Staten Island Real Estate Market Report for Quarter 1 2026

While the rest of the country has been doom-scrolling housing headlines about rate shock and inventory hangovers, Staten Island apparently never got the memo. The borough that national analysts love to footnote is quietly doing what it does best — holding value, moving inventory, and continuing to be the most underrated real estate story in New York City. Call it the "Forgotten Borough" no more. This market has a lot to say, and the numbers are doing the talking.

Welcome to Team Prodigy's comprehensive Staten Island market report for Q1 2026. Whether you're a seller wondering if now is your moment, a buyer trying to nail the timing, or an investor sniffing out the borough's next chapter — we've got the data, the neighborhood breakdown, and a few well-placed puns to keep it interesting.

01 The Big Picture: Prices Up, Sales Climbing, Supply Tight

If you've been waiting for Staten Island prices to crack, you're going to need a lot more patience — and probably a different borough. The median house sale price in January 2026 came in at $754K according to PropertyShark, up 3.9% year-over-year. Redfin's aggregated data for the same period shows a median closer to $740K, up 2.8% annually — reflecting different platform methodologies rather than conflicting markets. Either way, the direction is the same: up.

The condo segment tells a different story. Median condo prices remained flat year-over-year at $490K — reflecting a more rate-sensitive buyer pool in that product category, where smaller down payments and tighter income-to-price ratios make buyers more hesitant. Single-family homes, meanwhile, continue to absorb demand from buyers priced out of Brooklyn and Manhattan.

The "Forgotten Borough" has a very good memory when it comes to holding value.

On the sales volume side, 272 properties changed hands in January per PropertyShark — a 20.9% contraction compared to the same month last year. That's not a demand signal; it's a supply signal. Fewer sales doesn't mean fewer buyers. It means fewer homes to buy. February confirmed a modest stabilization, with 134 closings recorded by Movoto, up marginally from 131 in February 2025.

02 Days on Market: Homes Are Moving Faster — When They List

The average days on market for a Staten Island home in February 2026 was 100 days — down from 123 days during the same period last year, according to Movoto. That's roughly an 19% improvement in market velocity, suggesting that buyers are acting more decisively when the right property shows up. The qualification there matters: when the right property shows up. Overpriced listings continue to sit.

The market has developed a clear two-speed dynamic. Homes priced accurately at or near market value are generating interest and moving within a reasonable window. Homes priced with aspirational margins are accumulating days and eventually requiring reductions. Sellers who understand this dynamic in 2026 will outperform those who don't. The days of setting a number and waiting for the market to catch up are largely over.

03 Price Per Square Foot: A Tale of Two Platforms

Price per square foot data is where platform methodology differences become most visible, and Team Prodigy believes in showing you both numbers rather than picking one. Redfin reports a median PPSF of $438 for Staten Island, up 0.8% year-over-year. PropertyShark's January 2026 data puts the figure at $478, up 5.2% — the difference reflects PropertyShark's focus on completed house sales versus Redfin's broader aggregation that can include condos and smaller units.

The practical takeaway: if you're pricing a single-family home, PropertyShark's $478 is the more relevant benchmark. If you're evaluating a condo or mixed-type portfolio, Redfin's $438 gives you a broader market read. The trend is positive in either case.

04 Neighborhood Snapshot: One Borough, Many Markets

Staten Island is not a monolith. It's a collection of micro-economies, each with its own price point, buyer profile, and trajectory. Here's how the major corridors are trending into spring 2026:

05 The Rate Reality: 6.22% and the Art of the Refinance

Mortgage rates have been the market's uninvited houseguest since 2022, and in spring 2026 they're still lingering — just with slightly better table manners. According to Freddie Mac's Primary Mortgage Market Survey released March 19, 2026, the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 6.22% — up slightly from 6.11% the prior week but nearly half a percentage point below where rates stood a year ago (6.67%). The 15-year fixed came in at 5.54%.

Freddie Mac's chief economist Sam Khater noted that purchase applications and pending home sales are showing improvement, describing the spring setup as more affordable than the prior year. Realtor.com's senior economist, however, flagged rising energy prices and trade uncertainty as factors putting upward pressure on longer-term rates — a reminder that the path toward 5% is not guaranteed or linear.

