The National Association of Realtors® expects the U.S. housing market to rebound in 2026, with a projected 14% rise in existing-home sales and a 4% increase in home prices.  Economist Lawrence Yun attributes the improvement to solid job growth, ongoing housing shortages, and a modest drop in mortgage rates—expected to average around 6%.  After years of historically low sales and affordability challenges, even slight rate relief may help more buyers close on homes.

Despite the optimistic outlook, the market remains uneven. First-time buyers continue to struggle with high rents, debt, and limited lower-priced inventory, pushing their share to a record low of 21%.  Meanwhile, baby boomers and cash buyers—who now account for roughly a quarter of all purchases—continue to dominate, especially in higher price ranges.

Keith Griffith, NAR Predicts Double-Digit Growth in Home Sales in 2026 With Prices Rising 4%, realtor.com (Nov. 17, 2025), https://www.realtor.com/news/trends/2026-housing-market-forecast-nar/.

The post NAR Predicts 2026 Housing Market Rebound as Sales and Prices Rise appeared first on Ever house realty.

Manhattan’s long-feared sublease “glut” has sharply reversed. Sublease availability fell to 11.8 million square feet in Q3 2025 — below 2019 levels and down from a peak of 23 million in early 2023, according to Transwestern. Despite predictions that skyrocketing subleases would cripple the office market post-COVID, demand has strengthened. Major absorption deals, including BlackRock taking 193,000 square feet from Meta and Robinhood securing 125,400 square feet at 2 Penn, fueled the decline. Paramount Global also pulled 92,500 square feet off the market. Analysts say the drop reflects expanding tenants and companies opting to retain space, signaling renewed momentum in Manhattan’s office sector.

Steve Cuozzo, Sublease crisis winding down in latest sign of NYC office recovery (Nov. 16, 2025), https://nypost.com/2025/11/16/business/sublease-crisis-winding-down-in-latest-sign-of-nyc-office-recovery/.

The post Manhattan Office Market Rebounds as Sublease Availability Falls Below Pre-Pandemic Levels appeared first on Ever house realty.

New York City’s housing market showed remarkable resilience in October. New listings rose 5.5% year-over-year to 13,564, while pending sales increased 7.3% to 9,626. Closed sales climbed 3%, reflecting steady buyer confidence. Inventory grew 4.1% in September but remains 5.6% below last year, with supply tightest in Nassau and Suffolk counties. Median prices continued rising: $427,628 statewide, $740,000 for single-family homes, and $525,000 for condos as buyers sought more attainable options. Mortgage rates eased slightly to 6.35%. Analysts note persistent demand outpacing supply, with stable conditions expected into early 2026 pending rate shifts and new listing activity.

Tricia Chirco, Metro NY Housing Market Maintains Steady Growth in October 2025 Amid Tight Inventory (Nov. 17, 2025) https://fox59.com/business/press-releases/ein-presswire/867990558/metro-ny-housing-market-maintains-steady-growth-in-october-2025-amid-tight-inventory/#:~:text=FARMINGDALE%2C%20NY%2C%20UNITED%20STATES%2C,are%20offering%20more%20balanced%20conditions.

New York State Association of Realtors, https://www.nysar.com/news/market-data/#:~:text=New%20Listings%20and%20Pending%20Sales,rate%20stood%20at%206.18%20percent.

The post NYC Housing Market Heats Up: Sales Surge and Rents Climb Amid Tight Inventory appeared first on Ever house realty.

When many new apartments, such as large luxury apartment buildings, are built in a neighborhood, the median asking rent in those listings often increases.  However, this does not mean supply is at fault.  Data shows that about 70% of new units are market-rate and priced higher than the existing median, leaving listing-based statistics skewed upward. 

By contrast, rent increases for lease renewals in older units tend to be smaller since landlords do not want to lose good tenants to these new buildings.  These renewals are not captured in many widely reported data sets. 

Media reports that link new supply development with rent hikes are misinterpreting the data, and new supply generally slows down rent growth overall, not increase it.  To get a fuller picture, lease renewals, census data, and analyses over longer periods are more revealing than snapshot listing metrics. 

Erik Engquist, Housing Supply Myth Rears Ugly Head in NYC, The Real Deal (Sept. 10, 2025), https://therealdeal.com/new-york/2025/09/10/housing-supply-skepticism-rears-ugly-head-in-nyc/.

The post Understanding Rent Metrics: Why More Supply Often Means Slower Rent Growth appeared first on Ever house realty.

New York City rents reached new heights in July 2025, with Manhattan hitting a record median rent of $4,700—the fifth time in six months that a record has been set.  While rents are climbing, activity levels are showing signs of cooling, with Manhattan lease signings down 1.7 percent year-over-year and inventory dipping slightly.  Brooklyn recorded a median of $3,850, up nearly 7 percent from last year, as both leases and listings fell compared to July 2024.  Queens posts the strongest annual growth, with median rent rising almost 9 percent to $3,750, just $100 shy of Brooklyn’s level despite lease signings dropping nearly 7 percent.

Across the city, rental inventory grew between June and July at more than twice the usual seasonal pace, though overall supply remains tight compared to last year, down 7.7 percent. Manhattan in particular has seen 16 consecutive months of declining inventory.  Some neighborhoods report sharp increases in both supply and asking rents: Gowanus surged with a 392 percent increase in listings and average asking rents of $4,875, while Inwood experienced a 91 percent boost in listings along with a 43 percent jump in asking rents to $3,153.

The recently enacted FARE Act, which changes how broker fees are handled, has already influenced the rental market.  Some landlords are holding back listings or adjusting how they advertise apartments (hidden fees, etc.), complicating the search for renters.  Overall, while rising rents underscore demand pressures, falling lease activity and uneven inventory shifts suggest the market is only going to continue to tighten in complex ways.

Jennifer White Karp reports that Manhattan median rent hit $4,700 in July, the fifth record in six months, Brick Underground (Aug. 14, 2025).

The post Rents Keep Rising, Activity Keeps Falling: The New Reality of NYC’s 2025 Rental Market appeared first on Ever house realty.

Board of Meadow Court Condominium instituted a policy requiring all unit owners to replace their in-unit windows, even though the condo declaration deemed the window part of the individual unit. The Supreme Court awarded summary judgment to the unit owner, declaring the contract between the condominium and the window contractor void. On appeal, the Appellate Division held that the business judgment rule did not shield the board’s policy from judicial review.¹ A condominium board may not amend its bylaws in ways that conflict with the condo declaration, and even absent a direct conflict, a bylaw amendment is invalid if it prohibits conduct implicitly permitted by the declaration.²

Photo Credit: The exterior of 64 University Place will feature hand-laid red brick, arched windows, and flowing ivy. Eleven Visualizations.Jennifer Epstein, “Manhattan Condo Aims to Sell Out Before Listing a Single Unit.” Bloomberg (October 13, 2022), accessed June 3, 2025, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-10-13/manhattan-condo-aims-to-sell-out-before-listing-a-single-unit?embedded-checkout=true

¹ Mangold v Bd. of Mgrs. of Meadow Ct. Condominium, 236 AD3d 406 [1st Dept 2025]

² Strathmore Ridge Homeowners Assn., Inc. v Mendicino, 63 AD3d 1038 [2d Dept 2009]

The post New York Condominium Boards Lack Authority to Mandate Replacement of In-Unit Windows appeared first on Ever house realty.

Maryanne McCabe lived with her long-time romantic partner, David Burrows, in a New York City cooperative building. Upon Burrows’ death, he bequeathed his unit to McCabe. She sought to acquire his lease and shares under a lease provision allowing automatic transfer to a shareholder’s “spouse.” McCabe did not provide a marriage license or evidence demonstrating that she was a family member, the Board of the Co-Op invited her to apply in the same manner as a prospective purchaser. When McCabe submitted the application, the Board rejected her application, she then brought an Article 78 Proceeding contending that the Board’s refusal to transfer the shares violated New York City Human Rights Law’s prohibition on discrimination based on marital status. In affirming, the Court of Appeals majority emphasized that a plain reading of the term is that marital status reflects the legal condition of being single, married, legally separated, divorced or widowed.¹

Photo Credit: “This co-op in the Bronx was the site of a legal battle over the transfer of shares.” HABITAT. Co-op Board’s Refusal to Transfer Shares to Unmarried Partner is Upheld. The Carol Group, Ltd. (February 25, 2025) accessed June 3, 2025, https://www.habitatmag.com/Publication-Content/Legal-Financial/2025/February-2025/co-op-shareholder-transfer-discrimination

¹ Matter of McCabe v 511 W. 232nd Owners Corp., ___NY3d___, 2024 NY Slip Op 06290 [2024]

The post Co-Op’s Refusal to Transfer Shares to Romantic Partner is NOT Housing Discrimination appeared first on Ever house realty.

Traditionally, it was a common practice for sellers to pay commissions for both their agents and their buyers’ agents. The traditional was a shared commission model, up until the changes resulting from an antitrust litigation, commissions payable to real estate agents in the purchase and sale of property (generally between 5% and 6%) were paid by the seller and split between the seller’s agent and the buyer’s agent, and that amount came from the sales proceeds paid to the seller.¹ Under the new rule followed by brokerages and real estate agents, commissions paid to the seller’s agent are no longer allowed to be split. Listing agreements must now specify the amount the seller will pay to the listing agent and the amount, if any, that the seller will pay to a buyer’s agent. Therefore, the seller has options – they could offer the same commission to both sides, unequal amounts, or the seller could opt to exclude any commission for the buyer’s agent. Sellers’ agents don’t advertise offers for sharing commission directly.²

Photo Credit: A flowchart showing how fees were paid throughout the real estate transaction. G2.com. Izabelle Hundrev, How Real Estate Commission Works: Who Pays What? G2 For Business (June 25, 2019). Accessed June 3, 2025, https://www.g2.com/articles/real-estate-commission

¹ Rebecca Blacker, Making Sense of the Changes to Real Estate Commissions,, U.S. News & World Report (March 4, 2025) accessed June 3, 2025, https://realestate.usnews.com/real-estate/pocket-listing/articles/making-sense-of-the-changes-to-real-estate-commissions

² Aly J. Yale, How Do Real Estate Commissions Work, U.S. News & World Report (February 6, 2025) accessed June 3, 2025 https://realestate.usnews.com/real-estate/articles/how-do-real-estate-commissions-work

The post Changes to Real Estate Commission Structure appeared first on Ever house realty.

According to a report on May 22, 2025, by the New York State Association of Realtors (NYSAR), housing inventory rose slightly across New York for the first time in more than a year, while new listings grew nearly 10 percent in March, fueling optimism for a more active spring housing market. Despite a slight uptick in housing inventory and continued mortgage rates below seven percent, existing home sales in New York State declined in April.¹ Closed sales of homes fell 6.2 percent in April, from 7,428 homes in 2024 to just 6,968 units last month. Surging home prices may play an important role here. The median price of homes in New York rose again, marking 21 consecutive months of gains. In April 2024, the median home price was $410,000, which is 3.7 percent below the $425,000 median home price in April 2025.²

Photo Credit: NYS April Housing Market Snapshot, New York State Association of REALTORS, Inc. New York Home Sales Slide in April Aimed Higher Inventory and Steady Mortgage Rates,, New York State Association of REALTORS, Inc (May 22, 2025). Accessed June 3, 2025, https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2025/05/22/3086901/0/en/New-York-home-sales-slide-in-April-amid-higher-inventory-and-steady-mortgage-rates.html

¹ Spring New York Housing Market Showing Signs of Bloom in March,, New York State Association of Realtors, Inc (April 24, 2025). Accessed June 3, 2025, https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2025/04/24/3067718/0/en/Spring-New-York-housing-market-showing-signs-of-bloom-in-March.html

² New York Home Sales Slide in April Aimed Higher Inventory and Steady Mortgage Rates, New York State Association of REALTORS, Inc (May 22, 2025). Accessed June 3, 2025, https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2025/05/22/3086901/0/en/New-York-home-sales-slide-in-April-amid-higher-inventory-and-steady-mortgage-rates.html

The post Housing Market Status: Fluctuation in Inventory and Rising Price appeared first on Ever house realty.

Jersey City over the past 10 years has been building new luxury housing and high-rises along the Hudson River twice as fast as New York City. However, the big increase in Jersey City housing supply has not necessarily driven rent prices down due to the consistent high demand and high deficit of housing from the dense population living and working around the New York City areas. This phenomenon has driven many Jersey City locals to more affordable areas such as Newark and Elizabeth, New Jersey.

The surge in rent price for new apartments in Jersey City and a high demand that cannot be met by sufficient supply has given incentives to existing landlords in the community to also raise their rent prices to close rent gaps. With many NYC-based businesses also setting up satellite offices and/or moving into New Jersey, the demand for housing is further exasperated. Due to high rent prices, many local tenants have been evicted and/or are facing housing court.

Eliza Relman and Noah Sheidlower, NYC and its suburbs won’t build new housing, so New Yorkers are flooding into Jersey City and driving up prices, The Business Insider, https://www.businessinsider.com/jersey-city-real-estate-market-costs-rise-new-yorkers-move-2023-9 (Sept. 30, 2023).

The post Jersey City Real Estate Becoming Popular as Rent Prices in New York City Rise appeared first on Ever house realty.