Real Local Real Estate News
By David A. DuBose, Qualifying Broker, RealtyEdge Brokers | Published October 28, 2026 | MLS resale sales through October 28, 2026
Are Auburn Home Values Really Falling?
Auburn homeowners hear conflicting messages about the housing market. Higher mortgage rates have made purchases more difficult, and sellers sometimes face longer negotiations. Does that mean existing Auburn homes are losing value?
To examine the question, The DuBose Group at RealtyEdge Brokers reviewed 1,643 verified closed sales of single-family resale homes across three consecutive 12-month periods ending October 28, 2024, 2025, and 2026. New construction, condos, and townhomes were excluded. Each sale was grouped by its final closed price.1
The result is not a uniform story of declining resale values. Most of the price brackets with meaningful sales activity recorded higher median sold prices per square foot in 2026 than in 2024. Yet the mix of homes being purchased shifted substantially toward higher price ranges. That distinction matters.
How Have Auburn Resale Sales Changed Since 2024?
| Auburn Resale Sales | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total closed sales | 478 | 587 | 578 |
| $300,000 and under | 84 | 65 | 62 |
| $301,000–$500,000 | 253 | 297 | 283 |
| Above $500,000 | 141 | 225 | 233 |
Total resale transactions rose from 478 in the earliest period to 578 in the latest, a 20.9% increase. Activity was slightly lower than the 587 closings recorded in the middle period. However, sales at $300,000 and below fell from 84 to 62, while sales above $500,000 rose from 141 to 233.1
Higher-priced sales therefore accounted for approximately 40.3% of 2026 closings, compared with 29.5% in 2024. These figures demonstrate a change in the mix of completed transactions. They do not, by themselves, prove that the same properties appreciated or that affordable homes were unavailable for sale.
Are Auburn Resale Prices Per Square Foot Declining?
The following table compares the median sold price per square foot within each final-sale-price bracket. These are not repeat-sales appreciation figures; they describe the middle observation among the homes that closed in each bracket and year.
| Final Sale Price | 2024 $/sf | 2025 $/sf | 2026 $/sf | 3-Year Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $201K–$300K | $182.79 | $199.86 | $186.12 | +1.8% |
| $301K–$400K | $182.56 | $190.50 | $192.22 | +5.3% |
| $401K–$500K | $175.62 | $181.95 | $182.45 | +3.9% |
| $501K–$600K | $191.07 | $189.08 | $201.16 | +5.3% |
| $601K–$700K | $210.49 | $214.82 | $205.28 | -2.5% |
| $701K–$800K | $215.45 | $222.89 | $241.52 | +12.1% |
| $801K–$900K | $231.85 | $239.74 | $250.50 | +8.0% |
| $901K–$1M | $250.52 | $228.42 | $261.37 | +4.3% |
| $1M–$2M | $272.34 | $293.12 | $308.40 | +13.2% |
In the $301,000–$400,000 bracket, the median increased from $182.56 to $192.22 per square foot. The $501,000–$600,000 bracket rose from $191.07 to $201.16. The $601,000–$700,000 bracket moved in the opposite direction, from $210.49 to $205.28. These differences argue against treating the entire Auburn resale market as a single price trend.1
Higher-end brackets showed some of the largest percentage increases, but they also have fewer transactions and greater potential for changes in the mix of properties sold. Larger lots, location, condition, age, and home size can all influence a price-per-square-foot median.
Are Auburn Sellers Accepting Less Than Asking Price?
The median sale-to-list percentage provides a second perspective: how close closed prices were to the reported asking prices. Across much of Auburn's middle market, the figures changed relatively little.
| Final Sale Price | 2024 Median | 2025 Median | 2026 Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| $301K–$400K | 98.47% | 98.16% | 98.14% |
| $401K–$500K | 98.43% | 97.78% | 98.82% |
| $501K–$600K | 99.05% | 98.13% | 98.37% |
| $701K–$800K | 98.06% | 98.28% | 98.08% |
| $1M–$2M | 97.12% | 94.98% | 96.61% |
These medians do not show an across-the-board collapse in the percentage of asking price received. However, they cannot tell us whether a seller lowered the asking price before accepting an offer, whether concessions were negotiated, or how long a home was marketed.
