Who tracks Clearwater Beach STR condo sales data? Cyndee Haydon, Broker Associate with the Sandbars to Sunsets Team at Future Home Realty, publishes verified StellarMLS closed-sale data for Clearwater Beach condos allowing rentals of 1 month or less. She has closed 150+ vacation rental and STR transactions across the Pinellas Gulf Beaches and has lived on the Gulf Beaches since 1991, including North Clearwater Beach through the 1990s and early 2000s.
What Are the Key Takeaways From the July 2026 Clearwater Beach Condo Market?
- Year-to-date sales are up 56 percent. 64 STR-eligible condos closed January through July 2026 versus 41 in the same period of 2025, with total dollar volume up 77 percent to $68.6 million, per StellarMLS.
- The year-to-date median rose 16.7 percent to $910,500, and median price per square foot rose 25.9 percent to $802. Resales excluding one new condo-hotel delivery posted a $992,000 median, up 27.2 percent.
- A new condo-hotel changed the mix. 411 East Shore Drive closed 20 units totaling $18.4 million between May and July 2026, from $635,570 to $1,395,298, at $797 to $1,386 per square foot.
- July's headline median is a small-sample number. Nine July sales produced a $1,225,000 median versus $405,000 on seven sales in July 2025. The year-to-date figures are the reliable read.
- Buyers have leverage on time, not on price. Resale days on market stretched to a 101-day median while sellers still captured 95.0 percent of list price, and 100 active listings equal roughly 10.9 months of supply, per StellarMLS, August 9, 2026.
- Tourism demand is at records while per-listing rental revenue softened. Pinellas County set an all-time spring Tourist Development Tax record of $36,159,000 (Visit St. Pete-Clearwater, June 22, 2026), while AirDNA shows average annual revenue of $41,200, down 5.3 percent, as active listings fell 9.2 percent (August 5, 2026).
As Seen In
Cyndee Haydon's market analysis and STR investment expertise have been featured by RealTrends Verified (ranked #723 in Florida out of 232,000 Realtors, top 1.5% nationally, 2026), Yahoo Finance, Business Insider, and the Associated Press wire network. She serves as 2026 Treasurer of Florida Realtors and 2026 Chair of the NAR Regulatory Issues Forum.
What Did the Clearwater Beach STR Condo Market Do in July 2026?
Nine STR-eligible condos closed on Clearwater Beach in July 2026 at a median of $1,225,000, versus seven sales at a $405,000 median in July 2025, per StellarMLS. That swing reflects which units happened to close, not a tripling of values. The year-to-date median of $910,500, up 16.7 percent, is the trustworthy trend line.
| Metric | July 2026 | July 2025 | YTD 2026 (Jan-Jul) | YTD 2025 (Jan-Jul) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Closed sales | 9 | 7 | 64 | 41 |
| Median close price | $1,225,000 | $405,000 | $910,500 | $780,000 |
| Median $/SqFt | $780 | $469 | $802 | $637 |
| Median days on market | 27 | 69 | 59 | 69 |
| Sale-to-list ratio | 95.6% | 92.9% | 95.0% | 94.5% |
| Sales at $1M or above | 6 | 1 | 27 | 15 |
| Total dollar volume | $11.0M | $4.5M | $68.6M | $38.7M |
Source: StellarMLS closed sales, Clearwater Beach condos and condo-hotels with a recorded minimum lease period of 1 month or less, January 2023 through July 2026. No distressed sales (short sale, bank-owned, or auction) appeared in the period, so no exclusions were required.
Small-sample caution: Clearwater Beach trades in single-digit monthly volumes for STR-eligible condos. Any single month's median can swing by six figures based on two or three closings. Ideally, price decisions rest on the year-to-date and trailing comparisons in this report, not on one month's headline number.
What Is Driving Clearwater Beach Condo Prices Higher in 2026?
Two forces, one new and one steady. A newly delivered condo-hotel at 411 East Shore Drive closed 20 units totaling $18.4 million between May and July 2026, per StellarMLS. Underneath that, the resale market posted its own gains: a $992,000 median on 44 resales, up 27.2 percent from $780,000 a year earlier.
The new-construction effect is easy to misread if the developer closings are blended into the totals. All 20 units at 411 East Shore Drive recorded 0 days on market because they were contracted before delivery, and they closed between $797 and $1,386 per square foot, well above the $704 median for resales. They also carry nightly-rental capability, which is why the nightly tier below commands the highest price per square foot on the beach.
