Why Are Lavallette Prices Jumping While Most Homes Sit Vacant? Reading the Seasonal Homes, the Older Residents and the Thin Income Data

Which Lavallette price figure should an owner trust?

Not one alone. Redfin's median of $1,661,781, up 51.1%, implies about $1,099,789 a year earlier. Realtor.com's sold median of $1,700,000, up 71.72% in a year, implies about $989,984 a year earlier. The Realtor.com sold median is 2.3% above the Redfin median, a small gap, and both pages show very large rises in a year, 51.1% and 71.72%. A rise of that size in a median usually means that the mix of homes sold changed, with more large or waterfront homes in the sales than a year before, which is an inference, because the pages do not list the sales.

The Zillow value of $1,224,978, up 11.8%, implies about $1,095,687 a year earlier. It is an index of all homes in the postal area. The Redfin median is 35.7% above it. The Zillow page is dated August 31, 2026, the Redfin page covers the three months to August, and the Realtor.com page is for September, so all three are recent, and Realtor.com's is the newest.

The Realtor.com listing median of $1,642,000, down 3.92% on the month, implies about $1,708,993 a month earlier, and down 7.34% on the year implies about $1,772,070. It is 3.5% below the sold median. Asking prices have eased while sold prices have jumped, which may mean that the homes that sold were larger than the homes now on offer, though the page does not break out the homes.

Per-foot prices tell a calmer story. Redfin's figure of about $1,180, up 15.5%, implies about $1,022 a year earlier, and Realtor.com's $999, up 13.55% in a year, implies about $880 and, up 12.24% on the month, about $890 a month earlier. A per-foot rise of 13% to 16% while medians rise 51% to 72% suggests that bigger homes, not only higher prices, drove the medians, which is an inference. The Redfin per-foot figure is 18.1% above Realtor.com's.

The Census median owner value of $872,300, plus or minus $64,200, averages owners' own estimates over five years and lags recent sales. The Redfin median is 90.5% above it. The median household income of $76,974 has a margin of error of $26,276, and the median gross rent of $2,026 has a margin of error of $1,544, which is too wide to use. The best guide to a single home is closed sales of similar homes in the last few months.

Owners comparing a listing with a direct offer should keep two questions apart. The first is what the typical home in the postal area sells for, which the pages answer in a wide range, from about $1.2 million on the Zillow index to about $1.7 million on the sold medians. The second is what a particular home would bring, which depends on its size, condition, lot and distance from the water, and only the closed sales of the most similar homes can answer it.

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

How quickly do Lavallette homes sell, and where do prices settle against asking?

The wait differs by page. Redfin shows a median of 45 days on the market against 23 a year earlier, a rise of 22 days, and says the average home goes pending in around 27 days and hot homes in around 15. Realtor.com shows a median of 25 days, down 39.22% on the month, which implies about 41 days a month earlier, and down 16.22% on the year, which implies about 30 days a year earlier. The two pages move in opposite directions on the year, up 22 days on Redfin and down about 5 days on Realtor.com, and neither explains why.

Sales settle near asking. Redfin shows a sale-to-list ratio of 98.5%, up 2.5 points, which implies about 96.0% a year earlier, and says the average home sells for about 2% below list. Homes sold above list were 27.9% of sales, up 3.9 points, which implies about 24.0% a year earlier, and 18.2% had price drops, down 7.4 points, which implies about 25.6% a year earlier. Realtor.com's ratio is 100%. Both pages show sales settling at or near the asking price.

Supply is modest. Realtor.com shows 58 active listings, up 8.11% on the month, which implies about 54 a month earlier, and down 14.89% on the year, which implies about 68 a year earlier. Redfin shows 44 homes sold in August. At those two figures the active listings equal about 1.3 months of August's sales, though the pages measure different periods and the comparison is rough.

