Is Demarest Still a Seller's Market When Prices Rise but Fewer Homes Sell Above List? Reading Redfin, Zillow and the Census of a Town of Houses

Which Demarest price figure should an owner trust?

The three sources agree on direction and disagree on level. Redfin's median sale price is $1,991,138, up 18.5%, which implies about $1,680,285 a year earlier. Zillow's index for the area is $1,548,144, up 18.9%, which implies about $1,302,056. Realtor.com's median listing price is $2,333,000, up 2.41%, which implies about $2,278,098. Redfin's median is 28.6% above Zillow's index and 17.2% below Realtor.com's listing median, all computed here.

The gaps reflect what each measures. Zillow's index estimates the value of all homes, including those that rarely trade and are smaller or older. Redfin's median is of the homes that sold in three months, which in a town this size means 29 sales in August and roughly that many in each of the months before. Realtor.com's median is of the homes listed in September, 21 of them, and a few large estates in that group are enough to raise it. These explanations are inferences from the sample sizes.

Price per foot gives a steadier read. Redfin shows $659, up 8.3%, which implies about $608 a year earlier. That rise is less than half the rise in the median price, which suggests that part of the 18.5% comes from the sale of larger or better homes, and not only from higher prices for the same homes. That too is an inference, since the pages do not give the sizes of the homes sold.

The Census median owner value of $1,114,600, plus or minus $184,403, is 44.0% below Redfin's median, computed here, and the margin is 16.5% of the figure. The Census figure is an average over five years of owners' own estimates, so it trails current sales in a market that has risen by nearly a fifth in a year. It is 5.4 times the Census median household income of $208,036, and Redfin's median is 9.6 times.

Zillow's two pages show the risk of mixing dates. The area page, updated August 31, shows $1,548,144, up 18.9%. The town page, updated May 31, shows $1,535,516, up 16.3%, which implies about $1,320,306 a year before May. The difference of $12,628 between the pages is small, and part of it is three months of change. An owner who compares sources should compare them as of the same month, and ask which homes each covers.

Small samples deserve a plain warning. Redfin reports 29 homes sold in August in the whole postal area, up from 25. A median over three months rests on perhaps fewer than one hundred sales, an inference from August's count, and a few sales at the top or bottom can shift it by tens of thousands of dollars. The rise of 18.5% is therefore best read as a strong year and not as a precise measure. Zillow's index smooths those swings by estimating every home, which is why it moves less from sale to sale, and why a careful owner looks at both.

Sources as cited. Ratios and year-earlier values in this section are computed from the published figures and percentages.

Why do fewer Demarest homes sell above list when prices are up?

The share of homes selling above list fell sharply. Redfin shows 17.9%, down 26.1 points, which implies about 44.0% a year earlier, so a bit more than two homes in five sold above list a year ago and fewer than one in five do now. The sale-to-list ratio fell from about 101.7% to 98.1%. Days on market rose from 71 to 80. Prices still rose, so the market has cooled in how it negotiates and not in what it pays.

Realtor.com's September page points the same way. The median days on market for listings is 52, up 25% in a year, which implies about 42 a year earlier, and up 87.50% from the month before, which implies about 28 in August. Active listings are 21, down 24.24% from the month before, which implies about 28, and down 21.88% in a year, which implies about 27. Fewer homes are for sale, and each takes longer to sell.

That combination is common in a thin, high-priced market. Buyers who can afford a home at this level are few and choosy, and they do not rush. A seller who prices at the top finds that the home waits, and a seller who prices near recent sales finds a buyer sooner. The page does not say which is more common here, and an owner should test the price against closed sales of nearby homes.

Redfin's competitive score of 36 out of 100 fits the picture. It means some homes get multiple offers, and the average home sold about 2% below list and went pending in around 80 days. Hot homes sold around list and went pending in around 67 days, so even the best homes took more than two months. On a $1,991,138 sale, 2% is $40,635 between the list price and the sale price, computed here with a simple ratio.

