Every month I look at what actually happened in the Manhattan real estate market, not what people say is happening. Here is the November 2026 picture, in plain numbers, and what it means if you own a home here.
Fewer buyers signed, but they paid more
In September 2026, 557 Manhattan contracts were signed. That is 26.4% fewer than in September 2025. On its own, that sounds like bad news for sellers.
The other half of the story is price. The average contract price was $2.31 million, up 12.4% on the year. So the buyers who did sign were paying more, not less. And the average home took 140 days to go to contract.
What I take from this: buyers are fewer and slower, but they are not bargain hunting across the board. They are choosing carefully, and they pay for the right home at the right price.
The everyday market is steady
Most of my clients are not selling a $28 million penthouse. Over the third quarter of 2026, the median recorded sale in Manhattan was $1.30 million, up 6.7% on a year ago. In Brooklyn the median was $1.15 million, up 5.4%.
The busiest part of the market is homes between $1 million and $3 million. Manhattan recorded 1,407 sales in that range over the quarter, and Brooklyn 1,326. If your home sits there, buyers are active right now.
The top of the market
The largest recorded home sale in Manhattan in September was the penthouse at 42 Crosby Street in SoHo: four bedrooms, five baths and 5,852 square feet, recorded at $28.25 million, about $4,827 a square foot.
The sale I learned the most from was in Lenox Hill. A home at 760 Madison Avenue recorded at $23.0 million, about $5,077 a square foot, after 440 days on the market. It sold, but patience was the price.
What this means if you are thinking of selling
- Price to your building, not the headlines. A citywide average tells you the mood. The sales in your own building and on your own block tell you the number.
- Expect a longer runway. With homes averaging 140 days to contract, plan your timing with some room to spare.
- Presentation decides who calls. When buyers are fewer, the listings with the best photos, floor plan and price get the showings.
I recently sold a penthouse at 152 West 58th Street, a block south of Central Park. It had been on the market for about three years with other brokers. We relaunched it with new photography and video, and had a cash offer in the first week. The market had not changed. The price and the presentation had.
Want your own building's numbers?
I am happy to send you what sold in your building this year, with no obligation. You can ask for a home value or get in touch.
Sources: Manhattan contracts signed, 1 to 30 September 2026, and recorded sales for September 2026, from public records, as published in the November 2026 New York Notebook. Q3 2026 medians and sales counts from Elliman Intel, Manhattan and Brooklyn reports. Prices are as recorded and may not reflect every term of a deal.
Thinking about selling? Call or text Anil Jintoorkar on 917.568.3041.
