Published November 1, 2026 in Market Update

Lake Region buyers had more choices, but well-priced homes still moved

By Wendy Schurgot

Real estate, Lake Wallenpaupack / Lake Region

Nationally, Realtor.com reported that 20.8% of listings had price cuts in September 2026, the highest share since October 2022. Mortgage rates topped 7%, according to the same Realtor.com report. Buyers had leverage in a lot of markets. But the Lake Region told a more nuanced story.

The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 391 new listings and 324 pending sales across the Lake Region in the three months ending August 31, 2026. That is a healthy ratio. More homes came to market, yes. But buyers were still making moves.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency reported that U.S. home prices rose 2.4% from August 2025 to August 2026. Here in the Lake Region, some ZIP codes did better than that. Others softened a little. The story really depends on where you are.

Hawley (18428): prices up, days on market down

Hawley was one of the stronger spots in the region. The Real Estate Data Aggregator put the median sale price at $360,000 in the three months ending August 31, 2026. That is up 19% from the same months in 2025. Homes sold in 33 days at the median, which was 6 days faster than a year before. Sellers got 97.7% of list price on average, up 2.1 points year over year.

Nearly 1 in 5 homes in Hawley sold above list price. That is up 8.2 points from a year ago, according to the Real Estate Data Aggregator. And 29.3% of homes went under contract within two weeks of listing, up 4.5 points. Inventory grew, but demand kept pace.

Greentown (18426): fastest median days on market in the region

Greentown had the quickest pace of any ZIP code with year-over-year data. The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted a median of 18 days on market, which was 19 days shorter than the same period in 2025. That is a big shift. The median sale price dipped a little, down 1.2% to $327,450. But homes were clearly moving.

Lake Ariel (18436): prices up, but buyers took a little longer to decide

Lake Ariel is one of the larger markets in the region. The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 98 homes sold and 109 pending sales in the three months ending August 31, 2026. The median sale price rose 14.7% to $327,500. But the median days on market was 40, and fewer homes sold above list than a year before. Buyers had more to choose from here, and they used that time.

Tafton (18464): more sales, but pricing required more care

Tafton saw real activity. The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 13 homes sold, up 18.2% from a year before, and pending sales jumped 50% to 18. But the median sale price slipped 7% to $415,000. The sale-to-list ratio dropped 11 points to 94%. That tells me buyers were negotiating harder when they felt a home was priced above the market. Homes that were priced well still moved: the median was just 20 days on market, 26 days faster than a year ago.

Lackawaxen (18435): more sellers, more buyers, longer wait

Lackawaxen had a big jump in activity. The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 20 homes sold, up 81.8% from a year before. New listings rose 47.1% to 25. But the median days on market stretched to 48, which was 19 days longer than last year. The median sale price came in at $374,500, down 8.7%. No home in Lackawaxen sold above list price in this period. That is a sign that buyers there had room to negotiate, and they used it.

Paupack (18451) and Lakeville (18438): smaller markets, worth watching

These two ZIP codes are smaller, so year-over-year comparisons are not available from the Real Estate Data Aggregator. But the numbers for the three months ending August 31, 2026 are worth noting.

In Paupack, the Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 6 homes sold at a median of $742,500. That is the highest median price in the region. Homes sat at a median of 18 days. A third of homes, 33.3%, went under contract within two weeks of listing. No home sold above list price, and the average sale-to-list ratio was 94.3%. At this price point, buyers do their homework.

In Lakeville, the Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 8 homes sold at a median of $412,000. The median days on market was just 12, the fastest in the region. Sellers got 99.3% of list price on average. A small market, but a sharp one.

What this means if you are selling

Nationally, Realtor.com reported that price cuts hit 20.8% of listings in September 2026. That is a real signal. Buyers have options, and they know it. In most of the Lake Region, sellers who priced well still found buyers. But in places like Lackawaxen and Tafton, coming in too high cost sellers money at the table.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency reported that U.S. home prices rose just 0.3% from July to August 2026, seasonally adjusted. The market is not racing ahead. Pricing to where the market actually is, not where you hope it will be, matters more right now.

What this means if you are buying

You have more inventory to look at than buyers did a year ago. That is real. But well-priced homes in Hawley, Greentown, and Lakeville were still moving in under three weeks. If you find something that fits, do not assume it will wait. The right home at the right price still attracts competition here.

These numbers cover whole ZIP codes, and that can smooth over a lot of variation. A neighborhood near the water, a community with lake rights, a road with a mix of year-round and seasonal homes: each one can tell a different story than the ZIP code average. If you want to know what the numbers look like for your specific street or community, that is a conversation worth having.