Rentals barely exist. Realtor.com shows 3 rental properties, down 25% in a year, and a median rent of $6,000, up 0.84% in a year, which implies about $5,950, and down 7.69% from the month before, which implies about $6,500. A median based on three listings means little. The Census median rent of $3,501 is top-coded and cannot be used. Of 1,672 occupied homes, 95 are rented, 5.7%.

For a seller the lesson is about price discipline. A year ago, more than two in five homes sold above list, and a seller who priced low could expect competition. Now fewer than one in five do, and a seller who prices high should expect the house to wait and the buyer to negotiate. The numbers do not say which prices were right. They say that the market now rewards a price near what comparable homes closed at, and gives less credit for optimism, which is a change in behavior and not in the level of prices.

Sources as cited. Year-earlier values and differences are computed from the published percentages.

Who owns a house in Demarest, and how long have they been there?

Owners are nearly everyone. Of 1,672 occupied homes, 1,577 are owner-occupied, 94.3%, and 95 are rented, 5.7%. Of 1,748 units, 76 are vacant, 4.3%: 23 are for sale only, 31 are sold and not yet occupied and 22 are vacant for other reasons. None are held for seasonal use, none are for rent and none are rented and not yet occupied. In a market this thin, a handful of homes in transit is the whole vacancy.

Owners have mostly been there a while. Of 1,577 owner households, 39 moved in during 2023 or later, 2.5%, 222 between 2020 and 2022, 14.1%, 481 between 2010 and 2019, 30.5%, 273 between 2000 and 2009, 17.3%, 249 in the 1990s, 15.8%, and 313 before 1990, 19.8%. So 35.6% moved in before 2000 and 16.6% since 2020. A long hold often means large untaxed gains and a house of rooms no longer needed.

Houses are large. Of 1,577 owner households, none live in homes with no bedroom or one bedroom, 23 in a two-bedroom, 481 in a three-bedroom, 538 in a four-bedroom and 535 in one with five or more bedrooms. Homes with four or more bedrooms are 68.0% of the total, and three-bedroom homes 30.5%. Renters are few, and of the 95, 45 are in three-bedroom homes and 21 in homes of five or more bedrooms.

The population has many children and few seniors. Of 4,911 people counted, 1,341, or 27.3%, are under 18, 290, or 5.9%, are 18 to 24, 164, or 3.3%, are 25 to 34, 571, or 11.6%, are 35 to 44, 1,694, or 34.5%, are 45 to 64 and 851, or 17.3%, are 65 or older. The margin on the total is plus or minus 18. The 45 to 64 group is the largest, which suggests parents of teenagers and some approaching a time when they may want a smaller home.

Housing costs are manageable for many. Of 1,577 owners, 983 have a mortgage, 62.3%, and 594 do not, 37.7%. Among owners with a mortgage, 406 spent 30% or more of income on housing, 41.3%, and 207 spent half or more, 21.1%. Among owners without a mortgage, 195 spent 30% or more, 32.8%, and 116 spent half or more, 19.5%. The Census median household income of $208,036 carries a margin of plus or minus $55,973, so these shares are rough.

Tenure also shapes who the buyers are. When 313 owner households have been in their homes since before 1990 and 249 since the 1990s, a share of the town's houses will come to market only when long-time owners decide to sell, and those owners may care more about timing, privacy and a smooth move than about the last few percent of price. That is an inference from the move-in table. It fits a market with few listings, where a house that does appear draws attention from the small number of buyers who are watching.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimates, tables B01001, B19013, B25003, B25004, B25038, B25042 and B25091, via Census Reporter. Shares are computed here.

How old are Demarest houses, and what does a buyer find in them?

The houses span many decades. Of 1,748 units, 256, or 14.6%, were built before 1940, 145, or 8.3%, in the 1940s, 330, or 18.9%, in the 1950s, 219, or 12.5%, in the 1960s, 71, or 4.1%, in the 1970s, 59, or 3.4%, in the 1980s, 135, or 7.7%, in the 1990s, 182, or 10.4%, in the 2000s, 280, or 16.0%, in the 2010s and 71, or 4.1%, in 2020 or later. The median build year is 1967, and 58.4% were built before 1980.

