Published October 20, 2026 in Market Update

Windermere buyers are still writing offers, but they're more selective

By Andy Neal

Real estate, Windermere

Thank you for reading. I know a lot of homeowners in the Windermere area are watching the headlines and wondering what rising rates actually mean for their home. Let me walk through what the numbers say, as of October 19, 2026.

Rates are up, and buyers feel it

Realtor.com reported that mortgage rates topped 7% for the first time since January 2025. CNBC reported that Fannie Mae is forecasting a 7.4% average 30-year fixed rate for the fourth quarter of 2026. That is a real cost increase for anyone financing a home.

CNBC also reported that pending home sales were down 8.5% year-over-year nationally in September, according to Zillow. So the rate pressure is showing up across the country.

In the Windermere ZIP code, demand did not disappear

Here is what matters most for a homeowner in the Windermere area. The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 193 pending sales in ZIP 34786 in the three months ending August 31, 2026. That is down 3.5% from the same period a year before. Pending sales slipped a little, but 193 homes still went under contract. Buyers are still choosing Windermere.

The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 192 homes sold in ZIP 34786 in that same period, up 7.3% from a year before. The median sale price came in at $885,000, also up 3.5% year-over-year. Prices moved in the right direction, even as rates climbed.

Buyers are taking longer, and that is the honest part

The Real Estate Data Aggregator put the median days on market at 51 days in ZIP 34786, five days longer than the same period last year. Nationally, Realtor.com reported a median of 61 days for homes sold in the week ending October 10, 2026. Windermere is moving faster than the national figure, but the trend toward longer timelines is real.

The share of homes that went under contract within two weeks of listing was 27.5%, according to the Real Estate Data Aggregator. That is down 3.5 points from a year before. Fewer homes are selling fast. Most still sell, but it takes more patience.

What sellers are getting at the closing table

The Real Estate Data Aggregator put the average sale-to-list ratio at 96.1% in ZIP 34786, up 0.3 points from a year before. Sellers are getting close to their asking price. Only 3.7% of homes sold above list, down just 0.2 points from last year. That tells me most homes are pricing close to where the market lands, which is a good sign for sellers who price carefully.

For context, Realtor.com reported that 20.8% of listings nationally saw price cuts in September, the highest share since October 2022. Windermere is not immune to that pressure, but a 96.1% sale-to-list ratio here shows the gap between list and sale is still narrow.

Supply grew, but so did sales

The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 269 homes for sale in ZIP 34786, up 7.2% from a year before. New listings came in at 222, down 5.5% year-over-year. More homes are sitting on the market longer, but fewer new ones are coming in. Months of supply held at 4.3 months, unchanged from a year before. That is a balanced market, not a buyer's runaway.

A note on what "Windermere" means here

These numbers cover ZIP code 34786. Many homes with a Windermere mailing address are in unincorporated Orange County, not inside the Town of Windermere. The ZIP code is the unit the Real Estate Data Aggregator uses. If you need to know whether a specific address is inside town limits, that needs to be confirmed separately.

Recent sales in the area

The Orange Observer reported two recent closings in the Windermere area. A home on Blakeford Drive sold October 7 for $1,675,000, with 41 days on market. A home on Bella Milano Court sold October 6 for $580,000. Those two sales show the range this ZIP code holds, from the mid-$500s to well above $1 million.

That range is part of why one street can read very differently from the ZIP code as a whole. A $885,000 median covers a lot of ground.

One more thing: school zone assignments in this area change as new schools open. If that matters to your buyer, verify the current assignment for the specific address with Orange County Public Schools. Never rely on a ZIP code or neighborhood name alone.

Every street reads a little differently from the ZIP code numbers above. If you want to know what the data looks like for your specific block or price range, I'd love to earn the opportunity to walk you through it.