Will Home Prices on Long Island Finally Come Down?

Will Home Prices on Long Island Finally Come Down?

Will Home Prices in Syosset, Jericho, Oyster Bay & Nearby Long Island Districts Finally Come Down?

In Syosset, Jericho, Oyster Bay, Locust Valley, Plainview and Cold Spring Harbor, there is currently no evidence of a broad price drop on the horizon. Late-2025 numbers still show strong demand, low inventory and healthy absorption, especially in the top school districts. That combination usually supports stable or gently rising prices, not a major decline. Could individual homes sell for less than their neighbors? Yes. But a true “reset” across these districts would require very different conditions than we see today.

Are Home Prices on Long Island Finally Going to Come Down in These School Districts?

  • Recent data in Syosset, Oyster Bay and Locust Valley shows demand meeting or outpacing new listings.
  • Average days on market remain reasonable, especially for well-prepared, well-priced homes.
  • High-demand school districts continue to attract serious buyers, even with higher rates and taxes.
  • A broad price decline would require a surge in inventory or a sharp drop in buyer demand, neither of which is present today.
  • For homeowners planning to sell in the next 6–18 months, strategy and preparation matter more than trying to “time the bottom.”

What the Local Numbers Actually Say Right Now

Let’s set the headlines aside and look at the behavior of real buyers and sellers in your specific school districts. In Syosset, November 2025 saw 23 new listings, 20 homes sold and 21 homes under contract, with an average sale price around $1.303M and an average of 39 days on market. That’s a picture of a healthy, active market where good homes are still moving at a steady pace.

In Oyster Bay, the story is similar: 6 new listings, 6 sold and 6 under contract at an average sale price of about $1.95M and 41 days on market. When new listings, pendings and closed sales are in balance like that, it’s a sign that buyers are still stepping up for the right properties.

Locust Valley shows 9 new listings, 11 homes sold and 12 under contract, with an average sale price of roughly $2.176M and 66 days on market. Here again, pendings and sales outpacing new listings tell you demand is absorbing the available inventory. That’s not what a weakening market looks like; it’s what a constrained, higher-end market looks like.

When you layer Jericho, Plainview and Cold Spring Harbor into this picture, the theme stays the same: these are deeply supply-constrained, school-driven micro-markets. There may be some softening around the edges for homes that are dated, mispriced or poorly presented, but a broad price rollback across these districts is not what the current numbers are telling us.

Why “Waiting for Prices to Drop” Often Backfires for Sellers

For homeowners, the question usually isn’t academic. If you’re thinking about selling in the next 6–18 months, what you really want to know is whether waiting will put more money in your pocket or simply add stress and uncertainty.

In these Long Island school districts, waiting for a big price correction often works against you for a few reasons. First, buyers with strong incomes and school-driven motivation tend to adjust to higher rates over time. They change their budget, but they rarely abandon their goal of getting into the right district.

Second, even if prices were to soften slightly, you may still be trading within the same market. If you’re selling in Syosset and buying in Jericho, for example, any modest price relief you get as a buyer will likely be mirrored on the sale side. The net difference is usually smaller than people imagine.

Finally, the biggest variable you control is not “the market” but the way your home is positioned within it. Condition, presentation, pricing strategy and timing within the year can easily swing your outcome tens of thousands of dollars either way — with or without a headline-grabbing market shift.

How to Read the Market as a Homeowner (Without Becoming an Economist)

You don’t need a finance degree to understand what’s happening. Focus on a few simple metrics inside your school district: how many new listings are coming on each month, how many homes are going under contract and how long they’re taking to sell.

When pendings and closed sales keep pace with or exceed new listings, it tells you buyers are still engaged and inventory is being absorbed. That’s exactly what the recent Syosset, Oyster Bay and Locust Valley numbers show. In that environment, buyers may negotiate harder on inspection items or cosmetic updates, but they don’t have the leverage to force broad price cuts across an entire district.

