Bergen County borders New York City, spans 70 municipalities, and has historically commanded premium prices. In January 2026 it had cooled from its 2025 peak, but well-priced homes were still selling above asking.
Data note: All figures in this report reflect January 2026 data sourced from the Redfin Data Center. The market snapshot was published February 26, 2026.
Methodology note (Oct 2026): Market labels and scores in this post come from the site's earlier single "Market Health Score." Since October 2026, dashboards show two measures instead: Market Type (months of supply) and Market Temperature (vs. each county's own history). Labels here may not match today's dashboards. The figures in this post reflect the data available when this was published. See the current Bergen County dashboard for current numbers, or how the new measures work.
January 2026 at a glance
| Metric | Value | YoY Change |
|---|---|---|
| Median Sale Price | $731,000 | −3.8% |
| Days on Market | 87 days | +7 days |
| Active Listings | 1,666 | −0.2% |
| Sale-to-List Ratio | 101.8% | +0.1% |
| Market Health Score | 27/100 | Buyer's Market |
The 3.8% drop from a year ago is real. Bergen peaked at $805,000 in June 2025, a high driven by spring demand and tight inventory, and I read the current $731K median as prices normalizing after that run. Nothing in the data points to a crash.
How Bergen's prices moved in 2025
Over the past 12 months, Bergen's median moved like this:
- Feb–May 2025: a steady climb from $705K to $755K
- June 2025: the peak, $805K, at the height of spring buying
- Jul–Dec 2025: a gradual retreat, $793K → $800K → $770K → $749K → $740K → $752K
- January 2026: $731K
That leaves January's $731K only 9% below the June 2025 peak.
Days on market give buyers time
At 87 days, Bergen's DOM (median days on market, how long a home takes to go under contract) is one of the higher figures among NJ counties in January 2026. That's longer than Hudson County (~73 days) and on par with Middlesex County (~86 days). Bergen buyers have something they haven't had in years: time to think.
DOM climbed steadily from a spring low of 68 days in May 2025 back to 87 days by January 2026. Part of that is seasonal, since winter always slows the market, but the longer marketing times also follow an underlying trend.
In practice, buyers aren't competing in 24-hour bidding wars on most Bergen properties. You can schedule several showings, get a proper inspection before making an offer, and negotiate. Well-priced homes in pricier towns such as Ridgewood, Tenafly, and Cresskill are the exception and still draw multiple offers.
Homes still sell above asking
Even with an 87-day median DOM and falling prices, Bergen County homes sold at 101.8% of asking price in January.
Correctly priced homes were still drawing offers above asking. The listings pushing DOM up are the overpriced ones that sit.
The sale-to-list ratio peaked at 103.6% in June 2025 and has held between 101.6% and 101.8% since fall. To me that looks like a market settling into balance.
Price per square foot by town
Prices differ a lot across Bergen's 70 municipalities:
| Town | Price/Sqft |
|---|---|
| Tenafly | $600 |
| Ridgewood | $576 |
| Alpine | $524 |
| Paramus | $523 |
| Englewood Cliffs | $482 |
| Fair Lawn | $461 |
| Fort Lee | $456 |
| Bergenfield | $456 |
| Cresskill | $442 |
| Englewood | $367 |
Tenafly and Ridgewood are still the county's highest-priced towns per square foot, at 57–63% premiums over Englewood. Fort Lee, with direct Manhattan access over the GWB, holds at $456/sqft.
Buyers priced out of the highest-priced towns can find a much lower entry price in Englewood, at $367/sqft.
Inventory is tight now, but spring adds listings
Active listings were 1,666 in January 2026, roughly flat year over year (-0.2%). The seasonal pattern is the thing to watch:
- In spring 2025, active inventory climbed from 1,769 in February to a peak of 2,630 in June, a 49% increase in four months.
- December and January always compress inventory.
If 2026 follows last year's pattern, Bergen buyers should expect a real wave of new listings in March–May. That means more choices, and it also means you'll want to be ready to move quickly when the right home comes up.
The Market Health Score put Bergen in buyer's territory
Bergen County's Market Health Score of 27 out of 100 formally classified it as a buyer's market. The score combined four factors:
- Price momentum: 8/100 (prices trending down)
- Inventory tightness: 37/100 (relatively moderate, not as tight as Hudson)
- Demand strength: 38/100 (buyers active but not desperate)
- Affordability: 24/100 (Bergen is expensive, which limits the buyer pool)
That's a big change from where Bergen was in 2021–2023 when demand strength scores were near 80+ and inventory was so tight that buyers had to waive every contingency to compete.
What buyers should know
- Leverage: At 87 days on market, most sellers have been waiting a while.
- Overpriced listings: These sit for a reason, so I'd be especially disciplined on homes that have been on the market 90+ days.
- Timing: Spring will bring competition. If you're targeting Bergen County for spring 2026, I'd start the search now, with a pre-approval in hand and your target towns picked.
- Inspections: Inspection contingencies are back. With longer DOM, you can get a thorough inspection and ask for credits on real findings.
What sellers should know
- Pricing: The gap between a well-priced home (101.8% sale-to-list) and an overpriced one (90+ days, then a reduction) is large.
- Timing: June 2025 brought the county's peak price, so I'd list in the spring window, with the house properly prepared.
- Condition: In a buyer's market, buyers don't overlook deferred maintenance, so repairs are worth finishing before the listing goes live.
Related reading
- How to Sell Your NJ Home in 2026: pricing strategies that work in a buyer's market
- Hudson County Market Report: January 2026: how Hudson's buyer's market compares with Bergen
- Passaic County: A Buyer's Market Worth Watching: the investment case for Bergen's neighbor to the west
Note: All information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed. View current Bergen County market data at the Bergen County dashboard.
