The Rand NewsReal

  The Putnam housing market cruised through the second quarter of 2019, with sales up and prices basically flat. Compared to the rest of the region, Putnam was a bit of an outlier, with single-family home sales rising 7% for the quarter and almost 1% for the rolling year – the only county in the region with rising sales. Single-family pricing was a little more mixed: flat on average, up almost 4% at the median, and down 1% in the price-per-square-foot. For the rolling year, though, prices have been […]

  The Dutchess housing market was a “Tale of Two Markets” in the second quarter of 2019, with single-family home sales softening a bit even while condo sales surged. After a sizzling start to the year, the single-family market cooled, with sales and prices both falling. But the lower-priced condo market was up, with sales rising over 6% and prices up about 3% on average and 4% at the median. Essentially, both markets should be doing well with these kinds of strong housing fundamentals – rates are […]

  The housing market in Westchester and the Hudson Valley continued to be a “tale of two markets” in the second quarter of 2019, with more expensive single‑family home sales and prices continuing to struggle while lower‑priced condo markets soared. We attribute this divergence to the 2018 Tax Reform cap on state and local tax deductions, which is suppressing what should be a strong, growing seller’s market. Single‑family home sales and prices were down across the board. Regional sales compared […]

  The Rockland housing market was a “Tale of Two Markets” in the second quarter of 2019, with single-family home sales struggling and condo sales soaring. After a surge to start the year, the single-family market softened, with sales and prices both falling. But the lower-priced condo market surged, with quarterly prices spiking over 16% on average and at the median. Essentially, both markets should be booming in response to the strong housing fundamentals – rates are low, inventory is low, prices are relatively low, and the […]

  The Westchester housing market was the quintessential “Tale of Two Markets” in the second quarter of 2019, with single-family homes struggling while condo and coop sales soared. Single-family home sales were down, continuing a trend we have been watching since the 2018 Tax Reform’s cap on state and local tax deductions (“SALT Cap”). As we expected, the SALT Cap has impacted the higher-end Westchester single-family market, where more home buyers are likely to itemize their deductions and feel the effect of the cap. But condo and coop buyers […]

  Strong demand in the Bronx housing market in the second quarter of 2019 drove pricing up even while limited inventory stifled sales growth. Pricing. Overall pricing was up 14.5% compared to the second quarter of last year, and up for most property types: rising a whopping 32% for single‑family homes, 4% for multi‑families, and 11% for condos. The exception was pricing for cooperative apartments, which fell about 9% for the quarter – even while it was up over 2% for the rolling year. Sales. We saw […]

  After sizzling throughout 2018, the Hudson County housing market continued to slow down in the second quarter of 2019. Sales were down over 6% overall from last year’s second quarter, and now down 6% for the rolling year. But this decline in sales did not have a dramatic effect on pricing, which was up about 4% overall and rising across the board: up 5% for single‑family homes, over 5% for multi‑families, and up 3% for condos. We might be seeing some impact from the 2018 Tax Reform’s $10,000 cap […]

  The Sussex market slowed considerably in the second quarter, with sales down even while pricing was more positive. Transactions were down sharply, falling 13% for the quarter and now down over 8% for the rolling year. But the drop in sales clearly did not indicate a lack of demand, with median pricing up over 5% for the quarter and almost 4% for the year. More importantly, inventory has finally come down to manageable levels, even though it’s still not at the 6‑month level that denotes a sellers’ market. Going forward, […]

  Sales in the Essex housing market went up again in the second quarter of 2019, and finally started to drive some meaningful price appreciation. Sales rose over 8% for the quarter, and finished the rolling year up over 5%. And this sustained increase in sales is finally having an impact on pricing, which was up over 2% on average and almost 4% at the median. The rolling year pricing is still relatively flat (down 1% on average, up 2% at the median), but the trend is positive […]

  The Morris County housing market stumbled through the second quarter of 2019, with both prices and sales down slightly. Transactions were down almost 5% from last year’s second quarter, finishing a rolling year in which they were down almost 4%. Pricing was generally flat, with the average price falling about 1% for the quarter, almost perfectly flat for the rolling year. We might be seeing some impact from the 2018 Tax Reform’s $10,000 cap on state and local tax deductions (SALT Cap), which particularly affected higher‑income taxpayers like Morris […]