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Many buyers are hoping for a fall in prices while mortgage rates rise, but they might be disappointed.

While sales are down across the country, newly listed properties are down quite a bit as well. Housing starts have lagged behind, reaching a year and a half low. And with interest rates still on the rise, builders are not likely to become energized anytime soon.

The average 30-year mortgage rate is now up to 7%. According to Yahoo Finance, the average mortgage premium is $965 higher than it was one year ago on a median-priced home. Mortgage applications are down 41% since last year, and refinance applications have plummeted 85% from a year ago. But with a shortage of available housing, even high mortgage rates probably will not slow the…

Experts agree- this is a weird market which is nearly impossible to pin down or predict.

In tandem with government interest rates, mortgage rates have been the rise for some time. The 30 year fixed rate had once soared to around 6%, which is the unofficial tipping point into a buyer’s market. However, this past week it came down to 4.99% according to Freddie Mac. This is the first time borrowing rates have come below 5% since April.

And though we saw some apprehension when rates began to rise, real estate fundamentals have come back strong for the month of August. In fact, prices hit another record high in Staten Island! The average home in the borough sold for $743,800 in July! On the Jersey Shore, prices tend to swing more wildly. The average…

2021 was a historic year for real estate. Pandemic boom towns brought remote workers out to the suburbs, starting bidding wars that brought home prices to record highs.

Our two main markets, Staten Island and The Jersey Shore, are attractive for buyers leaving New York City. Combine this trend with the lowest borrowing rates in a lifetime, add in constrained new construction inventory, and this past year was a roller coaster to say the least!

Across the US, new construction has not kept up with shrinking inventory. Supply constraints pushed up home prices nationwide. But each market is different, as we found when serving clients in the New York Metro area and the Jersey Shore area.

Year Over Year Comparison:

Home Sale Price

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Prices came back up again this past month in Staten Island. Despite a small slip in early fall, the average home in Richmond County now sells for $666,041. For the past six months now, home prices have stabilized around the $660,000 mark.

On the other hand, our new ventures into New Jersey have opened up an entirely different market. By contrast, the New York City market has been on a steady climb in recent years. Home prices on the Jersey Shore have been more volatile. Here, buyer activity is off the charts (literally).

In Monmouth and Ocean Counties, real estate now sells for above 100% of its asking price. Even in the hottest months, Staten Island homes have always sold at a slight discount from list price for as long as we have been…