Published October 11, 2026 in Market Update

Staten Island inventory is down, but buyers are not rushing the same way

By Chris DiToro

Real estate, Staten Island

The three months ending August 31, 2026 told an interesting story here on Staten Island. Supply fell sharply. But buyers slowed down a little anyway. That combination matters if you own a home or are thinking about buying one.

The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 144 homes for sale in ZIP 10312 during those three months. That is down 20.9% from the same months of 2025. Fewer choices usually push buyers to move faster. This time, that did not fully happen.

Buyers are taking a little more time

The Real Estate Data Aggregator shows the median home sat on the market 39 days. That is 6 days longer than a year before. Nationally, Realtor.com reported that mortgage rates climbed above 7% for the first time since January 2025. Freddie Mac put the 30-year fixed rate at 7.40% as of October 8, 2026. Higher rates give buyers reason to pause, even when supply is tight.

Prices are still moving up, but the frenzy has cooled

The Real Estate Data Aggregator put the median sale price in ZIP 10312 at $799,500 for those three months. That is up 5.9% from a year before. The Federal Housing Finance Agency reported U.S. house prices rose 2.6% from July 2025 to July 2026. Staten Island's gain outpaced that national number. Still, the share of homes that sold above list price fell. The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 28.5% of homes selling over asking, down 8.8 points from a year before. That is still more than 1 in 4 homes, but it is a real change from where things were.

Because that chart requires a 2025 number that the Real Estate Data Aggregator did not directly report, the chart above shows only what the data actually states: the 2026 median sale price of $799,500, up 5.9% year over year.

Homes are still selling very close to asking. The Real Estate Data Aggregator shows the average sale came in at 99% of list price, up 0.6 points from a year before. That tells sellers that pricing accurately still works. It also tells buyers that deep discounts are rare here.

The quick-contract pace has slowed noticeably

One year ago, many homes went under contract within two weeks of listing. The Real Estate Data Aggregator shows that share dropped 28.3 points, landing at 5.8% for the three months ending August 31, 2026. That is a big shift. It does not mean homes are not selling. It means buyers are not snapping them up in the first days the way they were.

Nationally, sellers are cutting prices more often

Realtor.com reported that 20.8% of listings nationally had price cuts in September, the highest share since October 2022. That is a national picture, not a ZIP 10312 number. But it shows the same push and pull: rates are higher, buyers have more options in some places, and sellers are adjusting. Here on Staten Island, the Real Estate Data Aggregator shows new listings fell 8.7% year over year, to 199 new listings in those three months. Less new supply coming in helps keep prices supported locally.

What this means if you own a home here

Supply is still tight. That is good for sellers. But buyers are taking longer, and fewer are jumping in the first two weeks. Pricing right from the start matters more than it did last year. A home priced a little high will sit. One priced well still sells close to full ask, as the 99% sale-to-list figure shows.

What this means if you are buying here

With 2.6 months of supply, this is still a seller's market by most measures. But the extra days on market, and the drop in homes selling above ask, suggest there is a little more room to think. Freddie Mac reported the 15-year fixed rate at 6.73% as of October 8, 2026. Knowing your financing before you look still makes a real difference in how fast you can move when the right home appears.

These are ZIP code numbers. One block, one street, can read very differently from the whole. If you want to know what the data says about your specific address, reach out and I will take a closer look with you.