Published September 29, 2026 in Market Update

South Shore homes are not flying off the shelf, but pricing is still firm

By Christopher DiToro

Real estate, South Shore

The big picture first. Redfin reported U.S. home prices up 3.7% from a year earlier in August, the fastest annual growth in a year. That is a healthy national backdrop. But on the South Shore, the share of homes going under contract within two weeks fell in every ZIP code the Real Estate Data Aggregator tracked for the three months ending July 31, 2026. Prices are holding. Speed is not.

The one number every seller should see

Across the South Shore, the Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 444 homes sold in the three months ending July 31, 2026. That is up 9.1% from the same months of 2025. More homes are selling. But fewer are snapping up in the first two weeks. That gap tells you something important: pricing still works, but it takes a little longer to find its buyer.

The drop is real. In ZIP 10312, the share fell 26.5 points from a year ago, according to the Real Estate Data Aggregator. In ZIP 10309, it fell 26 points. In ZIP 10306, it fell 19.2 points. These are not small moves. Buyers are taking more time. That is not a crisis, but it is a change worth knowing.

Prices are still firm, though not everywhere

ZIP 10307 stands out. The Real Estate Data Aggregator put the median sale price there at $1,100,000, up 27.2% from a year earlier. Homes sold jumped 59.3% in the same period. That is a small, active market moving fast. ZIP 10309 tells a different story: the median dipped 9.8% to $775,000, and days on market stretched to 59 days, 15 days longer than a year ago. One ZIP is not the whole Shore.

Sellers are still getting close to their asking price

Even with buyers taking longer, sellers are not giving much away. Every ZIP code came in at 97.9% to 98.8% of list price, per the Real Estate Data Aggregator. That means the average seller left only about 1 to 2 cents on the dollar on the table. The market is not broken. It is just asking sellers to be patient and priced right from day one.

One thing buyers should know about rates

CNBC reported the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate at 7.45% on September 24, 2026, up 19 basis points from the day before. That matters for what a buyer can afford each month. Higher rates mean more time spent budgeting before making a move. If you are buying below the boulevard, remember that flood insurance is a real ownership cost on top of your mortgage. Factor it in early.

What this means for you

If you are selling, the data from the Real Estate Data Aggregator is clear: buyers are still paying close to list price, but they are not rushing. A home priced right and prepared well still finds its buyer. It may just take a few more weeks than it did a year ago. If you are buying, more time to think is not a bad thing. Supply is still lean, with only 463 homes for sale across the whole South Shore.

One more thing worth saying. The numbers above cover whole ZIP codes. Your block, your street, your home type can read very differently from the ZIP as a whole. A condo near the Staten Island Railway station in Great Kills is not the same market as a high ranch further from the line. The story is always more local than any ZIP code.