From Boom to Reset: Florida Real Estate No Longer Rewarding Quick Exits

Written by:

Steve Marcinuk

Date:

11 Dec 2025

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The belief that real estate can deliver quick profits is being tested in Florida, where market conditions have shifted sharply since the pandemic boom. According to Randall Rintala, Associate Broker at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Beach Properties of Florida, buyers need to rethink their expectations about how and when real estate investments pay off.

Rintala, who has worked in the Destin-30A market for more than two decades, says many buyers who entered the market during the pandemic are now facing losses or minimal gains. The rapid appreciation seen in 2020 and 2021 led some to believe that short-term speculation was a reliable strategy. “If you’re not buying for at least five years, you shouldn’t be buying,” Rintala says. “If you plan on selling within five years, good luck making any money and at least breaking even.”

During the pandemic, buyers watched neighbors sell homes for huge profits in a matter of months and assumed this was the new norm. “We have a short memory,” Rintala says. “People think, ‘Oh wow, my neighbor made this much money in this amount of time.’ But that’s not normal, guys.”

A Return to Historical Patterns

Rintala explains that the double-digit appreciation rates seen during the pandemic were not only unusual but also risky for market stability. “You shouldn’t have 20%, 30%, 50% appreciation by the time you went to contract, by the time you closed,” he says. “That’s dangerous for everybody. That’s not a good market.”

Those days are over. The Florida market has reverted to its historical pattern, where real estate is a long-term wealth-building tool rather than a quick way to make money. “When your parents bought real estate, it was for the long term, not the short term,” Rintala says.

Many pandemic-era buyers are now learning this lesson firsthand. Some who bought in 2022 or 2023 with plans to sell quickly are discovering that the market no longer supports rapid turnarounds. “If you think you can buy in one year and turn around and flip it, good luck,” Rintala says. “You’ll actually lose money.”

Slower Appreciation Ahead

Rintala points out that the sharp run-up in prices during the pandemic has made further near-term appreciation very unlikely. “Right now, with the appreciation that’s happened over the last few years, there’s not a lot of growth for more appreciation,” he says.

This does not mean real estate is a bad investment, Rintala emphasizes. Instead, buyers need to adopt a longer time horizon. “If you’re buying for the right reasons, I think you’ll still do okay,” he says. For him, those “right reasons” mean planning to hold the property for at least five years and understanding that wealth comes from building equity through mortgage payments and gradual appreciation, not from fast price jumps.

Rintala’s advice to clients is intentionally conservative. “I’m not going to blow smoke just to get a sale,” he says. “If you ask me a question, I’m going to give you my personal opinion on it, but it’s going to be a conservative opinion, very cautious.”

Communicating Market Realities

For real estate professionals, Rintala says, the challenge is to communicate these realities without discouraging buyers. The message is not that real estate is a poor investment, but that it requires patience and realistic expectations.

However, Rintala notes that this approach runs counter to how some agents operate. Agents focused on quick commissions may encourage unrealistic timelines or promise returns that are no longer achievable. “Agents who are chasing a paycheck have an incentive to encourage transactions even when buyers have unrealistic timelines or return expectations,” he says.

Rintala says his approach is shaped by his experience with new construction sales, where he does not represent either party but facilitates the transaction. “I don’t represent anybody. I represent the deal,” he explains. “All I do is present the facts, and I can’t make you sign anything. You sign when you’re ready.”

This arrangement, he says, removes the pressure to exaggerate appreciation prospects or push buyers into decisions that don’t fit their needs or timelines.

What’s Next for the Florida Market

Looking ahead, Rintala expects the Florida market to stay relatively flat in 2025, with some potential for improvement in 2026 as new policies take effect and buyers who have been waiting begin to return. “I think 2026 is definitely going to be better,” he says.

Still, Rintala cautions that “better” does not mean a return to the dramatic price increases of the pandemic. Instead, he anticipates a healthier market with realistic pricing and buyers who understand the need for longer holding periods. “Yes, real estate will eventually go up,” he says. “But I’m more of a long-term, at least five years. You can find yourself in better appreciation versus if you think you can buy in one year and turn around and flip it.”

Whether buyers and investors will adjust their expectations remains uncertain. But the market is already sending a clear message: those who entered with short-term goals are now seeing firsthand that real estate does not deliver instant profits. As Rintala puts it, “Real estate doesn’t work the way they thought it did.”