Bergen County and Florida Market Guide, Fall 2026

Selling in Bergen County, Buying in Florida: What the Numbers Say This Fall

Who this is for: long-time Bergen County homeowners who are thinking about selling here and buying in Florida in the next six to eighteen months.

The short version: the two markets are moving in opposite directions, and that works in your favor if you plan the sequence. Single-family sellers in Bergen County still have leverage. Florida condo buyers have more choice and more negotiating room than they have had in years. The risk sits in the details on the Florida side, and that is where most of this guide spends its time.

Bergen County: single-family sellers still hold the cards

Here is July 2026 for Bergen County, from the monthly NJ REALTORS report.

Source: NJ REALTORS Local Market Update, Bergen County, July 2026. Year-over-year changes compare July 2026 to July 2025.

What this means in plain terms. If you own a single-family home in Fort Lee, Leonia, Tenafly or anywhere else in the county, buyers are competing for a limited number of houses. Well-prepared homes are selling in about four weeks.

Condo and townhouse owners are in a different position. Inventory is up by a quarter from last year and homes are taking longer to sell. Prices are still rising, but buyers have options, and the condo that is priced right and shows well is the one that sells first. If you own a condo along the Palisades and plan to sell it, preparation and pricing matter more this fall than they did a year ago.

One caution I give every seller. A county median blends hundreds of different homes. It tells you the direction of the market, not what your house is worth. Your price comes from the sales of homes like yours, on streets like yours, in the last few months.

Florida: more choice for buyers, especially in condos

Here is August 2026 statewide, from Florida Realtors.

Sources: Florida Realtors single-family summary, August 2026 and Florida Realtors condo and townhouse detail, August 2026. Statewide figures are background only. Boca Raton, Delray Beach and Deerfield Beach each have their own numbers, and individual buildings vary even more.

Single-family inventory in Florida is shrinking and the market is moving toward balance. Condos are a different story. With 7.7 months of supply and a median of 109 days to sell, condo buyers generally have time to compare buildings and room to negotiate.

That is the opportunity. Here is what goes with it.

The condo checklist I walk every New Jersey buyer through

• Read the association documents before you fall in love with the unit. Budget, reserves, recent and planned special assessments, meeting minutes and any pending litigation.
• Confirm financing with your lender early, even if you plan to pay cash. Whether a lender will finance a building affects who can buy your unit when you sell it someday. Warrantability has not been verified for any specific project in this article. Financing eligibility depends on the association's current reserve, litigation, occupancy and insurance status. Confirm with your lender before relying on any financing assumption.
• Ask the association about its master insurance policy. Changes in the building's policy can flow into monthly dues and assessments, even when the cost of your own unit policy is moving the other way.
• Get your own insurance quote before you write the offer, not after.

The NJ to FL relocation checklist lays out the full sequence, from listing here to closing there.

Florida insurance: more private carriers, but quotes still vary

Citizens Property Insurance, the state-backed insurer of last resort, has shrunk sharply as private companies have taken policies back. Citizens covered roughly 1.4 million policies at its September 2023 peak and about 270,000 as of early September 2026, according to Insurance Business.

That is a sign of more private options. It does not tell you what your policy will cost. Insurance costs vary by property, elevation, roof age, construction type and carrier. Consult your carrier or a licensed Florida insurance agent for a quote specific to the property you are considering.

Two new Florida laws worth knowing

HB 1293, fraudulent entry of residential dwellings. Signed June 12, 2026 and effective October 1, 2026. It creates a criminal offense for entering and occupying a residential unit using forged documents or a false identity, and lets a landlord treat that conduct as grounds to end the lease. If you plan to rent out a Florida property, or hold one while you transition, this is added protection. (Florida Senate bill page)

HB 7031E, property tax estimates on listing sites. Signed June 29, 2026. Starting February 1, 2027, online listing platforms that show estimated property taxes must use a standardized method based on the listing price and state data, and platforms that do not provide an estimate must point buyers to the county property appraiser instead of showing the seller's current tax bill. This matters because a Florida buyer's taxes are reassessed after purchase, so the seller's bill is often far lower than yours will be. (Pinellas County Property Appraiser summary)

How to sequence the move

Most of the people I work with on the NJ to FL Transition Plan ask the same question first: sell here first or buy there first? The answer depends on your equity, your financing and how long you can carry two homes. What these numbers tell me is that a Bergen County single-family seller can usually plan on a reasonably predictable sale, while a Florida condo buyer can take the time to vet the building properly. Use that time. The buildings that look like bargains are sometimes priced that way for a reason that shows up in the documents.

If you would like a starting point, the 7-question resource quiz takes about 90 seconds and points you to the guides that fit your situation. When you are ready to talk it through, I would like to hear what matters most to you.

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