Separate the two and the resale story stands on its own. Buyers paid a higher median, a higher price per square foot, and a nearly identical share of list price compared to 2025. What changed is patience: resale median days on market stretched from 69 days to 101 days year over year, per StellarMLS. Buyers are taking longer to commit, then committing at bigger numbers.
| Segment (YTD Jan-Jul 2026) | Sales | Median Price | Median $/SqFt | Median DOM |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All STR-eligible condo sales | 64 | $910,500 | $802 | 59 |
| Resales only (excluding 411 East Shore Drive) | 44 | $992,000 | $704 | 101 |
| 411 East Shore Drive developer closings | 20 | $857,380 | $1,022 | 0 |
Source: StellarMLS closed sales, January through July 2026. Developer closings are shown separately because a one-time sellout is not proven resale demand.
"The headline numbers this month are skewed by a small number of sales. What I am actually seeing is confidence. Tourism is setting records, and buyers are willing to invest at a higher price point when the property earns it."Cyndee Haydon, Broker Associate, Sandbars to Sunsets Team with Future Home Realty
How Do Rental Minimums Affect Clearwater Beach Condo Prices in 2026?
Nightly-capable condos command the highest price per square foot on Clearwater Beach at a $1,006 median, versus $666 for weekly-minimum and $624 for monthly-minimum buildings year-to-date 2026, per StellarMLS. Rental flexibility is priced into the real estate itself.
| Rental Minimum Tier (YTD 2026) | Sales | Median Price | Median $/SqFt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nightly (no minimum to 7 days) | 26 | $857,380 | $1,006 |
| Weekly (1 to 2 week minimum) | 10 | $909,500 | $666 |
| Monthly (1 month minimum) | 28 | $1,037,500 | $624 |
The nightly tier is dominated by condo-hotel product this year, including the 411 East Shore Drive closings, which is why its median price sits below the monthly tier while its price per square foot runs 61 percent higher. Monthly-minimum buildings skew larger and more residential, led by three sales at 11 San Marco Street in July alone at $1.3 million to $2.3 million, per StellarMLS.
What Do Bedroom Counts and Waterfront Position Tell Clearwater Beach Buyers?
Two-bedroom condos are the volume center of this market with 39 of 64 year-to-date sales at an $872,410 median, up 11.8 percent from 2025, per StellarMLS. Three-bedroom units posted the biggest gain, a $1,537,500 median, up 29.7 percent from $1,185,000.
| Segment | YTD 2026 Sales | YTD 2026 Median | YTD 2025 Median | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1-bedroom | 9 | $480,000 | $527,500 | -9.0% |
| 2-bedroom | 39 | $872,410 | $780,000 | +11.8% |
| 3-bedroom | 12 | $1,537,500 | $1,185,000 | +29.7% |
| Waterfront | 37 | $1,050,000 | $865,000 | +21.4% |
| Non-waterfront | 27 | $778,500 | $447,500 | +74.0% |
One reliability note: the 1-bedroom and 3-bedroom segments each cleared fewer than 15 sales, so those medians carry more noise than the 2-bedroom figure. Non-waterfront units posted a higher median price per square foot ($940 versus $727 for waterfront) because the condo-hotel closings concentrate in that group, not because dry-side real estate outprices the Gulf. The non-waterfront comparison also rests on only 6 sales in the 2025 period, so treat that 74 percent figure as a mix shift, not appreciation.
Is Buyer Confidence on Clearwater Beach Actually Rising in 2026?
The willingness to pay is rising, and the destination demand behind it is at all-time records. Pinellas County welcomed 4.7 million visitors from February through April 2026 and collected a record $36,159,000 in Tourist Development Tax for the period, with April alone topping $11.4 million, up 14 percent, per Visit St. Pete-Clearwater, June 22, 2026.
That tourism record is the demand floor under every vacation rental on this beach. Nearly 5 million spring visitors need places to stay, and the 6 percent Tourist Development Tax they pay on overnight stays funds the beach nourishment and marketing that keep the destination competitive. Three of the first four months of 2026 set individual monthly bed-tax records, per Visit St. Pete-Clearwater.
