Sussex County Housing Market: What the April 2026 Numbers Actually Mean

What's Happening With Rates and the Economy

Spring 2026 did not deliver the rate relief that buyers and sellers in Sussex County had been waiting for. The Iran conflict, Operation Epic Fury, began February 28, pushed oil prices up, reignited inflation, and kept the Federal Reserve from moving. The 30-year fixed mortgage is sitting at 6.36% right now. New Jersey home sales are about 3% below last year's pace through April.

April itself was better than the prior months statewide, up 8.5% in contract sales over the same month last year. But one month does not reverse a trend. Inventory across New Jersey has climbed 39% since January and now exceeds 18,000 homes. The hardest-hit segment is homes under $400,000, where sales fell 11% year over year. That is the price range where affordability pressure hits first, and it matters in Sussex County.

Sussex County is not in retreat, but it is not surging either. The April data shows a county that is holding its position while the broader market finds its footing.

The Sussex County Numbers at a Glance

The county posted 198 homes under contract in April against 314 new listings. There are 465 homes on the market right now. At the current pace, it would take about ten weeks to sell through all of them. A year ago it was also about ten weeks, so the market has not shifted dramatically in either direction year over year.

April 2025 had 189 contracts and 430 unsold homes. This April, Sussex County had 198 contracts and 465 unsold. A slight improvement on the sales side, a modest increase on the inventory side. The market is moving in a consistent channel.

The seller:buyer ratio holds at 2:1 across the composite, consistent with where it has been for most of the past year.

At the street level, April felt steady, not stuck. Buyers have mostly stopped waiting for a dramatic rate drop; they've accepted 6.36% as the number they're working with and are focused on finding the right house at a price that makes the payment work. The bigger shift is on the seller side. The ones who price to today's market are getting real activity in the first two weeks. The ones still anchored to a 2022 number are sitting and watching sharper-priced listings pass them by. Realistic pricing is doing more work in this market than anything else. 

Which Towns Are Moving and Which Ones Aren't

Vernon Township is the county's biggest market by volume, and in April it had 39 homes go under contract against 66 new listings. There are 126 homes available right now. At the current pace, it would take about thirteen weeks to sell through all of them. Vernon's lake and vacation properties carry natural seasonality, but sellers there are competing for buyers right now, not the other way around.

Hopatcong Borough had 27 contracts in April on 46 new listings, with 54 homes on the market. At that pace, about eight weeks of inventory. Hopatcong is tracking slightly better than Vernon on balance.

Sparta Township also had 27 contracts in April on 38 new listings, 54 homes available, and about eight weeks of inventory. Sparta tends to attract more traditional move-up buyers, and the absorption rate reflects that.

Hardyston Township had 11 contracts on 23 new listings in April. There are 40 homes available and it would take about fifteen weeks to work through them at the current pace. That is the softest read in the county in April. If you are a buyer who wants room to negotiate, Hardyston is worth a look right now.

Newton Town had 7 contracts on 16 new listings, 19 homes available, and about eleven weeks of supply. Wantage Township was the tightest market in April, 15 contracts on 18 new listings, only 23 homes available, and about six weeks of supply. Wantage is moving.

Wantage Township produced 15 contract sales on 18 new offerings (83% demand ratio), the tightest supply-demand relationship of the major sub-markets in April. Unsold inventory is 23 homes and months supply is 1.5. Wantage is moving.

Byram Township had 8 contracts, 17 listings, 17 homes available, and about nine weeks of supply. Andover Township was a standout in April. There were 10 contracts but only 6 new listings, meaning buyers absorbed more homes than came on the market. Only 12 homes are available and it would take about five weeks to sell through them.

Frankford Township had 4 contracts on 7 new listings, 11 available, about eleven weeks of supply. Franklin Borough had only 3 contracts on 8 new listings, 9 available, and about twelve weeks of supply. Franklin is one of the softer spots in the county right now. 

Hardyston and Franklin are softer for a structural reason, not a demand collapse. Both lean on lower price points and more rural lots that take longer to match with the right buyer in any market, and at today's rates that matching takes longer still. There's nothing alarming in the numbers, just thinner buyer pools meeting more inventory. Vernon is its own animal. The lake and vacation inventory always builds into spring and works off through the summer as second-home and seasonal buyers come in, so I read its 3.2 months supply as seasonal, not a warning sign. I'd expect that supply to tighten over the next few months. 

What This Means for Buyers and Sellers Right Now

Sussex County is functioning but not surging. The inventory has grown from 316 homes in January to 465 in April, a 47% increase in four months. Sales are keeping pace at roughly the same rate as last year. If inventory keeps building without a matching increase in buyer activity, the balance will shift further toward buyers.

The rate environment is the key variable. At 6.36%, a meaningful number of buyers cannot qualify for the homes they want at the prices sellers expect. That equation changes if rates come down. When it does, Sussex County's relative value compared to northern New Jersey markets is a real advantage. It tends to attract buyers who have been priced out of Morris and Bergen.

What I'm telling sellers is simple: don't wait for rates to rescue your price. If you want to sell in 2026, the strongest window is now, while inventory is still manageable and you're not competing against a summer flood of listings. Price to today's market and it moves. For buyers on the fence, this is the most negotiating room you'll have for a while. The second rates ease, Sussex County's value relative to Morris and Bergen pulls buyers back in fast, and that room disappears. Whichever side you're on, the play is to act on today's market, not the one you're hoping shows up later this year. 

Data source: HousingTRAC Monthly, Otteau Group Inc., April 2026. Contract sales reflect pending (not yet closed) transactions.