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October 2026 housing market report for Boyle, Garrard, Lincoln and Mercer counties. Closings across the four counties matched last October exactly, but the picture underneath moved: Boyle County closed 48% more homes than last October, median prices fell in Boyle and Garrard, and mortgage rates held above 7% all month. Here is what the Flexmls numbers show, how August and September set the direction, and what is happening nationally.
The plain answer
Across Boyle, Garrard, Lincoln and Mercer counties, 96 residential homes closed in October 2026, the same number as October 2025 and up from 69 in September. The total looks flat, but the counties moved in different directions. Boyle closed 37 homes against 25 a year ago. Garrard closed 16 against 25. Lincoln was up slightly and Mercer was down.
The steadier story is supply. There were 428 active listings across the four counties at the end of October, up 13.5% from 377 a year ago and the highest of the last three months. Median prices were lower than last October in Boyle and Garrard and higher in Lincoln and Mercer. Every county had at least 3.8 months of supply, which means buyers have more to look at than they did a year ago.
Median sold price, October 2026
| October 2026 | September 2026 | Change from September | October 2025 | Change from a year ago | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boyle | $234,900 | $265,000 | -11.4% | $275,000 | -14.6% |
| Garrard | $302,000 | $379,450 | -20.4% | $355,000 | -14.9% |
| Lincoln | $219,500 | $201,500 | +8.9% | $200,000 | +9.8% |
| Mercer | $248,500 | $260,250 | -4.5% | $215,000 | +15.6% |
| All connected MLS data | $282,500 | $280,000 | +0.9% | $278,425 | +1.5% |
A median is the middle sale: half of homes sold for more, half for less. With 16 to 37 closings in each county, a few sales at either end can move it a long way. Garrard’s drop from $379,450 to $302,000, for example, says more about which 16 homes sold than about a county-wide price change. Read these as a snapshot, not a trend line.
Closings, inventory and months of supply
| Closings, Oct 2026 | Closings, Oct 2025 | Change | Active listings, Oct 2026 | Active listings, Oct 2025 | Change | Months of supply | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boyle | 37 | 25 | +48.0% | 139 | 119 | +16.8% | 3.8 |
| Garrard | 16 | 25 | -36.0% | 80 | 74 | +8.1% | 5.0 |
| Lincoln | 19 | 17 | +11.8% | 92 | 78 | +17.9% | 4.8 |
| Mercer | 24 | 29 | -17.2% | 117 | 106 | +10.4% | 4.9 |
| Four counties | 96 | 96 | 0.0% | 428 | 377 | +13.5% | 4.5 |
| All connected MLS data | 1,258 | 1,421 | -11.5% | 6,004 | 5,613 | +7.0% | 4.8 |
Months of supply here is active listings divided by that month’s closings. It is a rough gauge, and it swings when closings do, so we use it for direction and not as a forecast.
County by county
Boyle County. This was the standout month. 37 homes closed, up from 19 in September and 34 in August, and 48.0% above October 2025. Average days on market fell to 40.2 from 71.6 in September. The median was $234,900, the lowest of the three months and down from $265,000 in September and $275,000 a year ago. A busy month at a lower median often means more of the sales were in the starter and mid price range, though we cannot confirm that from the median alone. Active listings were 139, up from 124 in August and 16.8% above last October. New listings dropped to 28 from 56 in September. Homes that sold closed at 97.1% of list price and 93.7% of original list price.
Garrard County. 16 homes closed, down from 25 a year ago. The median was $302,000, below September’s $379,450 and October 2025’s $355,000. Garrard was the one county where inventory moved the other way from the others over the last two months: 80 active listings, down from 94 in September and 89 in August, though still 8.1% above a year ago. Homes that sold did so in 44.1 days on average, and closed at 98.9% of list price, the highest of the four counties. Sellers who priced to the market got close to their ask.
Lincoln County. The median was $219,500, up 8.9% from September and 9.8% above last October. 19 homes closed, against 24 in September and 17 a year ago. Active listings were 92, up 17.9% year over year, the largest increase of the four counties. Average days on market was 39.6, down from 53.4 in September and 60.2 in August. Homes sold at 95.8% of list price and 92.8% of original list price, a wider gap than in Garrard or Boyle.
Mercer County. 24 homes closed, up from 14 in September but below 32 in August and 29 a year ago. The median was $248,500, down from $260,250 in September and $270,400 in August, and still 15.6% above October 2025. Active listings reached 117, second only to Boyle among the four counties and up 10.4% from a year ago. Average days on market rose to 32.8 from an unusually short 16.9 in September. Homes sold at 95.4% of list price, down from 98.7% the month before.
