Could Sarasota and Manatee real estate finally experience a buyer’s market?. May data from the Realtor Association of Sarasota and Manatee gave signs of a balanced market, with some data signaling the region may soon have the sort of inventory that benefits buyers over sellers. Both inventory and prices are on the rise in both counties for single-family homes, with the housing inventory in Sarasota County reaching levels unseen since early 2019. The median sales price for homes in May ended up at $525,000 in Manatee and $530,000 in Sarasota. But in both counties, the median time to contract climbed to 44 days for the entire North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton market, compared to 28 days in May 2023.