As one of a handful of firms that serves both the Gainesville & Ocala markets, we like to compare the two from time to time. Let's take a look where we are in the spring of 2017.
Over the past 4 months, about 500 homes a month have sold in Marion County & about 200 per month in Alachua County. The average Marion County home sold in the low $140s and the average Alachua County home sold for about $225k.
Both markets have been strong, with the major difference being inventory at the higher price points:
Both Gainesville & Ocala are strong buyer's markets under $200k. And by strong, we mean VERY strong. There is very little inventory at the lower price points, and buyers in the under-$200k segment are often finding they are in bidding wars for properties.
But over $200k is where the markets diverge. In Gainesville/Alachua County, there is still under a year's worth of inventory between $200-$500k. In Ocala/Marion, there's about a year of inventory between $200-$300k and over $300k it shoots up to 2 years.
However, in raw numbers, there are currently only about 875 Marion County homes on the market priced over $300k, while there are 3300 homes under $300k. So while the inventory is high, there still aren't that many homes to choose from.
Right now the most notable thing about both markets is just how little inventory there is under $150k or so. If you're a seller in that price point, you stand to do very well right now.