The supplied data do not establish whether the MLS denominator was the original or final asking price, so these percentages should not be interpreted as a measure of total discount from the initial listing price.1
Why Does National Housing Research Tell a More Cautious Story?
Harvard's Joint Center for Housing Studies reported in October 2025 that modestly lower mortgage rates had not overcome the affordability burden of elevated home prices. It found that national homebuying remained near multi-decade lows even as rates eased.2
The National Association of REALTORS reported that first-time buyers accounted for just 21% of purchasers in its 2025 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers. These findings are consistent with affordability pressure nationally, but they do not establish why Auburn recorded fewer low-price resale closings.3
There is also an important reason not to call rising median price per square foot "appreciation." The Federal Housing Finance Agency uses a repeat-sales approach that tracks changes involving the same properties, helping control for changes in the characteristics of homes sold. Our Auburn MLS price-bracket analysis does not make that adjustment.4
The local evidence and national research therefore answer different questions: the Auburn data show where transactions occurred and how sale metrics changed, while national research offers possible context for buyer affordability and valuation trends.
What Should Auburn Home Sellers Consider?
The data do not support assuming that every Auburn resale property has lost value. But neither do they guarantee that an individual home is worth more than it was two years ago. Pricing should reflect recent comparable closed sales, property condition, location, current competing listings, and the seller's timeline.
A home can sell close to its final asking price after one or more reductions. Sellers should examine the entire pricing history, not just the closing ratio.
What Should Auburn Home Buyers Consider?
The price bracket in which a home competes matters. Broad citywide figures can hide meaningful differences in recent sales activity and negotiating outcomes. Buyers should compare homes of similar size, age, location, and condition and consider the property's pricing history before drawing conclusions about value.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are home prices falling in Auburn, Alabama?
The three-year resale analysis does not show uniform declines in median sold price per square foot across price brackets. It cannot determine appreciation or depreciation for an individual home.
Are fewer affordable resale homes selling in Auburn?
Yes. Closed single-family resale sales at $300,000 and below fell from 84 in the earliest 12-month period to 62 in the latest. That does not by itself reveal whether supply or demand caused the decline.
Are Auburn homes selling for less than asking price?
Median sale-to-list percentages remained near 98% in several middle-market price brackets in 2026. The metric does not reveal all prior price reductions or seller concessions.
Does a higher median price per square foot mean my home gained value?
Not necessarily. Changes in the mix of homes sold can affect the median. A property-specific analysis requires closely comparable transactions.
Real Estate Is Local
Auburn's resale market has not moved in lockstep across every price range. Transaction activity has shifted toward higher prices, while median price-per-square-foot and sale-to-list trends vary by segment.
The most useful question for an individual homeowner is not whether the entire city is up or down, but how closely comparable homes are performing today.
David and Casey DuBose with The DuBose Group at RealtyEdge Brokers can help Auburn buyers and sellers review relevant comparable sales and build a plan based on their goals.
Methodology
RealtyEdge Brokers analysis of 1,643 verified MLS closed sales of Auburn, Alabama single-family resale homes in three consecutive 12-month reporting periods ending October 28 of 2024, 2025, and 2026 (478, 587, and 578 closings, respectively). New construction, condos, and townhomes were excluded.
Price brackets use final closed sale price. The source spreadsheet reports the median sold price per square foot and median sale-to-list percentage by bracket. Bracket medians are not weighted marketwide medians and are not repeat-sales appreciation measures.
The source extract does not specify whether the sale-to-list ratio uses the original or last asking price. Small price brackets can be especially volatile; the single 2025 closing under $100,000 had a reported ratio of 68.18%, which is not representative of the broader market.
Date boundaries and MLS revisions should be verified against the underlying closing records.
Research and Sources
- RealtyEdge Brokers, original Auburn MLS resale closed-sales analysis, three 12-month periods ending October 28, 2024–2026; price-point workbook supplied by David A. DuBose.
- Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies, Daniel McCue, Lower Interest Rates Fail to Offset Effects of High Home Prices, October 28, 2025.
- National Association of REALTORS, Top 10 Takeaways from NAR's 2025 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, November 3, 2025.
- Federal Housing Finance Agency, FHFA House Price Index Frequently Asked Questions, repeat-sales methodology, 2026.
