Quarterly County Analysis Q3 2026 • Prepared for Howard Hanna Rand Realty
Market Commentary 21 counties across New York, New Jersey, Connecticut • Q3 2026 vs Q3 2025
The third quarter of 2026 brought another chapter of bifurcated market conditions across the Howard Hanna Rand Realty service area, with singlefamily home activity during the July-through-September period revealing sharp contrasts between supply-constrained suburban cores and more rural or transitional markets finding their footing. The most competitive conditions remained concentrated in Westchester and the New Jersey counties closest to New York City, where urgency among buyers showed no meaningful signs of cooling. Westchester's median sale price surged to $1,190,000 — a striking 10.1% jump year-over-year — while its 1.7 months of supply and 17-day median days on market underscore just how little room buyers have to deliberate; homes there are selling at 107% of list price on average, meaning waived contingencies and escalation clauses remain the rule rather than the exception. Essex County, New Jersey delivered perhaps the quarter's most emphatic seller's market signal, with a 110% sale-to-list ratio and an 18-day median days on market against only 2.1 months of inventory, even as closed sales dipped fractionally yearover-year — a reminder that volume softness in tight markets often reflects a scarcity of available homes rather than any retreat in buyer demand. Morris and Passaic counties similarly held firm, each posting 105% sale-to-list ratios with inventory well under two and three months respectively, reinforcing the broader pattern across northern and central New Jersey where persistent undersupply continues to reward sellers with pricing power. Moving up the price spectrum, the Western Connecticut and Gold Coast market added another dimension to the regional story, with a median sale price of $1,128,500 — up 7.0% from a year ago — and a 104% sale-to-list ratio against just 2.0 months of supply, even as closed sales declined 5.2% year-over-year. That combination of fewer transactions but stronger pricing is a hallmark of a market where motivated, well-capitalized buyers are competing hard for a limited pool of homes, a dynamic that has characterized Fairfield County-area communities throughout the post-pandemic period and shows little sign of reversing. By contrast, Orange and Dutchess counties on the New York side represented a more balanced opportunity for buyers willing to look further from the metro core: Orange saw the second-strongest volume growth among New York counties at 8.4% year-over-year with a median price of $511,000 and four months of inventory, offering meaningful selection relative to the downstate markets, while Dutchess posted a 10.1% median price increase to $550,000 alongside a respectable 3.0% gain in closed sales. Hunterdon County, New Jersey was the quarter's standout performer on the volume side, with a remarkable 17.3% year-over-year increase in homes sold and a median price climbing to $742,000 — evidence that buyers priced out of Bergen or Morris are pushing west in search of relative value without fully sacrificing commute viability. At the other end of the spectrum, Sullivan County and Hudson County, New Jersey represented the quarter's most notable areas of softness, though for very different reasons. Sullivan's 8.4 months of inventory and 46.5-day median days on market reflect a market still recalibrating after the pandemic-era surge in Catskills demand; while closed sales actually rose 10.9% year-over-year, the median price slipped modestly to $373,000 and the 97% sale-to-list ratio signals that buyers hold meaningful negotiating leverage — a meaningful shift from the frenzy of recent years. Hudson County's single-family segment posted the quarter's sharpest volume decline at -14.7% year-over-year, and while the median price held flat at $640,000, the relatively limited inventory of detached homes in that dense urban county makes the segment inherently volatile quarter to quarter. Somerset County, New Jersey also warrants attention, with a 9.7% drop in closed sales despite tight 2.1 months of supply and a largely stable median price near $815,000 — a pattern consistent with seller hesitation in high-equity markets where move-up options remain scarce, a challenge that has constrained transaction volume across many premium suburban submarkets throughout the region this year.
Quarterly County Overview • Q3 2026
HOWARD HANNA | RAND REALTY
Data is sourced from multiple MLS services across NY, NJ, and CT. Duplications and omissions may be present. Single-family residences only. Information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed.
Quarterly County Overview
Q3 2026 Market Update • Single-Family Residences • Howard Hanna Rand Realty
Sales County
Q3 2026
Q3 2025
YoY Change
Westchester
1,623
1,619
Putnam
260
259
▲ 0.2% ▲ 0.4%
Rockland
505
519
▼ 2.7%
Orange
801
739
▲ 8.4%
Ulster
469
473
▼ 0.8%
Sullivan
224
202
Dutchess
609
591
Bronx
156
153
▲ 10.9% ▲ 3.0% ▲ 2.0%
Bergen
1,726
1,705
▲ 1.2%
Essex
1,441
1,452
▼ 0.8%
Hudson
163
191
▼ 14.7%
Hunterdon
420
358
Middlesex
1,630
1,588
Monmouth
1,672
1,560
Morris
1,287
1,230
Passaic
869
867
▲ 17.3% ▲ 2.6% ▲ 7.2% ▲ 4.6% ▲ 0.2%
Somerset
764
846
▼ 9.7%
Sussex
543
524
▲ 3.6%
Union
862
923
▼ 6.6%
Warren
281
276
▲ 1.8%
1,434
1,513
▼ 5.2%
NEW YORK
NEW JERSEY
CONNECTICUT
Western Connecticut/Gold Coast
Quarterly County Overview • Q3 2026
HOWARD HANNA | RAND REALTY
Data is sourced from multiple MLS services across NY, NJ, and CT. Duplications and omissions may be present. Single-family residences only. Information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed.