Two waves stand out. The 1940s to 1960s produced 39.7% of the homes and the 2000s to the present 30.5%. The quiet decades in between, the 1970s and 1980s, produced 7.4%. Newer homes are probably larger and often replace older houses, an inference from the timing and from the bedroom counts, not a finding from any source. An owner of a mid-century house may be selling to a buyer who intends to rebuild.

Buildings are one kind. Of 1,748 units, 1,719, or 98.3%, are detached houses, 11 are in two-unit buildings, 9 in buildings of three or four units and 9 in buildings of five to nine. None are attached houses or in larger buildings. With almost no attached homes or apartments to dilute the medians, the figures in this brief mostly describe houses, and a seller can compare them with other houses of a similar size and age.

A house from the 1950s or 1960s may have a roof, a furnace, windows and plumbing at the end of their lives, and a buyer's inspector will list each. Houses from before 1940 may also have older wiring, oil tanks and drainage that need work. That is an inference from the age of the stock, and not a finding from any source. A seller who expects those lists can price them in advance or look for a buyer who takes the house as it stands.

Houses that are large and well kept may find a second kind of buyer, one who wants to renovate. Such a buyer prices the work and not the finishes, and may value land more than the structure. A private buyer who sees the house in person can weigh these matters at once, and gives the seller an answer without a public listing, showings or a wait.

Land is the other half of value in a town of single-family houses, and no table here measures it. Two houses of the same size and age can differ greatly in value because of lot size, trees, grading, drainage and the street they sit on. This is why the published medians are a rough guide and why a closed sale of a house on a similar lot is worth more than any index. An owner can gather three or four such sales from the last year and compare them with the house in question. Readers comparing markets can also read the Scotch Plains brief and the Manahawkin brief.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimates, tables B25004, B25024 and B25034, via Census Reporter. Shares are computed here.

What should a Demarest owner ask before choosing a listing or a private sale?

Five questions are worth asking. Is my price based on closed sales of houses like mine, and not on a median driven by a few sales? How long will the house sit, given that listings take longer than a year ago? What will the buyer's inspector find in a house of this age? What do the fees cost? And what date do I need to close?

Fees are simple arithmetic, and no rate is assumed here. Each 1% of a $450,000 sale is $4,500, of a $725,000 sale is $7,250 and of a $1,200,000 sale is $12,000. Three percent is $13,500, $21,750 and $36,000, and five percent is $22,500, $36,250 and $60,000. On the Redfin median of $1,991,138, 1% is $19,911, 3% is $59,734 and 5% is $99,557.

A private sale has no showings and no neighbors talking about it, which is the first benefit. In a small town where residents know each other, a quiet sale spares a family the talk. The second benefit is a closing date that fits the seller, which helps owners who need to time a move with a school year or a purchase elsewhere. The third and fourth are no commission costs and no closing costs, and the fifth is no inspection repairs.

In a market where fewer homes sell above list and days on market are rising, an owner is right to compare a listing with a private offer. The comparison should include the expected price after fees, the months of waiting and the cost of preparation, and any gain the owner expects to pay tax on. Only the owner can supply those numbers.

Maison Off-Market buys luxury homes and estates directly from their owners and speaks only to sellers. It does not say that a private sale always beats a public listing. If you would like a private, no-obligation offer for a home in Demarest, call 401-219-4207 or use the contact form on this site.

Sources as cited. Fee illustrations are arithmetic only and assume no commission rate.

Methodology and limitations

Each page's date, title and place were read before use. The Redfin page is for the three months ending August 2026. The Realtor.com page carries key indicators as of September 2026, and its lower neighborhood tables describe a different city, so only the area summary was used. The Zillow area page was updated on August 31, 2026 and the town page on May 31, 2026. The Census rental and vacancy tables rest on very small counts, and the median rent is top-coded. Only established data publishers and the Census are cited. Percent changes were taken as printed, and ratios, sums, fee figures and year-earlier values are this brief's arithmetic.

Conclusion

The record for Demarest is a median sale price near two million dollars, up about a fifth in a year, with fewer homes selling above list, longer waits and fewer listings, in a town where nearly every home is an owner-occupied house. The useful number for an owner is a closed sale of a comparable house nearby, and a private buyer can price the house as it stands and close on the owner's schedule.