Rentals are fewer than a year ago. Realtor.com shows 83 rental properties, up 2.44% on the month, which implies about 81, and down 19.23% on the year, which implies about 103. The median rent of $3,900 is down 1.89% on the month, which implies about $3,975, and up 30% on the year, which implies about $3,000. The Census median gross rent is $2,026, with a margin of error of $1,544, so the comparison is only a rough one: the asking rent is 92.5% above it.

A seasonal market has a rhythm that a yearly median hides. Homes may sell faster when buyers are visiting and slower when they are not, and a median over three months can mix the two. The pages do not show monthly detail, so an owner should ask for the sales in the months nearest to the planned listing.

Sources as cited. Earlier values and differences are computed from the published percentages.

Who lives in Lavallette year-round, and how many homes sit vacant?

Few homes are occupied year-round. Of 7,186 units, 2,032 are occupied, 28.3%, and 5,154 are vacant, 71.7%. The Census counts 4,936 vacant units as held for seasonal, recreational or occasional use, 68.7% of all units and 95.8% of the vacant ones. It counts 23 for rent, 40 for sale only and 155 other vacant units. A vacancy count is taken at one moment of the survey, and a second home may be counted as vacant or occupied depending on when it is visited.

Of the 2,032 occupied homes, 1,650 are owner-occupied, 81.2%, and 382 are renter-occupied, 18.8%. Of 1,650 owner households, 29 moved in during 2023 or later, 1.8%, 179 between 2020 and 2022, 10.8%, 675 in the 2010s, 40.9%, 374 in the 2000s, 22.7%, 209 in the 1990s, 12.7%, and 184 before 1990, 11.2%. Owners who moved in since 2010 are 53.5%. Renters are newer: of 382, 31 moved in during 2023 or later, 90 between 2020 and 2022, 23.6%, 228 in the 2010s, 59.7%, and 33 earlier.

The population is older. Of 3,451 people counted, 283 are under 18, 8.2%, 162 are 18 to 24, 4.7%, 131 are 25 to 34, 3.8%, 165 are 35 to 44, 4.8%, 1,183 are 45 to 64, 34.3%, and 1,527 are 65 or older, 44.2%. Owner homes are mostly mid-sized to large: of 1,650, 555 have four bedrooms, 33.6%, 436 have three, 26.4%, 365 have two, 22.1%, 262 have five or more, 15.9%, and 32 have one. Renter homes lean to three bedrooms: of 382, 178 have three, 46.6%, and 145 have two, 38.0%.

Housing costs are heavy for many. Of 1,650 owners, 609 have a mortgage, 36.9%, and 1,041 do not, 63.1%. Among the 609 mortgage holders, 241 spent 30% or more of income on housing costs, 39.6%, and 175 spent 50% or more, 28.7%. Among the 1,027 owners without a mortgage and with a computed figure, 422 spent 30% or more, 41.1%, and 238 spent 50% or more, 23.2%. The median household income of $76,974 comes with a margin of error of $26,276.

Renters are the most stretched. Of 382 renters, 280 with a computed figure, 235 spent 30% or more of income on rent, 83.9%, and 91 spent 50% or more, 32.5%. Income and cost burden are measured for year-round households, and a seasonal owner's income elsewhere is not part of these figures, which is one reason that a low median income sits beside high prices.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimates, tables B01001, B25003, B25004, B25038, B25042, B25070 and B25091, via Census Reporter. Shares are computed here.

How old is the Lavallette stock, and what does that mean for a seller?

A large share dates from the postwar decades, with a second wave since 2000. Of 7,186 units, 380, or 5.3%, were built before 1940, 683, or 9.5%, in the 1940s, 1,683, or 23.4%, in the 1950s, 822, or 11.4%, in the 1960s, 458, or 6.4%, in the 1970s, and 566, or 7.9%, in the 1980s. After that, 270, or 3.8%, were built in the 1990s, 843, or 11.7%, in the 2000s, 1,293, or 18.0%, in the 2010s and 188, or 2.6%, in 2020 or later. Homes built before 1980 total 4,026, or 56.0%. Homes built since 2000 total 2,324, or 32.3%.

