Published November 1, 2026 in Market Update

Inventory is not one market here

By LORI DONNELLY

Real estate, Primary buy box (2)

The three months ending August 31, 2026 told two very different stories in this market. The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 1.2 months of supply in New Egypt and 7.7 months in Oakhurst. That is the same region, but almost opposite conditions. Where you are sitting matters more than any broad headline.

Freddie Mac put the 30-year fixed rate at 7.24% as of October 29, 2026. That rate touches every buyer here. But whether a seller has to give ground on price depends far more on local supply than on rates alone.

The tight side: sellers hold the terms

New Egypt had only 16 homes for sale and 1.2 months of supply, per the Real Estate Data Aggregator. Sales jumped 57.7% from the same period a year before. Homes sold in a median of 27 days, 19 days faster than last year. Sellers got 99.5% of list on average.

Red Bank told a similar story. The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 1.3 months of supply there. The median sale price reached $707,500, up 13.2% from a year before. More than half of homes, 58.5%, sold above list price. The average sale came in at 104.7% of list.

Brielle had only 9 homes for sale and 1.5 months of supply. The Real Estate Data Aggregator put the median sale price at $1,485,000, up 48.5% from the same period last year. More than 6 in 10 homes, 63.2%, sold above list. Sellers averaged 103.6% of list price.

The looser side: buyers have more room

Oakhurst carried 7.7 months of supply, up 2.8 months from a year before, per the Real Estate Data Aggregator. Pending sales fell 30.8% from the same period last year. Sellers averaged only 96% of list. That is a different conversation at the table.

Cream Ridge had 5.4 months of supply, unchanged from a year before. Manchester Township sat at 4.1 months, up 0.5 months from last year. The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 402 homes for sale in Manchester Township alone. Buyers there had choices.

A few standouts worth knowing

Sea Girt had only 6 homes for sale and 1.4 months of supply. The Real Estate Data Aggregator put the median sale price at $3,350,000, up 39.6% from a year before. Homes sold in a median of 16 days. Sellers averaged 104.1% of list.

Manasquan was also moving quickly. The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 1.8 months of supply and a median of 16 days on market. Half of all homes went under contract within two weeks of listing. The median sale price reached $1,205,000, up 8.6% from a year before.

Spring Lake showed something worth watching. Supply rose 1 month from last year to 3.1 months. The median sale price fell 26.2% to $999,999, per the Real Estate Data Aggregator. But 66.7% of homes still sold above list. Small sample, so read that carefully.

The rate backdrop

Freddie Mac reported the 30-year fixed rate at 7.24% as of October 29, 2026. The 15-year fixed averaged 6.60%. Nationally, the Federal Housing Finance Agency said U.S. house prices rose 2.4% from August 2025 to August 2026. This market is moving faster in many ZIPs than that national figure suggests.

Realtor.com noted that mortgage rates climbed above 7% for the first time since January 2025, and that price cuts hit 20.8% of listings nationally in September 2026, the highest share since October 2022. That is the national picture. This market's tight ZIPs are not seeing that same pressure.