How the counties compare to the wider MLS
Across all connected Imagine MLS data, 1,258 residential homes closed in October, down 11.5% from 1,421 a year ago and below 1,457 in September. Active listings were 6,004, up 7.0% year over year. The median was $282,500, up 1.5% from last October. Average days on market was 48.4, and homes sold at 96.5% of list price and 93.7% of original list price.
Our four counties added inventory faster than the wider MLS: 13.5% year over year against 7.0%. On closings, the four-county total held flat while the wider MLS fell 11.5%, which is largely Boyle’s strong month offsetting Garrard and Mercer. Prices were steadier across the wider MLS than in any single county, which is what you would expect from a much larger sample. One caution: the wider MLS figures include our four counties and do not cover every Kentucky transaction.
What is happening nationally
The National Association of Realtors reported that existing-home sales rose 1.5% in September to a 3.99 million annual rate, though that is still 2.2% below a year earlier. The national median price was $417,500, up 1.3% from a year ago and the 39th straight month of annual gains. Inventory was 1.60 million homes, up 4.6% from a year earlier, or 4.8 months of supply. NAR’s October report is due in late November, so the national figures above are for September, the most recent month available.
Mortgage rates stayed high all month. Freddie Mac’s weekly survey put the 30-year fixed rate at 7.28% on October 1, 7.40% on October 8 and October 15, and 7.32% on October 22. On October 15 a year earlier it was 6.27%. Freddie Mac’s number is a national survey average, not a quote, and you can see the full history on FRED.
The biggest factors on the market right now
Mortgage rates. The difference between 6.27% and 7.40% is easy to put in dollars. As simple arithmetic, principal and interest on a $250,000 loan is about $1,543 a month at 6.27% and about $1,731 at 7.40%, roughly $188 more every month. Your lender’s quote will differ, and taxes and insurance are extra. Our mortgage calculator lets you try your own numbers, and What Actually Goes Into Your Kentucky Mortgage Payment explains the pieces beyond principal and interest.
Federal Reserve policy and inflation. On October 28 the Federal Reserve held its target range at 3.75% to 4.00%, one meeting after the quarter-point increase on September 16, its first since 2023. The vote was 10 to 2, and both dissenters preferred another increase. The next meeting is December 9. Inflation is part of the reason: the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that consumer prices rose 0.6% in September and 3.7% over the past year, up from 3.4% in August, with gasoline up 9.1% in the month. Shelter rose 3.0% over the year. October’s report comes out November 10.
Rising inventory. More homes for sale, nationally and in all four of our counties compared with a year ago, gives buyers more to compare and more room to negotiate. We looked at what that means in Is Central Kentucky a Buyer’s Market Right Now?.
Seller pricing. Homes that sold closed between 95.4% and 98.9% of list price depending on the county. That suggests sellers who priced to the market are still getting close to their asking price. This is our read of the data, not a measured cause.
What this means for buyers and sellers
For buyers, a current lender quote matters more than usual with rates around 7.3% to 7.4%, because a payment quoted in the spring may not hold. With 3.8 to 5.0 months of supply in our counties, there is time to compare. Lincoln and Mercer had the widest gaps between list and sale price, and Garrard the narrowest, so negotiating room differs by county. If you are weighing a move, Living in Danville, KY: What It’s Really Like (Fall 2026) covers the day-to-day.
For sellers, price against today’s competition, not last month’s. Boyle homes sold in 40.2 days on average in October after 71.6 in September, which shows that a well-priced home can move quickly even with more listings around. Owners in Boyle County may also want our guide to the Kentucky homestead exemption, which explains one property tax deduction for eligible homeowners.
A note on the October numbers
Some October closings may still be reported, and Flexmls figures are sometimes revised after the fact. When we re-pulled September, a few county medians and closing counts changed slightly, and the wider MLS closing count rose from 1,326 to 1,457. October counts, medians and days on market may shift in the same way, especially in the smaller counties where a handful of sales set the figure. We will note any material changes in the November report.
Based on information from the IMAGINE MLS® for the period October 1, 2026 through October 31, 2026. Residential property, closed sales, pulled November 3, 2026. August and September 2026 figures are used for comparison. Not all Kentucky transactions are included. Mortgage rate, Federal Reserve, inflation and national sales figures are from Freddie Mac, the Federal Reserve, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the National Association of Realtors, as of the dates stated.
Your numbers, not just the county’s
Want the numbers for your street, not your county?
If you are thinking about buying or selling in Boyle, Garrard, Lincoln or Mercer County, we can walk through what this means for your price range and timeline.