The building types are mostly detached houses. Of 7,186 units, 6,323 are detached, 88.0%, 53 are attached, 326 are in two-unit buildings, 4.5%, 51 are in buildings of three or four units, 122 in buildings of 5 to 9, 180 in buildings of 10 to 19, 78 in buildings of 20 to 49, 15 in buildings of 50 or more and 38 are mobile homes. Buildings of five or more units hold 395, or 5.5%.

A house from the 1950s or 1960s may have been renovated, raised, rebuilt or left as it was. Those homes differ in condition and in value, and the Census year says little about which is which. Homes close to the water have extra items to inspect, such as pilings, bulkheads, flood exposure and exposure to salt air, though the sources do not say which apply to any home. These are general points about coastal homes and not figures from the sources.

The newest homes, 2,324 units built since 2000, make up about a third of the stock. Newer homes usually have fewer surprises on inspection, and they may sell on different terms from older homes, though the pages do not break out sales by age. Older homes are more likely to draw an inspector's list, and a seller of an older home should expect that list.

A seller who would rather not have an inspector's list negotiated can choose a private sale, in which a buyer buys the home as it stands. That is the fifth benefit of Maison Off-Market, avoiding inspections and repairs, and it is not a claim that a private sale always yields a higher price. Readers comparing markets can also read the Tenafly brief and the Ocean City brief.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimates, tables B25024, B25034 and B25042, via Census Reporter. Shares are computed here.

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

Five questions are worth asking. Is my price based on closed sales of homes like mine, of the same type, size and setting, and not on one median? How many weeks might a listing take, and how far above or below the first ask are sales settling? What will inspections and repairs cost me on a home of this age and location? Who will see the home during showings, and who will hear about the sale? And what date do I need to close, given where I plan to live next?

Fees are simple arithmetic, and no rate is assumed here. Each 1% of a $1,200,000 sale is $12,000, of a $2,000,000 sale is $20,000, and of a $3,000,000 sale is $30,000. At 3%, those sales cost $36,000, $60,000 and $90,000, and at 5% they cost $60,000, $100,000 and $150,000. At the Redfin median of $1,661,781, 1% is $16,618 and 5% is $83,089. Maison Off-Market does not charge commissions or closing costs.

A private sale has no showings and no neighbors talking about it, which is the first benefit, and in a place where most homes are second homes, privacy and discretion can matter to an owner. The second benefit is a closing date the owner can set, which gives time to find a new home. The third is no commission costs, the fourth is no closing costs and the fifth is avoiding inspections and repairs.

A fair comparison puts the commission, the closing costs, the repairs a buyer may ask for, the preparation for showings and the price movements that may come next to the privacy given up. It also puts a realistic listing result, and not the best case, next to a direct offer. With sold medians up by more than half in a year on both pages, an owner is right to ask what the gain is based on before relying on it.

Maison Off-Market buys luxury homes and estates directly from their owners and speaks only to sellers. It does not say that every private sale beats a listing. An owner who wants to see what a direct purchase would look like, with no public listing and no showings, can use the contact form below and ask for an offer before deciding.

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 Zillow page is dated August 31, 2026, the Redfin page covers the three months ending August 2026, and the Realtor.com page has key indicators as of September 2026 and is the newest. The sold medians have risen by more than half in a year on both pages, which is flagged as a likely effect of the mix of homes sold and not as a measure of value. The Redfin and Realtor.com figures for days on market move in opposite directions over the year and are reported without a choice between them. The Realtor.com neighborhood tables list other places and were not relied on. The Census figures are five-year survey estimates with margins of error, and the median household income and median gross rent have wide ones. Earlier values are computed from published percentages and are approximate. No figure here is a forecast.

Conclusion

The record for Lavallette, as far as the pages allow, is a seasonal market where most homes are vacant at the time of the survey, sold medians have jumped by more than half in a year, the Zillow index has risen by about a tenth, and the year-round population is small and older. For an owner, the practical step is to ask for the closed sales of comparable homes, compare the cost and risk of a listing with a direct offer, and decide how much of the showing, inspection and timing risk to carry.