Lafayette Parish recorded almost the same number of residential sales in October 2026 as it did a year earlier. The bigger change was time on market: median cumulative days on market increased from 30 to 46.
Prices told a mixed story. The median sale price fell 8.1%, while the average sale price rose 5.8%. Those numbers should be read together before drawing conclusions about what an individual home is worth.
October at a glance
| Measure | Oct. 2026 | Oct. 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes sold | 271 | 270 | +0.4% |
| Median sale price | $245,000 | $266,500 | −8.1% |
| Average sale price | $323,522 | $305,849 | +5.8% |
| Median cumulative days on market | 46 days | 30 days | +16 days |
| Reported active listings | 1,398 | 1,355 | +3.2% |
| Pending listings | 261 | 282 | −7.4% |
| New listings | 346 | 407 | −15.0% |
Why the median fell while the average rose
The median is the middle sale price; the average combines all sale prices and divides by the number of sales. Higher-priced transactions can pull the average upward even when the middle transaction is less expensive.
October’s sales mix changed. The $200,000–$249,999 bracket recorded 70 sales, up from 55, while the $250,000–$299,999 bracket recorded 45, down from 72. At the upper end, nine homes sold for $1 million or more, compared with five a year earlier.
The 8.1% decline in median price does not establish that every Lafayette Parish home lost 8.1% of its value. Condition, location, features and recent comparable sales remain essential to estimating value.
What buyers should take from this
Longer marketing times and a modest increase in reported active inventory suggest more room to compare options. They do not guarantee a discount on every property. Look at the particular home’s days on market, price history, nearby competition and recent closed sales before deciding what to offer.
What sellers should take from this
Homes are still selling: October closings were essentially flat year over year. The longer median marketing period makes realistic pricing and preparation especially useful. Compare your home with the choices buyers have today, and use recent comparable sales to support the asking price.
The year-to-date picture is steadier
From January through October, Lafayette Parish recorded 2,925 residential sales, up 2.9% from 2,842 in the same period in 2025. The year-to-date median sale price remained $255,000. The average sale price increased 4.1% to $310,447, and median cumulative days on market rose from 41 to 45.
These figures cover Lafayette Parish as a whole. Individual neighborhoods and price ranges can behave differently.