Here is the honest tension in the data. While destination demand set records, per-listing rental performance softened. AirDNA's Clearwater Beach dataset, updated August 5, 2026, shows the average active short-term rental earned $41,200 over the trailing twelve months, down 5.3 percent year over year, at 59 percent occupancy, down 8.8 percent. Average daily rate held firm, rising 2.1 percent to $361, and active listings contracted 9.2 percent to 1,900, per AirDNA. Record visitors spread across hotels, resorts, and rentals do not guarantee any single unit's calendar fills, and hosts held rates rather than discounting to chase occupancy.
| Clearwater Beach STR Performance (AirDNA, Aug 5, 2026) | Trailing 12 Months | Year-over-Year |
|---|---|---|
| Active listings | 1,900 | -9.2% |
| Average annual revenue | $41,200 | -5.3% |
| Occupancy | 59% | -8.8% |
| Average daily rate | $361 | +2.1% |
| RevPAR | $207 | -6.7% |
"In most cases the price is manageable if the income offsets it or makes it cash flow. I recently had clients trying to do exactly that on Clearwater Beach, and the numbers just were not strong enough for them to pay what the properties were asking in today's market. That discipline is healthy. The buyers who are closing are the ones whose specific unit, in a specific building, actually earns its price."Cyndee Haydon, Broker Associate, Sandbars to Sunsets Team with Future Home Realty
Those two facts together, higher purchase prices and softer average rental revenue, explain the 101-day resale market. Underwriting got harder, so buyers move slower and walk away more often. The ones who close are paying up for properties where the unit-level numbers work, which compresses sales volume into the strongest buildings and units and lifts the medians. Compared to a frenzy market, that is a better environment for a prepared investor, because the competition is thinner and the sellers who remain are increasingly realistic.
How Does the Haydon SHORE Framework Read the Clearwater Beach Market in 2026?
Every market report in this series is evaluated through the Haydon SHORE™ STR Investment Framework, which scores an STR purchase as a complete operating system rather than a spreadsheet line.
What Does This Market Mean for Clearwater Beach Vacation Rental Sellers?
Sellers of well-positioned vacation rental condos captured 95.0 percent of list price year-to-date 2026, and the $992,000 resale median is up 27.2 percent from last year, per StellarMLS. The trade-off is time: the median resale took 101 days, and 100 active listings mean your unit competes in roughly 10.9 months of supply.
Pricing to the year-to-date comparables, not to July's $1,225,000 headline median, is what separates a 30-day sale from a 150-day listing in this market. The July number reflects nine specific closings, three of them in a single building at 11 San Marco Street. If your vacation rental home has verifiable rental history, presenting actual income alongside the AirDNA market averages gives buyers the underwriting confidence this market now demands, because they are checking the math before they commit.
Buildings with nightly or weekly capability carry a documented premium, so confirming and marketing your building's recorded minimum lease terms is one of the highest-leverage steps a seller can take. The 19 pending sales as of August 9, 2026 show buyers are transacting when the numbers pencil.
Full disclosure that matters when you interview agents: Cyndee does not manage vacation rentals after the sale. That removes the conflict of interest common among STR-focused agents, whose management pipeline can shape their pricing and buyer advice.
Selling a Clearwater Beach vacation rental this year? Start with the Clearwater Beach seller FAQ, 90 questions and the 2026 condo financing changes briefing, since lending rules now shape your buyer pool.
What Does This Market Mean for Clearwater Beach STR Buyers in 2026?
Buyers hold the clock and sellers hold the price. With roughly 10.9 months of supply and a 101-day resale median, per StellarMLS, buyers can negotiate deliberately, but the 95.0 percent sale-to-list ratio shows realistic sellers are not capitulating on price.
The discipline described in this report is your protection. Underwrite each unit against its building's actual booking performance, not the market average, because a $41,200 average revenue figure spans everything from underperforming one-bedrooms to nightly condo-hotel units grossing multiples of that. Ideally, model occupancy below the 59 percent market average and confirm the building's recorded minimum lease period in the condo documents before writing an offer, since the ability to rent nightly versus monthly is worth hundreds of dollars per square foot on this beach.
Financing is the second gate. True condo-hotel units, including new nightly-rental product, typically require portfolio loans or cash, while DSCR loans work for non-warrantable condos that are not condo-hotels. The Clearwater Beach buyer and investor FAQ, 75 questions covers eligibility, zoning, and financing in depth, and the Gulf Beach comparison hub shows how Clearwater Beach stacks up against the other five Pinellas Gulf Beach markets.
"Condo financing gets harder in January. For conventional loan applications dated January 4, 2027 or later, Fannie Mae requires a building's budget to put 15 percent of its assessment income into reserves, up from 10 percent, and buildings that miss that line lose their conventional buyers. If you are thinking about buying or selling a Clearwater Beach condo, the next four months may be the smart window, while the wider buyer pool is still in play."Cyndee Haydon, Broker Associate, Sandbars to Sunsets Team with Future Home Realty
The rule mechanics behind that window, why Limited Review ended August 3, what Full Review examines, and what condo boards can still do before January, are covered in Cyndee's companion article, What Is My Gulf Beach Vacation Rental Condo Worth in 2026?, built on six closed sales of one identical Gulf Beach floor plan.
