Central Ohio’s Housing Market Isn’t Moving Together
- Jeffrey Simmons
- 3 days ago
- 2 min read
December 2025 | Jeff Simmons
If you’re trying to describe Central Ohio’s housing market with one headline, you’re already wrong.
The December 2025 data shows a region that has split into very different local realities. Some counties are still tight and competitive. Others are flooded with listings and quiet price cuts. A few are stretched by affordability. Others by pricing that’s drifted far from local fundamentals.
This isn’t about predictions. It’s about what already happened.
Prices and Reality Have Drifted Apart
In late 2025, pricing gaps widened sharply:
Union County: prices ~97% above local fundamentals
Hocking County: ~95% above
Marion County: ~13% below
Same region. Very different math.
Inventory Is Rising — Just Not Everywhere
Inventory didn’t “come back” evenly:
Fayette County: listings up 86%
Franklin County: up 17%
Knox, Logan, Morrow: little change
Supply pressure is local now, not regional.
Busy Markets, Quiet Price Cuts
Even where activity stayed high, sellers adjusted:
Marion County: ~46% of listings cut price
Fayette County: ~42%
Franklin & Union: just over 40%
High activity doesn’t automatically mean strong pricing power.
Affordability Is the Long-Term Constraint
By December:
Franklin County crossed the 25% income-to-mortgage threshold
Hocking County moved further past it
At the same time, Union County remained easier to carry month-to-month — despite being the most overvalued.
Different risks. Different counties.
The One Takeaway
Central Ohio is no longer one housing market.
Local supply, pricing, and affordability matter more than statewide headlines.The video above shows where those pieces stopped moving together.
This report documents outcomes — not advice, not forecasts.
This report breaks down where prices, inventory, and affordability actually moved — county by county. It won’t tell you what to do, but it can help you avoid being wrong in places where the math already stopped working. Skipping one bad assumption easily pays for it.
If you want the full county-by-county breakdown behind this video, the December 2025 report is available now.
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