You can refinance a rate. You cannot refinance a purchase price you missed while waiting for the perfect moment.

The Federal Reserve held rates steady at its March meeting, keeping the federal funds rate in the 3.5%–3.75% range after three cuts in the back half of 2025. The decision suggests that any meaningful mortgage rate relief depends on inflation continuing to moderate — and with energy costs adding friction, the timeline remains genuinely uncertain.

06 The Investor Case: Multi-Family Is Where the Math Still Works

For investors running the numbers on NYC-area properties, Staten Island's multi-family story deserves serious attention. Two- and three-family homes in the South Shore and Mid-Island corridors represent some of the most accessible cash-flow real estate available inside New York City limits — with entry prices typically ranging from $600K to $900K, offering cap rates that simply aren't replicable in Brooklyn or Manhattan at comparable quality.

Rental demand on the borough is driven by multiple tenant profiles: young professionals priced out of Brooklyn, families who want suburban space without leaving the city, and essential workers — teachers, healthcare workers, first responders — anchored to borough employment centers. That's a diversified demand base, and it holds up well across economic cycles.

With ownership costs keeping many would-be buyers in the rental market for longer, multifamily fundamentals remain strong. The lock-in effect that's suppressed resale inventory has also suppressed rental supply growth, keeping upward pressure on rents across studio, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom unit types.

07 Development Horizon: Building the Next Chapter

Staten Island's development story is one of the most underreported in the five boroughs. The Stapleton Homeport redevelopment on the North Shore is the anchor project — a multi-phase mixed-use waterfront transformation that adds housing, retail, and green space to a corridor that has been underutilized for decades. Construction activity here supports hundreds of local jobs and expands the borough's tax base.

St. George's emerging arts and mixed-use district is drawing genuine buyer attention from Brooklyn overflow, particularly among younger buyers willing to trade some square footage for walkability, cultural amenities, and ferry access to Lower Manhattan. Neighborhoods near announced development projects tend to see anticipatory price appreciation as buyers bet on future improvements — making pre-announcement entry windows among the most compelling in long-term real estate strategy.

08 The 2026 Outlook: Steady, Structural, and Still a Seller's Market

Nobody's calling a boom. Nobody credible is calling a bust either. What the data supports is steady, methodical appreciation backed by structural supply constraints — and that's actually one of the healthiest signals a market can send. Broad-based forecasts for Staten Island through year-end 2026 point toward an additional 3–4% appreciation from current levels, bringing median house prices toward the $779K–$787K range by late in the year.

With purchase applications running ahead of last year's pace per Freddie Mac, and the spring selling season arriving with more momentum than 2025, the conditions for a productive market are in place. The persistent inventory deficit remains the structural ceiling on transaction volume — but it also remains the structural floor on prices.

09 The Bottom Line: Forgotten No More

Here's what the data keeps confirming: Staten Island is a market that rewards patience on the buy side and preparation on the sell side. It's not a market of fireworks and feeding frenzies — it's a market of structural strength, limited supply, and the slow compounding of equity that makes real estate one of the most reliable wealth-building tools available to New York families.

With median prices on a clear upward path, transaction velocity improving, mortgage rates easing modestly year-over-year, and the development pipeline beginning to deliver long-term catalysts along the North Shore, Q1 2026 is not a moment to sit on the sidelines. The "Forgotten Borough" just filed a very compelling change-of-address form.

Team Prodigy tracks this market not just borough-wide but block by block. Whether you're a seller looking to leverage this environment or a buyer searching for the right entry point, we can help you navigate it with confidence — and, as promised, a well-timed pun or two along the way.

Data sources: PropertyShark, Redfin, Movoto, Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey (PMMS), Fox Business, Realtor.com. All figures reflect January–March 2026 data unless otherwise noted. Platform methodologies differ — figures are presented with source context throughout. This report is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or legal advice. Prodigy Real Estate is an independent brokerage serving New York and New Jersey.