By contrast, if you started to see new listings pile up month after month while pendings dropped and days on market spiked across the board, that would be an early warning sign of real downward pressure. We are not seeing that pattern in these districts right now.

The goal isn’t to predict the future perfectly; it’s to understand where we are today so you can decide whether the next 6–18 months is a reasonable window for your move — and, if so, how to position your home to stand out.

(Testimonial placeholder — add your own client review here that speaks to pricing strategy, market timing or selling in a “confusing” market.)


Common Misconceptions About a “Crash” in Syosset, Jericho, Oyster Bay & Nearby Districts

One of the biggest misconceptions is that national headlines about housing automatically apply to your street. They don’t. National stories track national averages, not high-demand Long Island school districts where inventory has been tight for years.

Another misconception is that higher mortgage rates automatically mean lower prices. In reality, rates tend to change the pool of buyers, not the fundamental desirability of a top school district. Sometimes prices flatten while the market adjusts; other times they continue to climb slowly as buyers compete for a limited number of homes.

Finally, many homeowners assume that if their neighbor sold quickly for a strong price in 2022 or 2023, they “missed the boat.” The truth is more nuanced. You may not be in the same frenzy environment, but you may also be selling into a more rational market where serious buyers have space to think, compare and commit — and that can benefit you if your home is the clear best choice.


Important Considerations If You’re Thinking About Selling in the Next 6–18 Months

If you already know you’ll be selling — whether it’s for a school change, downsizing, a job move or estate planning — the real conversation is about how to sell well, not whether the market will magically line up perfectly.

In these Long Island districts, three things consistently matter more than trying to guess where prices will be a year from now:

  • Condition: Homes that feel move-in ready still command a premium, even in a calmer market.
  • Positioning: Pricing accurately against recent, truly comparable sales is far more effective than “testing the market” high and chasing buyers down.
  • Presentation: Professional photos, clear floor plans and thoughtful staging make a real difference in how fast and how strongly buyers respond.

The sooner you know your likely price range, your preparation timeline and the tradeoffs between selling now versus later, the less stressful the process becomes. That’s where a detailed, district-specific pricing and timing conversation is far more valuable than another round of guessing about the future.

(Testimonial placeholder — add a client story here about selling successfully in a market that “felt uncertain” at the time.)

FAQ

Are home prices in these Long Island school districts likely to fall in the next year?

Anything is possible, but current data in Syosset, Jericho, Oyster Bay, Locust Valley, Plainview and Cold Spring Harbor does not point to a broad decline. Inventory remains limited, demand is still steady and well-prepared homes continue to sell at strong numbers.

Should I wait for mortgage rates to drop before I list my home?

If your life situation tells you it’s time to move within the next 6–18 months, waiting solely for a lower rate often introduces more uncertainty than it solves. Buyers will adapt to whatever the prevailing rates are; your net result will come down to pricing, condition and strategy more than a quarter-point change in financing.

What can I do now if I’m 6–12 months away from selling?

Use this window to your advantage. Tackle deferred maintenance, declutter, handle any obvious repairs and get a clear, personalized pricing estimate based on your specific school district and property type. That way, when you are ready, you’re stepping into the market prepared instead of rushed.

Next Steps for Long Island Homeowners

If you own a home in Syosset, Jericho, Oyster Bay, Locust Valley, Plainview or Cold Spring Harbor and you’re thinking about selling in the next 6–18 months, you don’t need a prediction — you need a plan built around your numbers and your timing.

I can walk you through the current data in your specific school district, estimate your likely price range and outline the steps that will put you in the strongest position when you’re ready to list.

If you’d like a straightforward, no-pressure conversation about your options, call or text 516-659-8497 or visit patriciasantella.com.

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With a deep understanding of the market, industry-specific know-how, and local insights, Patricia Santella is the real estate expert you've been searching for in Syosset and the North Shore of Long Island.

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