Navigating New York City’s real estate evolution

New York City’s housing inventory is shrinking as more homes are marketed privately to limited networks rather than listed publicly. The article argues that this reduces buyers’ access to options and may weaken competition, making an already difficult market less transparent.

StreetEasy reported 16,737 homes for sale in September 2026, down 4.9% from a year earlier and marking nine consecutive months of annual inventory declines. A survey found 90% of city buyers want to see every home on the market; cited research says privately sold homes fetch about 3.7% less than comparable public listings, while one in three sellers who listed privately regretted it, compared with 12% of public-listing sellers. The supplied article ends mid-sentence as it begins discussing a New York State legislative effort.