Published November 1, 2026 in Market Update

East of the River still has a tight market, even with rates above 7%

Realtor.com reported that mortgage rates topped 7% in September 2026. Higher payments usually cool demand. But the Real Estate Data Aggregator counted just 1 to 1.6 months of supply across most of East of the River in the three months ending August 31, 2026. That means buyers are still competing, and pricing still matters for owners.

Supply is thin almost everywhere

A balanced market has about 5 to 6 months of supply. Every ZIP code here was well below that. South Windsor was the tightest spot in the area.

South Windsor had just 1 month of supply, according to the Real Estate Data Aggregator. That was down 0.4 months from a year before. Inventory there fell 22% year over year. Buyers had very little to choose from.

Most homes still sold above list price

High rates did not stop buyers from bidding up prices. The Real Estate Data Aggregator found that in four of the eight ZIP codes, more than 69% of homes sold above list. In Manchester's 06042, that share was 83.6%.

Marlborough had the smallest share at 60%, down 16.2 points from a year before, per the Real Estate Data Aggregator. That is a real shift. Still, 3 in 5 homes there sold above list. Not every home sailed through, but most did.

Prices rose in nearly every town

Realtor.com reported that Northeast median list prices fell 3.8% year over year in September 2026. East of the River told a different story. The Real Estate Data Aggregator showed prices up in seven of the eight ZIP codes.

South Glastonbury's median jumped 16.3% to $890,000, the Real Estate Data Aggregator found. East Hartford's 06108 was up 12.3% to $320,000. Even Glastonbury's tiny 0.4% dip barely moved the needle at $587,500.

Speed: most homes went fast, a few took longer

The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted a median of just 10 days on market in South Windsor. Manchester's 06042 was close behind at 12 days. Not every ZIP moved that quickly, though.

Marlborough took the longest at 36 days, up 2 days from a year before. Glastonbury was 30 days, up 12 days from a year ago. Those are real changes worth knowing if you are pricing a home in either town.

What the national picture adds

Nationally, the Federal Housing Finance Agency reported U.S. house prices rose 2.4% from August 2025 to August 2026. Most of East of the River beat that pace by a wide margin. Realtor.com reported Northeast inventory rose 11.6% year over year. Here, inventory moved in different directions by town. Some ZIPs added listings; others lost them.

Realtor.com put the Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford area median asking rent at $1,856 in September 2026. With a median mortgage payment of $2,786 reported by Redfin for the same period nationally, the gap between renting and owning stays real. That keeps some would-be buyers on the sidelines, which partly explains why demand has held without flooding the market.

What this means for owners and buyers

For owners: demand has held up, but not every home sold fast or above list. Glastonbury and Marlborough showed some softening in above-list sales. Pricing to the actual market matters more than ever.

For buyers: tight supply means you are still competing in most of these towns. South Windsor had just 1 month of supply and a median of 10 days on market. Going in without a clear number puts you at a disadvantage.