MARCH MARKET INSIGHTS:
What Looks Dramatic Isn’t Always What It Seems
At first glance, March’s numbers might make you pause.
Prices in Maplewood appear to have surged. Headlines could easily suggest a major market shift. But when we look a little closer, a more important and much more accurate story begins to emerge.
March did not signal a sudden spike in the market. It revealed a shift in what is selling and a continued tightening of inventory.
Maplewood: A Headline-Grabbing Jump That Needs Context
On paper, the numbers are striking.
The average sales price moved from $848,000 in February to $1,349,611 in March.
That kind of jump can feel dramatic. But it is not the result of a sudden surge in values across all homes.
What actually happened is that more high-end homes sold in March.
We saw:
Multiple homes trading above $1.7M
Several properties exceeding $2M
Larger, fully renovated homes dominating the mix
When that happens, the average price rises quickly.
This is not a market spike. It is a shift in inventory and what buyers secured that month.
Now let’s look at something even more important.
Unit count did not drop. It increased.
February: 7 homes sold
March: 13 homes sold
So while prices looked dramatic, activity actually picked up.
The bigger story sits in the year-to-date numbers:
2025: 49 homes sold
2026: 33 homes sold
That is a 32 percent decrease in total sales volume.
And inventory tells the same story, with available homes significantly lower year over year.
This is where the real pressure in the market is coming from. Not price spikes, but fewer homes overall.
South Orange: Stability in the Middle of the Noise
While Maplewood’s averages shifted, South Orange tells a very different story.
Prices remained essentially flat:
February: $1,043,400
March: $1,041,733
That is not a spike. That is stability.
At the same time, activity increased:
February: 8 homes sold
March: 12 homes sold
And year-to-date, South Orange is actually ahead of last year:
2025: 22 homes sold
2026: 25 homes sold
That is a 13 percent increase in unit sales.
South Orange is showing us what a more balanced version of this market looks like.
What This Really Means
It is easy to look at one number and draw a big conclusion. But the real insight comes from understanding the layers underneath.
March did not show a price surge. It showed a shift in what is selling.
In Maplewood, a concentration of higher-end homes drove the averages up.
In South Orange, pricing remained steady while activity increased.
Across both markets, the consistent theme is this:
There are simply not enough homes available for the number of buyers looking.
That is the pressure point.
Our Perspective: Care • Serve • Give
In a market like this, data matters. But how you interpret it matters even more.
At Pollock Properties Group, our Care • Serve • Give philosophy guides how we show up for our clients.
We care by helping you understand what the numbers really mean.
We serve by building strategy around timing, preparation, and positioning.
And we give by staying deeply connected to the communities we are helping people move into and within.
Because this is not just about navigating a market. It is about helping people make confident decisions in moments that matter.
Looking Ahead
As we move further into the spring market, the question is not whether demand will be there. It already is.
The question is whether inventory will catch up.
If it does not, we can expect continued competition, strong pricing, and a market that rewards preparation on both sides. For Buyers, have a consultation with our Agents to get the inside intel on what is winning, and for Sellers, well, let's chat about where you are going next and how to make the most of this market.
As always, we are here to help you navigate it with clarity, strategy, and a deep understanding of what is really happening beneath the surface.
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