Property sales in our Brooklyn neighborhoods August 2026

August 2026 Market Snapshot: Where Did All the Listings Go?

August usually gives New York real estate a chance to catch its breath. This year, the bigger question may be: where did all the inventory go?

After July’s fireworks, contract activity naturally came back down to earth in August, but that does not tell the whole story. Closings remained remarkably strong while the number of homes actually available for sale fell to extraordinarily low levels. Buyers may still be looking, but increasingly there simply isn’t enough to look at; District 15 set a new 12-month low in inventory and district 13 saw its lowest inventory level since December 20205. What does this mean for the market? It is simply a good time to sell, as limited supply continues to push prices despite higher costs of financing. This is a very different message from the national real estate economists that site 40% of the 1 million some properties for sale have reduced their price nationally.

In District 13, active inventory dropped again, from an already-low 41 listings in July to just 37 in August. Contracts signed came in at 53, down from July’s extraordinary 89, but still ahead of June’s 48. Meanwhile, 96 properties closed, up from 85 in July and the highest monthly closing total we have seen in the past year. That combination is important. Nearly three times as many properties closed during the month as were actively available for sale at month-end. So, while the contract number may look like activity cooled, I would argue the bigger issue is simply lack of product. It is possible that deals cut in the beginning of the summer just took a bit longer to close. District 15 told a similar story but with a more dramatic example. Active inventory plunged from 86 listings in July to only 32 in August. Contracts signed declined from July’s exceptional 95 to 45, while closings remained elevated at 108, just shy of July’s 110.

We’re seeing that spillover effect firsthand. Recent listings at 2 Grace Court and 320 Hicks Street generated a strong pool of buyers, many of whom are still looking for similar homes in Brooklyn Heights and the surrounding area. When one property goes into contract, that buyer demand doesn’t simply disappear. So if you are thinking of selling this autumn, we may have already met the buyer! Or at a minimum, we can run the same process that continues to produce great results.

The big question heading into September isn’t whether buyers will return from summer vacation. It’s whether sellers will. If meaningful inventory comes back to the market, we should get a much clearer picture of just how much buyer demand has been waiting underneath the surface. We also expect a very important jobs report in the first week of September that will influence the Fed’s decision on rates/inflation.

As always, we are available to help the Brooklyn Bridge Parents community think through that next move, whether you are considering selling into this low-inventory environment, trying to buy before the fall rush, or simply wondering what your home might be worth in today’s market.