The 100% Commission Real Estate Brokerage in Pace.

The Pace market right now (mid-2026)

Pace is an unincorporated community in southwestern Santa Rosa County, just north of Milton and a short drive from Pensacola, and the dependable read on its housing market comes from county single-family data. As of spring 2026 the Santa Rosa County single-family median was $359,950, with the market described as firmly in seller's territory: sellers received a median 98.1% of list price, median days on market fell about 21.6% month over month, and active inventory was down roughly 18% year over year (Realtors Property Resource via the Pensacola Association of REALTORS®, March 2026). The county's median list price ran higher at $399,900 that spring, reflecting how much unsold new construction sits at the top of the range (Realtor.com via FRED, April 2026).

Zoom into Pace itself and the numbers move around, which is why the county figure is the honest anchor. Redfin put the Pace city median sale price near $330,752, up 0.2% year over year, with homes averaging about 77 days on market in mid-2026 (Redfin, May/June 2026), while Zillow's index for the county sat around $352,000 (Zillow Home Value Index, July 2026). Those gaps are a property-mix story, not a contradiction: Pace's blend of established ranch homes, acreage lots, and brand-new subdivisions swings the city median from month to month, so a countywide single-family figure is the number a listing agent should quote to a seller.

A-rated Santa Rosa schools, new construction, and affordability vs. Pensacola

Pace's core demand driver is schools. Santa Rosa County District Schools earned an "A" district rating for 2025-26, and Pace High School itself carries an "A" grade — one of a dozen-plus county campuses hitting top marks (WEAR-TV / WKRG, 2025-26). In the Panhandle, buyers cross county lines for that report card, and the Pace and Milton attendance zones are where families with children concentrate their search. That's a durable demand base that doesn't evaporate when rates wobble.

The supply side is defined by new construction. Pace grew from a rural crossroads into a Pensacola bedroom community of roughly 24,684 residents, up 22.8% between 2010 and 2020 (U.S. Census, 2020), and builders have kept pace with subdivisions filling in off Woodbine Road, Chumuckla Highway, and the US-90 corridor. For agents, that means a steady pipeline of both resale and new-build inventory — and buyers who can genuinely choose between a $330,000 established home and a comparably priced new one. The other draw is relative affordability: with the county single-family median near $359,950 (RPR, March 2026), Pace and Milton undercut much of the Gulf-front pricing to the south while giving buyers newer homes, bigger lots, and the better school grades than many Escambia County alternatives across the Pensacola line.

Military, VA loans, and the commute: Whiting Field, US-90 and Woodbine Road

Santa Rosa County is a military county, and that shapes who buys in Pace. NAS Whiting Field, just northeast in Milton, runs more than 60% of the Navy's primary flight training and generates an estimated $1.6 billion in annual economic impact, with roughly 30% of the county's gross regional product tied to Department of Defense spending (Santa Rosa County EDO / MyNBC15, 2024-2026). Add commuters to NAS Pensacola and Corry Station to the south, and a large share of Pace buyers are active-duty, veterans, or defense-adjacent — which means VA loans are a routine part of the business here, not an exception. An agent who understands VA appraisal timelines, the funding fee, and 100% financing has a real edge with this clientele.

Geography drives the rest. Pace's appeal is the commute: US-90 (Nine Mile Road / Caroline Street) and Woodbine Road feed south and west toward Pensacola, Milton sits minutes east on US-90, and buyers trade a manageable drive for newer homes and A-rated schools. Agents should be candid about the trade-offs too — Panhandle homeowners face the statewide realities of wind and windstorm insurance and, in low-lying pockets near the Escambia River and creek bottoms, flood-zone questions. Reading a flood determination and setting realistic insurance expectations up front keeps Pace deals together, especially at the higher end where carrying costs decide affordability.

What the $499 flat fee means for a Pace agent

Here's the math at the real number. On the Santa Rosa County single-family median of $359,950 (RPR, March 2026), a 3% side grosses about $10,800. A 25% split brokerage keeps roughly $2,700 of that on a single closing; a 20% split, about $2,160 — before monthly desk fees, tech fees, or E&O. At Gromadzki, that same closing costs a flat $499, so on one median Pace sale the agent keeps roughly $2,200 more than a 25% split would have left them.

Scale it to a working year. An agent closing 10 single-family sides at the $359,950 county median grosses about $108,000 at 3% per side. A 25% split brokerage keeps around $27,000 of that; a 20% split, about $21,600 — while ten Gromadzki closings cost $4,990 flat, leaving roughly $16,600 to $22,000 more in the agent's pocket every year. That gap matters most in a new-construction town like Pace, where buyer's agents earn their keep steering clients through builder contracts, incentive structures, and inspection timelines on homes that aren't finished yet — expertise a percentage split quietly taxes on every draw. The flat fee simply lets a Pace agent keep the commission their local knowledge earned.