As the real estate market heads into the fall, Maplewood, NJ, and its sister town of South Orange, NJ, are showing prices and demand that remain well ahead of last year, according to the weekly market data tracked by Mark Slade Homes. Mark Slade, who holds a degree in Economics, has developed his own analytical approach called the “hyper market index,” which compares the number of homes under contract to active listings. When this ratio exceeds 1.0, the market is considered a “hyper market,” indicating that demand is outstripping supply. Slade tracks this data weekly across seven towns, providing real-time insights that differ from traditional absorption rates, which he believes can understate market strength due to seasonality.
Among the towns tracked, Montclair holds the strongest position. With 191 homes sold so far, an average sale price of $1,512,172, and homes selling at 22.5 percent over asking, Montclair’s hyper market index stands at 1.9, the highest in the group. Homes there average just 17.4 days on market, reflecting robust buyer activity. Maplewood follows with 137 solds (for same-year listings), an average sale price of $1,304,556, and 16.4 percent over asking. Notably, Maplewood homes are moving the fastest, averaging only 13.6 days on market, with a ratio of 1.2. South Orange is close behind with 86 solds, an average price of $1,230,401, and 15.8 percent over asking, averaging 14.9 days on market and a ratio of 1.6, actually ahead of Maplewood on that measure.
Other towns in the tracking group show varying but generally positive trends. West Orange has posted 239 solds with an average price of $768,749, selling at 10.6 percent over asking and averaging 20.6 days on market, with a ratio of 1.2. Union has 198 solds at an average price of $602,239, trending 4.2 percent over asking, with a ratio right at 1.0. Livingston, however, remains the softest of the core markets, with 156 solds, an average price of $1,399,451, and only 3.2 percent over asking. Its ratio of 0.7 indicates more active listings than homes under contract, and days on market run about 20.2. Rahway, the newest addition to the tracking, is softer still, with 1.2 percent over asking, 30.2 days on market, and a ratio of 0.3.
An important factor in these dynamics is carryover inventory. Year to date, Maplewood has closed 156 sales, with 137 of those from listings taken this year, meaning little carryover inventory is dragging on the numbers. In contrast, Livingston shows a much larger share of its 204 year-to-date closings tied to older listings, which helps explain its weaker pricing power. Additionally, Slade tracks “exclusive” listings—homes sold without full open market exposure. In Livingston, exclusives made up 10.8 percent of closings this year, well above the roughly 2 to 6 percent seen in other towns, further softening pricing results.
Comparing to last year, 2026 is outperforming 2025 across the board. Maplewood’s closed sales this year represent 87.8 percent of its year-to-date total compared to 2025, with both percentage over asking and average price climbing meaningfully. 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 move more slowly than the rest.
For sellers weighing whether to list before or after Labor Day, Slade advises waiting until the week after. August is typically the weakest month due to vacations, and listing during Labor Day week competes with back-to-school activities, pulling attention away from house hunting. Waiting a week allows buyers to settle into routines, historically producing stronger results for sellers. Readers can follow these numbers as they update on the blog.
