Published October 2, 2026 in Market Update

Montclair listings stayed tight even as more homes came to market

By Lena Pesso

Real estate, Montclair

If you've been watching Montclair and wondering why choice still feels thin, here's the short answer. More homes came to market, and they still weren't enough to build up supply.

The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 134 new listings across Montclair in the three months ending July 31, 2026. That's down just 2.9% from the same stretch a year before. A small dip, not a collapse. But the total number of homes available to buy fell harder.

The Real Estate Data Aggregator found only 69 homes for sale across both Montclair ZIP codes combined. That's down 6.8% from a year ago. Fresh listings came in, and buyers absorbed them almost as fast as sellers listed them.

Nationally, Redfin reported that 21% of sellers cut their asking price during the four weeks ending September 20, 2026. Montclair sellers were not in that group.

What the two ZIP codes each showed

Montclair covers two ZIP codes, and they read differently. A town-wide number can hide that. Here's what the Real Estate Data Aggregator found for each one separately, for the three months ending July 31, 2026.

The median sale price in 07043 was $1,468,750, down 5.2% from a year ago. That sounds like a price drop. It likely isn't one. When only 18 homes are for sale in a ZIP code, a single large or modest closing can move the median by a wide margin without the underlying values actually shifting. Price per square foot and the sale-to-list ratio are steadier reads in a thin market like this.

That sale-to-list ratio tells the clearer story. In 07042, the Real Estate Data Aggregator put the average at 123.7%, up 4.1 points from a year ago. In 07043, it was 125.9%, up 2 points. Homes listed intentionally below expected value to draw competition, and buyers bid them up. That's the local pricing strategy at work, not a sign of overpaying.

How fast homes moved

Speed was the other clear signal. The Real Estate Data Aggregator measured a median of 17 days on market in 07042, which was 35 days shorter than the same period a year ago. In 07043, the median was 14 days, which was 40 days shorter.

Not every home moved that fast. The town-wide average blends well-priced homes with ones that needed more time. A mispriced or unprepared home can sit for months. The median above reflects the homes that were ready.

In 07043, the Real Estate Data Aggregator found that 56.8% of homes went under contract within two weeks of listing. In 07042, that share was 42.5%, down 13.7 points from a year ago. That's a real shift worth noting. More homes in 07042 needed a little longer than two weeks, even as the overall median stayed short.

The national picture alongside Montclair

The Federal Housing Finance Agency reported that U.S. house prices rose 2.6% from July 2025 to July 2026. Montclair's 07042 median rose 3.5% over the same comparison period, according to the Real Estate Data Aggregator.

The National Association of Home Builders reported the 30-year fixed mortgage rate averaged 7.03% as of September 24, 2026. That rate shapes what buyers can afford, and it's part of why demand in a supply-thin market like Montclair concentrates on the homes that are priced and prepared well.

What this means if you're selling

More competition from other sellers did not translate into more supply sitting on the market. Buyers absorbed new listings quickly. That's a favorable condition for a well-prepared home.

The tradeoff worth naming: 90.2% of 07042 homes and 93.1% of 07043 homes sold above list price, according to the Real Estate Data Aggregator. That's the reward for pricing strategically. A home priced too high risks being the one that sits, and the town-wide days-on-market average includes those homes too.

What this means if you're buying

69 homes for sale across all of Montclair is a limited field. Choice stayed constrained even with 134 new listings coming through. Expect competition on anything well-priced and well-presented.

One more thing worth knowing: a $400,000 condo and a $5 million Estate Section home are both counted as Montclair. The town median tells you the middle of a very wide range. What matters is what's happening on your specific block.