Taking a Look at the Rockland County Housing Market

The housing market has truly exploded in Rockland County. Sandwiched between the cultural and economic juggernaut that is NYC and the natural beauty of Bear Mountain and Sterling Forest, it is obvious to see why the housing market is so hot.  Maria Kriesel, owner of and broker at Century 21 in New City, believes the county’s unique access to New York’s busiest and most beautiful locations make the county a uniquely desirable destination for future homeowners. “I love the diversity…I love that you can do pretty much anything here. In terms of entertainment and restaurants and parks and hiking and shopping, you can do all of that. But you also have a very relaxed suburban feel.” Many people feel similarly to Kriesel, but with more and more people leaving New York City and expanding out into Rockland County, the housing market is changing rapidly. 

Kriesel shared that like most places, Rockland County has seen a large shift in its housing market from pre- to post-Covid. “Pre-Covid, Rockland County had over 1,200 listings on the market. For the last five years, four years since Covid, we’ve been running about 290 homes on the market.” Kriesel continues, mentioning how they have begun to see inventory slightly increase in the last 30 days with numbers rising to around 360. While this is good for buyers as it increases the supply, it might not be completely shifting the tide of the housing market. Kriesel said she is also “…seeing some price adjustments which we would not even come close to seeing during the last four years…that tells us that not every house has ten buyers pouncing on it anymore”. She theorizes that this is because of the higher interest rates

When asked to predict the future of the housing market, Kriesel gave a good humored chuckle, saying “If only I had the crystal ball!”. While the crystal ball may be out of her grasp for now, Kriesel delivered some interesting forecasts for the future of Rockland County. She emphasized that barring another global catastrophe (knock on wood), she believes interest rates are settling and will not be going back down to the famed two and three percent pre-Covid rates “anytime soon.” She encourages prospective buyers to go out and purchase homes at higher interest rates. Her reasoning behind taking the blow of the higher interest rates now was that “…when the interest rate goes down, you can refinance. Marry the house, date the rate”. 

If the idea of the housing market, mortgages and interest rates makes your head spin, Kriesel’s Century 21 office offers complimentary homebuyer consultations to make the entire process crystal clear. With Kriesel’s business being recognized with 11 awards over the last five years and 10 unique languages offered by the various realtors in the office, it is clear that her focus is on the importance of education and a full service experience for all her clientele. Those interested in learning more can reach out to the Century 21 office at (845) 639-1234.