Hammock Bay & Freeport Rentals: The 2025 Slowdown and the 2026 Turnaround
If you've noticed rentals sitting longer and rents holding flat since 2023, that's been real, and the data below shows exactly when it turned, and when it started turning back.
What the Data Actually Shows
The numbers below come directly from the local MLS system for rentals marked "Rented" in Freeport, FL, pulled fresh as of September 14, 2026.
Hammock Bay: 2021-2026
| Year | # Rented | Avg. Rent | Median Rent | Avg. Days on Market |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 YTD (thru 9/14) | 17 | $2,797 | $2,800 | 57 |
| 2025 | 52 | $2,622 | $2,512 | 75 |
| 2024 | 47 | $2,785 | $2,750 | 53 |
| 2023 | 40 | $2,797 | $2,712 | 38 |
| 2022 | 30 | $2,763 | $2,800 | 20 |
| 2021 | 32 | $2,475 | $2,400 | 54 |
Freeport as a whole tells a similar story on a bigger scale. Here's the same snapshot for all of Freeport, not just Hammock Bay:
Freeport Overall: 2021-2026
| Year | # Rented | Avg. Rent | Median Rent | Avg. Days on Market |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 YTD (thru 9/14) | 158 | $2,212 | $2,300 | 65 |
| 2025 | 202 | $2,217 | $2,300 | 89 |
| 2024 | 207 | $2,252 | $2,300 | 63 |
| 2023 | 206 | $2,209 | $2,100 | 58 |
| 2022 | 191 | $2,215 | $2,200 | 44 |
| 2021 | 175 | $1,953 | $1,850 | 45 |
The Key Difference: 2025 Was the Trough, Not the New Normal
Both markets tell the same story: days on market spiked hard in 2025, Hammock Bay from 53 to 75 days, Freeport overall from 63 to a six-year high of 89, while average rent softened for the first time in years (Hammock Bay down nearly 6%). That's a real, MLS-documented slowdown, not anecdote.
A Closer Look: 2026 Told Quarter by Quarter
The annual year-to-date number hides how sharply this has turned. Breaking 2026 into quarters:
Hammock Bay by Quarter, 2026
| Period | # Rented | Avg. Rent | Avg. Days on Market |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 (Jan-Mar) | 6 | $2,733 | 88 |
| Q2 (Apr-Jun) | 7 | $2,764 | 42 |
| Q3 (Jul-Sep 14) | 4 | $2,950 | 36 |
Freeport Overall by Quarter, 2026
| Period | # Rented | Avg. Rent | Avg. Days on Market |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 (Jan-Mar) | 52 | $2,117 | 68 |
| Q2 (Apr-Jun) | 70 | $2,235 | 63 |
| Q3 (Jul-Sep 14) | 36 | $2,302 | 64 |
Q1 2026 was actually the softest single quarter in this entire six-year dataset for Hammock Bay. Since then, days on market has cut by more than half and rents have climbed every quarter. If your rental market has felt like it picked up starting in the spring, the MLS data backs that up.
Why the Timing? A Local Read, Not a Guaranteed Cause
We manage rentals across this area, and 2023-2025 tracked with a quieter stretch of military relocation activity into the local bases, one of the biggest recurring drivers of rental demand here. We can't independently verify PCS volume ourselves, but the timing lines up with what our owners and applicants told us, and it fits a demand-side explanation better than a supply glut: inventory hasn't moved nearly enough to explain an 89-day average days on market on its own.
What This Means If You Own a Rental Here
If you priced a listing for 2025 conditions and it's still not moving, the market has likely shifted under you, and it's worth a fresh look at pricing rather than continuing to wait it out at last year's number.
A Personal Note From Jennifer
Before I started Mims Property Management, I was a residential appraiser, and that background shapes how we price rentals through a cycle like this one: off real MLS trend data each season, not off what a unit rented for a year ago. The 2025 slowdown and the 2026 rebound are both visible in the same numbers, and pricing to whichever one you're actually in, not the one you remember, is what keeps a unit renting close to market rather than sitting.
What Your Options Actually Are
1. Request a free rental analysis to see where your unit should be priced against the current market, not last year's.
2. Already renting through us? Ask your property manager for a market check given how fast this has moved since spring.