{"id":307470,"date":"2026-06-15T00:07:15","date_gmt":"2026-06-15T00:07:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/307470\/"},"modified":"2026-06-15T00:07:15","modified_gmt":"2026-06-15T00:07:15","slug":"why-citrus-county-is-defying-floridas-housing-slowdown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/307470\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Citrus County is defying Florida\u2019s housing slowdown"},"content":{"rendered":"

CITRUS COUNTY, Fla. \u2014 As concerns grow about a potential housing slowdown across Florida, new data suggests Citrus County may offer a clearer picture of what a \u201cnormalizing\u201d housing market looks like.<\/p>\n

Known for its rural farmland, Citrus County is now seeing increased development \u2014 two contrasting realities that together reflect the area\u2019s growth. Local experts say it\u2019s this evolution that highlights a more balanced and sustainable housing market.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe county housing market is kind of unique,\u201d said Keith Pullias, president of the REALTORS Association of Citrus County<\/a>. \u201cWe have a lot of folks coming from more metropolitan areas into Citrus County. With the Veterans Expressway, it’s a quick commute from Tampa. We\u2019re also a retiree-friendly community, so as retirees move in, we\u2019re building more homes.\u201d<\/p>\n

That steady influx is helping to drive demand. The average home price in Citrus County is now about $299,000.<\/p>\n

Pullias says many buyers are entering the market with significant financial advantages.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a lot of individuals who\u2019ve accumulated wealth over their lifetime and can make cash purchases,\u201d he said. \u201cThat creates a more competitive environment.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to the latest Florida Realtors report, Citrus County\u2019s housing market continues to show strong momentum.<\/p>\n

A total of 341 homes sold in April \u2014 up 20.9% from 282 sales a year earlier. Sellers also received a median of 94.7% of their original list price, a sign that buyer demand remains steady despite higher mortgage rates and ongoing economic uncertainty.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile supply is increasing, demand is still outweighing supply,\u201d Pullias added.<\/p>\n

Even as the market remains competitive, local leaders are working to ensure more residents can access homeownership.<\/p>\n

Last year, Citrus County secured $600,000 in State Housing Initiatives Partnership (SHIP) funding to support lower-income families. The county partnered with Habitat for Humanity to help expand affordable housing opportunities.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s becoming more and more difficult for folks, especially to get into that first home,\u201d said Justin Leech, CEO of Habitat for Humanity Citrus<\/a>. \u201cThat\u2019s why organizations like Habitat \u2014 and others \u2014 are so important to help fill in that gap.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of those efforts is taking shape in Citrus Springs, where Habitat for Humanity is developing a new community with 176 lots.<\/p>\n

Leech says the area\u2019s appeal spans income levels.<\/p>\n

\u201cLower taxes are one factor, but also the beauty of Citrus County,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re part of the Nature Coast, with springs and rivers flowing out to the Gulf of Mexico. It\u2019s a beautiful place.\u201d<\/p>\n

Realtors say the combination of steady demand, increasing supply, and continued development reflects a market that is finding its balance \u2014 similar to what Florida experienced before the pandemic housing surge.<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course, with any sort of growth, there\u2019s going to be changes,\u201d Pullias said. \u201cBut overall, Citrus County has definitely kept its character.\u201d<\/p>\n

As home sales continue and development expands, local leaders say the growth happening in Citrus County is not just rapid, but increasingly balanced.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"CITRUS COUNTY, Fla. \u2014 As concerns grow about a potential housing slowdown across Florida, new data suggests Citrus…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":307471,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[21948,32344,7083,28,30,29,1644,115,275,135,278,835],"class_list":["post-307470","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-florida","tag-app-affordable-housing","tag-app-top-stories-nc","tag-citrus-county","tag-florida","tag-florida-headlines","tag-florida-news","tag-housing","tag-news","tag-spectrum-news-staff","tag-tampa","tag-top-stories","tag-vod"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/307470","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=307470"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/307470\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/307471"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=307470"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=307470"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=307470"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}