Summer 2025 : Is It Still a Sellers Market in Midland County? Find out the scoop here.

Midland County Housing Update: June–August 2025

The last 90 days of sales data in Midland County shows a market that’s still active, but not one-note. Different corners of the county are moving at different speeds, with the city holding steady, Sanford slowing but still steady, Coleman offering affordability at a slower clip, and the townships splitting between upper-end and midrange activity.

City of Midland: The Core Engine

• 133 closed sales in the past 90 days.

• Median sale price: $272,000.

• Median days on market: just 6.

• Median $/sf: $165.

The city continues to anchor the market — roughly half of all closings county-wide. Homes here sell quickly when priced well, often at or over list, but sellers are making more concessions than in the past. Buyers are choosier, and the pace is brisk but not frenzied like 2020–2022.

Sanford: Navigating Assessments, Return of Sanford Lake

• 15 Active Listings: Median asking price ~$260k, median days on market 29.

• 15 Pending: Median list price ~$264k.

• 25 Closed Sales: Median sold price ~$299k, median 20 days on market.

• Median $/sqft: ~$177

• Pricing vs. List

  • 24% of homes sold above list.

  • 60% sold below list.

  • 16% sold right at list.

  Concessions

  • About 8% of closed sales included concessions (fairly low, but higher than in hot-seller years).

Values are still higher than ever in many lake-adjacent areas, but the special assessments do effect affordability. As the water’s return approaches in spring 2026, demand for Sanford will remain, but lakefront prices are less likely to “skyrocket” than to stabilize. Off-lake homes in Jerome, Lee, and Lincoln Townships are performing well, providing buyers with more approachable options without losing proximity to the Sanford community that many desire to be in.

In short, Sanford remains desirable, but the dynamics are shifting: lake properties face affordability headwinds, thus, less of a buying pool, while off-lake markets are carrying steady momentum.

Townships: Split Personalities

• Larkin Twp: 18 closed, median $643,000, DOM 11, $223/sf.

• Lincoln Twp: 5 closed, median $500,000, DOM 4, $225/sf.

• Homer/Jerome/Edenville Twps: $230k–$300k medians, DOM 15–27.

• Other smaller townships (Hope, Warren, Geneva, Mt. Haley, Lee, Greendale, Ingersoll): range from $127k to $324k medians, DOM from 4 to 30.

  
  

The townships show two different markets: upper-end ($500k+) sales in Larkin and Lincoln, selling at strong $/sf values with relatively low DOM, and a broader mid-range market ($230k–$300k) that is moving slower than the city, with longer marketing times and more negotiation.

County-Wide Themes

• Inventory: 78 active listings as of mid-August. Median list $338k, median DOM 35.

• Pending: 73, with a $275k median list.

• Closed: 225, with a $275k median sale.

• Negotiation climate: 46% of closings over list, 39% under. Roughly 16% had concessions recorded.

• Financing: Conventional loans (57%) dominate, but cash (24%), VA (9%), and FHA (7%) are meaningful shares — sellers are more open to varied financing than in the past couple years.

  
  

How Midland County Compares Nationally

Nationally, homes are taking 53 days to sell compared to Midland’s median of 7, and prices are barely growing (U.S. median existing home price up just 2% year-over-year vs. Midland’s stronger hold). But the county shares the same headwind: affordability. Higher rates (6.5%+) and high remaining values are stretching buyers. Many are pickier, and reductions are back on the table.

Bottom Line

• City of Midland: still the fastest-moving and most stable segment.

• Sanford: slowed despite the pending lake return, still performing well

• Coleman: most affordable, but slower to move.

• Townships: a split market — upper-end in Larkin/Lincoln still strong, mid-range pockets feeling more like a buyer’s market.

  
  

Midland County overall is still outperforming the U.S. on speed and stability, but it’s a more balanced market than the pandemic years. Sellers need realistic pricing and flexibility, while buyers are carefully calculating what they can truly afford.

We are still in great shape to sell in Midland County, with values holding steady, but also in great shape to buy with less pressure.

Likelihoods of multiple offers are still very real. Nearly 1 in 2 sales county-wide still went over list — but with plenty of concessions and reductions elsewhere. When nearly half of homes are still selling over list, and the countywide median sale-to-list ratio sits at 1.0, the market still tilts toward sellers. Inventory is lean, DOM is low in most segments, and buyers don’t have unlimited options.

But the quality of that leverage has changed. In 2020–2022, sellers could push price, refuse FHA/VA, and still expect multiple offers. Now:

• More price reductions are showing up.

• Concessions are back (~16% of closed sales).

• FHA/VA are being accepted again.

• Some sub-markets (Coleman, Sanford, mid-range townships) show longer DOM and softer pricing.

  
  

So yes — it’s still a seller’s market by the numbers, but one where sellers can’t dictate terms the way they did. The balance has shifted a notch, even if the scale hasn’t tipped fully to buyers.