 1,488 pairs
On those measures, the regionwide market was roughly flat to slightly up over the year, closer to Okaloosa's reading than either the 9.2% headline or Walton's 20% drop.
Which Emerald Coast ZIP codes sold fastest?
The Market Pulse heat map covers single-family closings from August through October 2026 in ZIPs with at least 15 sales. The Okaloosa ZIPs inland of the beaches ran fastest, and the high-priced Walton and Destin beach ZIPs ran slowest:
| ZIP and place | Sales | Median days | Median price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 32548 Fort Walton Beach | 46 | 22 | $374,450 |
| 32578 Niceville | 124 | 31 | $516,500 |
| 32547 Fort Walton Beach | 80 | 32 | $350,000 |
| 32536 Crestview | 103 | 48 | $345,000 |
| 32439 Freeport | 206 | 58 | $401,352 |
| 32459 Santa Rosa Beach | 233 | 66 | $1,075,000 |
| 32541 Destin | 89 | 87 | $975,000 |
| 32550 Miramar Beach | 75 | 88 | $930,000 |
Source: Momentum Market Pulse, Emerald Coast, October 2026 edition (trailing three months, single-family). Deemed reliable but not guaranteed.
Freeport stands out inside Walton: 206 sales in three months at a median $401,352, with 16% closing over the original asking price. Inlet Beach 32461 sold 121 houses at a median $1,695,000 in 52 days. City-level detail is on the Destin, Santa Rosa Beach, Miramar Beach, Inlet Beach, Freeport, DeFuniak Springs, Fort Walton Beach, Niceville, Shalimar and Crestview market pages.
What does this mean for sellers in each county?
The October report shows 48% of active listings regionwide had cut their price as of November 10, closings received a median 95.5% of the original list price, and supply stood at 6.1 months, which the report reads as buyer-leaning. The Momentum Market Score was 30 out of 100, down from an estimated 36 in September.
In Walton, a seller pricing from a 2022 comparable is working against a county median 24.1% below that peak. In Okaloosa, recent sales already sit above 2022 levels, so the gap between list and sale prices is narrower. Property tax bills differ sharply between the two counties as well; our article on Okaloosa and Walton listing tax bills compares them, and the Florida seller net proceeds calculator runs the math for a specific price. Recent price behavior at the top end is covered in Destin-area million-dollar homes and homes back on market.
People also ask
Are home prices falling in Walton County, Florida? The October 2026 Walton single-family median was $660,000, down 20.0% from a year earlier and 24.1% below the county's 2022 peak month, according to the Momentum Market Pulse. Much of the drop reflects fewer high-priced beach closings in the month.
What is the median home price in Okaloosa County? Okaloosa County's single-family median was $374,000 in October 2026, up 5.4% from October 2025 and 2.5% above its 2022 peak month, across 214 closings.
How long does it take to sell a house on the Emerald Coast? Single-family homes closed in a median 60 days regionwide in October 2026: 73 days in Walton County and 48 days in Okaloosa County.
Which Emerald Coast ZIP codes sell fastest? Over August to October 2026, Fort Walton Beach 32548 sold in a median 22 days and Niceville 32578 in 31 days, while Destin 32541 took 87 days and Miramar Beach 32550 took 88 days.
Limitations
County figures cover single-family closings in October 2026 and swing on monthly volume and on which price tiers close; the regional price-band counts include condos and townhomes. ZIP figures are trailing three months (August to October 2026), single-family, ZIPs with at least 15 closings, using Census ZCTA boundaries. The September Market Score is an estimate per the report. The mix explanation for Walton's decline is our reading of the report's price-band and constant-mix figures, not a separate calculation. Information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed.
Sources
- Momentum Market Pulse, Emerald Coast, October 2026 edition, Momentum Research report built from Emerald Coast MLS records, published November 10, 2026; every figure in this article is quoted from that report.
- Destin market data hub, Momentum Research.
Disclosure: Jon Brooks is a co-founder of Momentum Realty, a Florida real estate brokerage that owns and funds Florida Housing Intelligence. Momentum has a financial interest in Florida real estate transactions, including in markets named here. See our editorial standards.
Market statistics in this article are computed from MLS data licensed by Momentum Realty, and are current as of the date shown. Data may be preliminary and subject to revision by its source. This article is general information, not advice about any specific property, transaction, or financial decision, and is not a representation about any specific property, community, builder, or association.
Equal Housing Opportunity. Editorial standards · Corrections · About