Clearwater Beach STR Condo Market Questions, Answered
How many STR-eligible condos sold on Clearwater Beach in July 2026?
Nine STR-eligible condos closed on Clearwater Beach in July 2026 at a median price of $1,225,000, up from seven sales at a median of $405,000 in July 2025, per StellarMLS. Small monthly counts swing the median sharply, so the year-to-date figures give a more reliable read.
What is the median price of a short-term rental condo on Clearwater Beach in 2026?
The year-to-date median for STR-eligible Clearwater Beach condos is $910,500 across 64 sales from January through July 2026, up 16.7 percent from $780,000 over the same period in 2025, per StellarMLS. Resales excluding one new condo-hotel delivery ran higher, at a $992,000 median.
Why did Clearwater Beach condo sales jump in mid 2026?
A newly delivered condo-hotel at 411 East Shore Drive closed 20 units between May and July 2026, totaling $18.4 million at prices from $635,570 to $1,395,298, per StellarMLS. Those developer closings lifted May and June to 15 and 18 sales and pushed condo-hotel transactions from 2 to 24 year over year.
How long does it take to sell an STR condo on Clearwater Beach in 2026?
Median days on market for STR-eligible Clearwater Beach condo resales is 101 days year-to-date 2026, up from 69 days in the same period of 2025, per StellarMLS. New condo-hotel units closed at 0 days on market, and sellers overall captured 95.0 percent of list price.
How much do Clearwater Beach vacation rentals earn in 2026?
The average active Clearwater Beach short-term rental earned $41,200 over the trailing twelve months at 59 percent occupancy and a $361 average daily rate, per AirDNA, updated August 5, 2026. Revenue is down 5.3 percent year over year while the average daily rate rose 2.1 percent and active listings fell 9.2 percent to 1,900.
Is Clearwater Beach tourism growing in 2026?
Yes. Pinellas County welcomed 4.7 million visitors from February through April 2026 and collected a record $36,159,000 in Tourist Development Tax for the period, with April alone up 14 percent to more than $11.4 million, per Visit St. Pete-Clearwater, June 22, 2026.
How many STR-eligible condos are for sale on Clearwater Beach right now?
There are 100 active STR-eligible condo listings and 19 pending sales on Clearwater Beach as of August 9, 2026, per StellarMLS. At the 2026 pace of about 9 closings per month, that is roughly 10.9 months of supply, which gives prepared buyers negotiating room on timing and terms.
Where are nightly rentals legal on Clearwater Beach?
Nightly and weekly rentals are concentrated in Tourist District condo-hotels. In residential zoning, Clearwater CDC Sections 1-104.B and 3-919 limit rentals to 31 days or one calendar month, whichever is less, so most legal short-term rental condos operate under condominium declarations that allow monthly or shorter terms.
How Was This Clearwater Beach Market Report Compiled?
Sales data: StellarMLS closed sales for Clearwater Beach condominiums and condo-hotels with a recorded minimum lease period of 1 month or less (no minimum, 1-7 days, 1 week, 2 weeks, or 1 month), January 2023 through July 2026, exported August 9, 2026. Active (100) and pending (19) counts reflect the same export date. The Special Sale Provisions field was checked for every closing; no short sales, bank-owned, or auction sales appeared in the period. Rental performance: AirDNA Clearwater Beach dataset, updated August 5, 2026. Tourism: Visit St. Pete-Clearwater, June 22, 2026. Regulatory framework: Clearwater Community Development Code, Sections 1-104.B and 3-919. Developer closings at 411 East Shore Drive are reported separately from resales throughout, because blending a one-time sellout into resale medians overstates market appreciation.
Who Is Cyndee Haydon?
Gulf Beaches Resident Since 1991 | Licensed Realtor Since 2005. Cyndee has closed 435+ residential transactions and $230M+ in sales since 2005, including 150+ vacation rental and STR transactions, with 62 STR-friendly properties sold in the past 5 years and 28 sales above $1M. She lived in North Clearwater Beach through the 1990s and early 2000s and brings firsthand knowledge of the beach's zoning history to every transaction. She serves as 2026 Treasurer of Florida Realtors, 2026 Chair of the NAR Regulatory Issues Forum, and was the 2022 Florida Realtors Associate Realtor of the Year. Reach her at (727) 710-8035 or through sandbarstosunsets.com.