Miami County’s housing market remains busy according to sales data from the Miami County Auditor’s Website. Sales of residential property increased this summer, and the average sale price is still well above where it was only a few years ago.
But the numbers also show why residents should be careful about treating one countywide average as the full story. Some of the recent sales are not homes. They are vacant lots that may be used for future development. Those sales can affect the averages in ways that do not match what a family sees when shopping for a home.
The good news is that Miami County continues to attract buyers, builders, and investment. The harder question is what those sales mean for the people trying to buy, sell, or remain in a home here.
Sales Have Rebounded
The Miami County Auditor’s Office recorded 657 valid residential sales between June and August 2026. That is the highest total in this five-year comparison.
There were 630 sales during the same three-month period in 2022. Sales then fell to 555 in 2023 and 473 in 2024. The market picked up again in 2025, with 595 valid residential sales. This year’s total of 657 sales shows a strong return in activity.
That increase matters because it shows that people are still buying and selling property in Miami County, even after several years of higher interest rates and higher housing costs. A market with more sales generally gives both buyers and sellers more movement and more choices than a market where few properties are changing hands.
The average sale price has also changed sharply over those years. It was $245,341 in 2022 and $243,169 in 2023. It rose to $284,208 in 2024, then jumped to $367,222 in 2025. The average sale price this summer was $308,844.
That is still a large number. It confirms what many residents already feel: buying property in Miami County is more expensive than it was just a few years ago.
Why the Average Needs Context
The average sale price is useful, but it is not the same as the typical price of a home.
The Auditor’s figures include valid residential sales, which can include more than existing houses. They can also include vacant residential lots and land intended for development. A vacant lot is a residential property sale, but it is very different from a house sold.
That difference is important when looking at the appraised values in the data.
In 2022, the average appraisal was $285,638. It dropped to $253,921 in 2023 and then to $246,856 in 2024. In 2025, the average appraisal fell to $176,840. This year, it was $173,633.
At first glance, it may seem strange that the average sale price increased while the average appraisal fell. But the rising number of vacant lot sales helps explain it.
A vacant lot can have an appraised value far below a home, especially before a house is built on it. When many low-value lots are included in the total number of residential sales, they can lower the average appraisal across the entire group.
That does not necessarily mean that homes throughout Miami County are losing value. It means the group of sales being measured has changed.
Vacant-Lot Sales Grew Sharply
The number of low-value vacant lot sales rose greatly between 2025 and 2026.
Between June and August 2025, there were 57 residential lots sold with appraised values below $25,000. During the same period in 2026, that number increased to 153 lots.
That is an increase of 96 lot sales in one year.
Those 153 lots make up almost one out of every four valid residential sales recorded this summer. Their appraised values are much lower than the value of an existing home. As a result, they pull down the countywide average appraisal.
At the same time, larger or more expensive sales can raise the average sale price. That helps explain why the 2026 average sale price was $308,844 while the average appraisal was only $173,633.
Neither number is wrong. They simply reflect a market with many different kinds of property sales happening at once.
A Market Showing Growth and Change
The clearest message from the data is that Miami County’s real estate market is active and changing.
There are more valid residential sales this summer than in any of the prior four years. Sale prices remain much higher than they were in 2022 and 2023. There has also been a large increase in vacant-lot sales, which may point to continued interest in development across the county.
For residents, the lesson is simple. Countywide averages are helpful, but they should be read with care. The sale of a vacant lot is not the same as the sale of a family home, even though both may appear in the same residential sales totals.
Miami County remains a place where people want to buy, build, and invest. That is encouraging. But it also means residents should look beyond the headline number and understand what is included in it.
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