Quarterly County Overview
Q3 2026 Market Update • Single-Family Residences • Howard Hanna Rand Realty
Median Sale Prices County
Q3 2026
Q3 2025
YoY Change
Westchester
$1,190,000
$1,081,000
▲ 10.1%
Putnam
$609,000
$610,000
▼ 0.2%
Rockland
$800,000
$799,000
Orange
$511,000
$485,000
Ulster
$500,000
$485,000
▲ 0.1% ▲ 5.4% ▲ 3.1%
Sullivan
$373,000
$382,450
▼ 2.5%
Dutchess
$550,000
$499,500
Bronx
$710,500
$690,000
▲ 10.1% ▲ 3.0%
Bergen
$902,000
$873,000
Essex
$850,000
$818,000
▲ 3.3% ▲ 3.9%
Hudson
$640,000
$640,000
0.0%
Hunterdon
$742,000
$708,500
Middlesex
$650,000
$635,000
Monmouth
$825,000
$785,000
Morris
$812,500
$750,000
Passaic
$650,000
$635,000
▲ 4.7% ▲ 2.4% ▲ 5.1% ▲ 8.3% ▲ 2.4%
Somerset
$815,000
$819,050
▼ 0.5%
Sussex
$510,000
$469,500
Union
$730,000
$690,000
Warren
$485,000
$437,450
▲ 8.6% ▲ 5.8% ▲ 10.9%
$1,128,500
$1,055,000
▲ 7.0%
NEW YORK
NEW JERSEY
CONNECTICUT
Western Connecticut/Gold Coast
Quarterly County Overview • Q3 2026
HOWARD HANNA | RAND REALTY
Data is sourced from multiple MLS services across NY, NJ, and CT. Duplications and omissions may be present. Single-family residences only. Information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed.
Quarterly County Overview
Q3 2026 Market Update • Single-Family Residences • Howard Hanna Rand Realty
Pending & Inventory Active Listings
Under Contract
Months of Inventory
New Listings Q3 2026
New Listings Q3 2025
Change
Westchester
904
785
1.7
1,360
1,388
▼ 2.0%
Putnam
254
134
2.9
304
286
Rockland
452
395
2.7
614
604
Orange
1,067
589
4.0
1,130
1,047
Ulster
715
341
4.6
788
731
▲ 6.3% ▲ 1.7% ▲ 7.9% ▲ 7.8%
Sullivan
628
183
8.4
423
472
▼ 10.4%
Dutchess
754
379
3.7
842
822
Bronx
271
171
5.2
302
250
▲ 2.4% ▲ 20.8%
Bergen
1,185
771
2.1
2,266
2,066
Essex
991
691
2.1
1,901
1,718
Hudson
247
148
4.5
365
345
Hunterdon
307
176
2.2
477
445
Middlesex
1,273
904
2.3
2,215
2,137
Monmouth
1,265
923
2.3
2,395
2,081
Morris
818
603
1.9
1,643
1,421
Passaic
600
512
2.1
1,244
1,149
Somerset
533
357
2.1
904
873
Sussex
487
287
2.7
792
730
Union
668
461
2.3
1,316
1,157
▲ 9.7% ▲ 10.7% ▲ 5.8% ▲ 7.2% ▲ 3.6% ▲ 15.1% ▲ 15.6% ▲ 8.3% ▲ 3.6% ▲ 8.5% ▲ 13.7%
Warren
265
155
2.8
407
428
▼ 4.9%
975
606
2.0
1,573
1,184
▲ 32.9%
County NEW YORK
NEW JERSEY
CONNECTICUT
Western Connecticut/Gold Coast
Quarterly County Overview • Q3 2026
HOWARD HANNA | RAND REALTY
Data is sourced from multiple MLS services across NY, NJ, and CT. Duplications and omissions may be present. Single-family residences only. Information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed.
Quarterly County Overview
Q3 2026 Market Update • Single-Family Residences • Howard Hanna Rand Realty
Market Conditions County
Median Days on Market
Sale-to-List Ratio
Westchester
17
107.0%
Putnam
26
102.0%
Rockland
24
101.0%
Orange
33
100.0%
Ulster
41
100.0%
Sullivan
47
97.0%
Dutchess
31
102.0%
Bronx
40
99.0%
Bergen
20
104.0%
Essex
18
110.0%
Hudson
20
102.0%
Hunterdon
22
101.0%
Middlesex
23
102.0%
Monmouth
16
103.0%
Morris
17
105.0%
Passaic
22
105.0%
Somerset
21
103.0%
Sussex
22
103.0%
Union
18
105.0%
Warren
24
102.0%
22
104.0%
NEW YORK
NEW JERSEY
CONNECTICUT
Western Connecticut/Gold Coast
Quarterly County Overview • Q3 2026
HOWARD HANNA | RAND REALTY
Data is sourced from multiple MLS services across NY, NJ, and CT. Duplications and omissions may be present. Single-family residences only. Information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed.