As the real estate market enters the fall season, new data from Mark Slade Homes indicates that Maplewood, NJ, and its neighboring town of South Orange, NJ, are experiencing stronger demand and higher prices compared to the same period last year. The analysis, based on weekly market data through the week ending August 23, provides a detailed look at how these markets are performing as the year passes its midpoint.
Mark Slade, who leads the real estate team and holds a degree in Economics, developed a proprietary metric called the "hyper market index" to gauge market conditions. This index compares the number of homes currently under contract to the number of active listings. When the ratio exceeds 1.0, the market is considered a "hyper market," indicating that demand is outpacing supply. Slade tracks this index weekly across seven towns, including Maplewood, South Orange, Montclair, West Orange, Union, Livingston, and Rahway.
According to the latest data, Montclair holds the strongest market position among the towns tracked. With 191 homes sold this year, the average sale price stands at $1,512,172, with homes selling at 22.5 percent over asking. Properties in Montclair are moving quickly, averaging 17.4 days on the market, and its hyper market index is the highest at 1.9.
Maplewood shows robust activity with 137 solds (from listings taken this year), an average sale price of $1,304,556, and homes selling at 16.4 percent over asking. Notably, Maplewood homes are selling at the fastest pace of any town in the group, with an average of just 13.6 days on the market. Its hyper market index sits at 1.2. South Orange is close behind, with 86 solds, an average price of $1,230,401, and 15.8 percent over asking. South Orange's index is actually higher than Maplewood's at 1.6, and homes average 14.9 days on the market.
West Orange has recorded 239 solds with an average price of $768,749 and homes selling at 10.6 percent over asking, with an average of 20.6 days on the market and an index of 1.2. Union has 198 solds at an average price of $602,239, with homes selling at 4.2 percent over asking and an index of 1.0. Livingston, however, appears to be the softest of the core markets, with 156 solds, an average price of $1,399,451, and only 3.2 percent over asking. Its index of 0.7 indicates more active listings than homes under contract, and homes take an average of 20.2 days to sell. Rahway, the newest addition to the tracking, shows even softer conditions, with homes selling at just 1.2 percent over asking, averaging 30.2 days on the market, and an index of 0.3.
The data also highlights differences in carryover inventory. Maplewood has closed 156 sales year-to-date, with 137 of those from listings taken this year, indicating little drag from older inventory. In contrast, Livingston has a larger share of its 204 year-to-date closings tied to older listings, which may explain its weaker pricing power. Additionally, Livingston has a higher proportion of "exclusive" listings—homes sold without full open market exposure—at 10.8 percent of closings, compared to roughly 2 to 6 percent in other towns. This could further soften pricing results.
Compared to last year, 2026 is outperforming 2025 across the board. Maplewood's closed sales represent 87.8 percent of its year-to-date total compared to 2025, with meaningful gains in average price and percentage over asking. South Orange is running at 84.9 percent of last year's pace with similar gains. West Orange and Montclair are also trending strong at 80.5 percent and 88.4 percent respectively, while Livingston, at 76.5 percent, continues to lag.
For sellers considering whether to list before Labor Day or wait, Slade advises waiting until the week after. "August is typically the weakest month for both buyers and sellers," he notes, as many families and agents are away. Listing during Labor Day week competes with back-to-school activities, which can distract potential buyers. Waiting a week allows buyers to settle into their routines, historically leading to stronger results for sellers.
These insights are based on data from Mark Slade Homes, a top-producing Keller Williams real estate team serving Maplewood, South Orange, and surrounding communities. The team has over $500 million in lifetime sales volume across 54 New Jersey municipalities. For ongoing updates, readers can follow the blog for continuous market coverage.
