Published October 25, 2026 in Market Update

Part of the market is moving against the wider price dip

By Stacey Farinacci

Real estate, Primary market

Redfin reported that New Brunswick area home prices fell 0.6% month over month in September 2026. That number is real. But it does not fit every part of this market. Your street may be telling a very different story.

These numbers cover the three months ending August 31, 2026.

Lavallette went the other way

The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 43 homes sold in ZIP 08735, Lavallette, in the three months ending August 31, 2026. That is up 72% from the same months of 2025. The median sale price hit $1,662,500, up 51.1% year over year. That is not a typo.

So what does that mean for you? If you own in Lavallette, the wider area dip is not your story. If you are buying there, plan for real competition. The Real Estate Data Aggregator shows months of supply fell to 2 months, down 2 full months from a year ago. Less supply, more buyers.

One honest note: the Real Estate Data Aggregator shows homes in Lavallette took a median of 45 days to sell, which is 22 days longer than a year ago. Prices rose sharply, but not every home moved fast. Buyers are paying more, and taking a little more time to decide.

How the rest of the market looks

Not every ZIP code moved the same way. The Real Estate Data Aggregator shows a wide range of results for the same three months.

Sea Girt (08750) had the highest median at $3,350,000, up 39.6% year over year, per the Real Estate Data Aggregator. Colts Neck (07722) came in at $1,825,000, up 25.9%. Brielle (08730) hit $1,485,000, up 48.5%.

On the other side, the Real Estate Data Aggregator shows Spring Lake (07762) prices fell 26.2% year over year to $999,999. Neptune (07753) dipped 7.7% to $600,000. Both Brick ZIP codes (08723 and 08724) slipped about 1% each.

The national picture

Nationally, Redfin reported U.S. home prices rose 3.8% year over year in September 2026, the fastest annual growth since June 2025. The National Association of Realtors put existing-home prices up 1.3% in September 2026. So the country is still moving up, even if parts of this market dipped.

Freddie Mac put the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate at 7.32% as of October 22, 2026. That is the cost of borrowing right now. It shapes what buyers can offer, which in turn shapes what sellers can expect.

Speed varies by town

How fast homes move also depends on where you are. The Real Estate Data Aggregator shows Manasquan (08736) and Brielle (08730) each had a median of 16 days on market. Mantoloking (08738) took 76 days. Lavallette sat at 45 days. Same general shore area, very different pace.

What this means for your plan

A wider area number like the Redfin figure is a starting point, not a final answer. The Real Estate Data Aggregator data shows that one ZIP code can rise 51.1% while another falls 26.2%, in the same three months.

If you are pricing a home to sell, or making an offer, the number that matters is the one for your specific part of this market. One street can read differently from the whole ZIP code.