Published October 11, 2026 in Market Update

Price cuts are up nationally, but this market is not one market

By Chris McClure

Real estate, Primary buy box (DOTW)

This is not a preference problem. It is a risk problem. Realtor.com reported that 20.8% of listings nationally took a price cut in September, the highest share since October 2022. That number tells you something about the country. It does not tell you which side of the line your home sits on.

The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted the three months ending August 31, 2026, ZIP by ZIP across this market. What it found is not one market. It is a set of different risk levels sitting inside the same region.

The tightest ZIP codes

Are you pricing to sell, or hoping the market comes to you? Those are not the same strategy, and in the tightest parts of this market, the difference shows up fast.

ZIP 36527, which covers part of the Spanish Fort and Daphne area, came in at 2.7 months of supply. The Real Estate Data Aggregator also counted inventory there down 22.7% from a year before, and the median sale price up 9.8% to $405,874. Sellers got 98.6% of list price on average. That is a different conversation than what is happening in the looser ZIPs.

ZIP 36502, covering central Brewton, ran at 2.8 months. The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted inventory there down 36.4% from a year ago. Pending sales were up 41.4%. Prices dipped 10.5% to a median of $200,000, so the volume is there but the pricing pressure is real.

ZIP 36535, which covers a large part of Foley, came in at 3.3 months. The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 328 homes sold there in the period, up 11.9%, with inventory down 18.6%. The median was $324,551, up 1.4%. Days on market averaged 80, which is 8 days longer than a year before. Sales are moving, but buyers are taking more time.

The looser ZIP codes

This is not a personality test. It is a supply problem. More supply means more competition, longer days on market, and more room for a buyer to negotiate. That changes how a seller should price from day one.

ZIP 36542, which covers Gulf Shores near the Gulf, came in at 7.5 months of supply. The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 743 homes for sale there, with a median of 103 days on market, 13 days longer than a year before. The median sale price fell 9% to $500,500. Sellers got 96.5% of list on average.

ZIP 36561, covering Orange Beach, came in at 6.1 months. The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 573 homes for sale there, with a median of 90 days on market. The median sale price rose 6.5% to $735,000, and the sale-to-list ratio improved by 0.7 points to 96.2%. That price gain is real, but with 6.1 months of supply, buyers have choices. Pricing has to be sharp.

ZIP 36530, covering Elberta, came in at 5.6 months. The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted new listings up 44.4% from a year ago, which is the clearest sign of why conditions there are looser. More sellers came to market. The median sale price fell 13.9% to $350,000. Median days on market hit 115, up 27 days from a year before.

The national picture, and what it means here

Realtor.com reported that mortgage rates climbed back above 7% for the first time since January 2025. Freddie Mac put the 30-year fixed rate at 7.40% as of October 8, 2026. That matters because it shapes what buyers can afford, and it affects every ZIP in this market.

Nationally, Realtor.com counted active listings at 1.16 million homes in September. The Federal Housing Finance Agency reported U.S. house prices up 2.6% year over year through July 2026, with a 0.3% gain from June to July alone. The national trend is slow growth. The local story depends entirely on which ZIP you are in.

A few ZIP codes worth watching separately

ZIP 36551, covering Loxley, came in at 3.6 months. The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted a median of 53 days on market, 7 days shorter than a year before, and a sale-to-list ratio of 98%. Pending sales were up 38.9%. That is a market that is tightening quietly.

ZIP 36549, covering Lillian, came in at 5.8 months, up 2.6 months from a year ago. The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted homes sold down 36.2%, with median days on market at 103. That is a meaningful shift in one year.

ZIP 36532, which covers Fairhope, came in at 4.2 months. The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted a median sale price of $559,000, up 9.3%, with 243 homes sold. Days on market averaged 66, just 2 days longer than a year before. A Fairhope address does not mean Downtown Fairhope, and the numbers here reflect a wide range of properties across the ZIP.

One street can read very differently from the ZIP code around it. The numbers above are the best starting point, but they are not the whole answer for your specific address.