By Mike Lentz | The Mike Lentz Team - Keller Williams Realty
Mostly, yes. Home prices across Camden, Burlington, Gloucester, Salem, and Cumberland counties are climbing at a steadier single-digit pace, and mortgage rates have held in a narrow band since 2023. Active inventory is still rebuilding from pandemic lows, which finally gives buyers real choice for the first time in years.
A recent survey from Talker Research asked Americans to pick one word to describe how 2026 has felt so far. The winner? Stressful. And honestly, there’s been a lot going on.
So it’s understandable if you’ve been putting off buying or selling a home until things settle down. But you may be waiting on something that’s already happened. While everything else has felt shaky, housing market stability has made the housing market one of the steadiest things out there. Look at the data.
Home Prices Have Leveled Out
After years of fast increases, data from the National Association of Realtors (NAR) shows home prices have been remarkably steady nationally for the past 4 years.
And experts say that’s what to expect going forward, too. As Selma Hepp, Chief Economist at Cotality, explains:
“In 2026, we expect home prices to remain broadly stable, with modest appreciation at a national level.”
No wild swings. Just slow, steady growth. That’s a healthy market. Of course, that pace can vary a bit depending on where you live. But nationally, steady growth like this makes it easier to plan your budget for buying or selling.
The local picture matches the national one. Median sale prices across the five South Jersey counties have flattened into single-digit annual growth since 2023, a much tighter band than the double-digit swings of 2020 to 2022 (see graph below):
In the most recent Bright MLS reports for July 2026, median sale prices across South Jersey posted single-digit annual growth: Camden up 7.5% to $387,000, Burlington up 5.3% to $437,000, Gloucester up under 1% to $400,000, and Cumberland up 5.3% to $289,500. No double-digit swings, no crashes.
When you know how to price your home to sell, that kind of steady appreciation helps you set realistic expectations from day one.
The Supply of Homes for Sale Reflects Housing Market Stability
For years, the supply of homes for sale was a moving target. It dropped fast during the pandemic and has been climbing back ever since. Nationally, Realtor.com data shows inventory has flattened out this year. South Jersey is running a different race. Active inventory across Camden, Burlington, Gloucester, and Salem counties has climbed from a low of about 2,000 homes in 2023 to roughly 3,600 today, still well short of the pre-pandemic norm near 7,000 in 2018 and 2019 (see graph below):
That rebuild changes what buying and selling feel like here. Buyers finally have real choice, more homes to walk through and more room to negotiate than they had in 2022 or 2023. Sellers face more competition than they did a year ago, which is exactly why pricing right on day one matters more than it did when almost anything sold in a weekend.
That shift shows up in the current market dynamics across our counties. We are not in a buyer’s market yet, but we are closer to balanced than we have been in years.
Mortgage Rates Found Their Range
Yes, rates jumped dramatically back in 2022. But since then, Freddie Mac data shows they’ve stayed between 6% and 7% for the better part of the last 3 or so years (see graph below):
Yes, there was one brief spike above that threshold. But overall, rates have stayed in that range for a while now. That predictability helps when you’re planning a move and contributes to overall housing market stability.
And now that this seems to be a longer-term trend, people have accepted it as the new normal. Buyers have gotten comfortable purchasing in that range. Sellers have gotten just as comfortable listing in it.
That comfort’s important because when both sides know what to expect, they keep making moves. The market isn’t frozen waiting for something to change. It’s moving calmly.
Locally, first-time buyers in our five counties are pairing that 6-7% range with NJHMFA down payment assistance, and move-up sellers are negotiating rate buydowns into their next contract to make the payment work.
What Housing Market Stability Means for You
The rest of the world may feel unpredictable right now, but the housing market doesn’t have to. Prices, inventory, and rates have all found solid ground.
For first-time buyers in Camden County or move-up sellers in Gloucester County, the current market gives you more solid ground than the last three years did. You can plan your budget around predictable mortgage rates. You can price your home knowing appreciation will be single-digit, not double. And you can search knowing inventory has finally come back enough that you actually have options to compare.
If stability is what you’ve been waiting for, it’s already here. The question isn’t whether the market will calm down. It’s whether you’re ready to take advantage of the calm that’s already arrived.
If you want to talk through what this means for your situation, schedule a quick call and we’ll walk through it together.
For the full picture in your county, see our county market reports for Camden, Burlington, Gloucester, Salem, and Cumberland counties.
