Don’t Judge a Book by Its Cover: Louise Phillips Forbes Unwraps the Year Ahead
By Louise Phillips Forbes, Brown Harris Stevens
As the new year unfolds, the housing market is already signaling change, quietly defying the surface noise around interest rates, politics, and policy shifts. Louise Phillips Forbes, a top-producing agent at Brown Harris Stevens with 34 years of experience and nearly $6 billion in sales, expects 2026 to favor informed buyers and sellers who act decisively as new opportunities take shape.
Here, she breaks down predictions that underscore a housing market that is far more resilient and adaptive than headlines might suggest.
MANHATTAN
Buyers will not wait: Despite lingering optimism around rate cuts, and even amid a 43-day government shutdown and a contentious local election, December saw multiple bids across sectors. This backlog of impatient, highly-educated buyers will fuel Q1 2026 activity and create a ripple effect of support for the Mayor-elect and recent housing charter amendments.
Price precision unlocks demand: From modest to the highest-end, properties are moving in single-digit days when priced correctly. Even those requiring full-gut renovations are attracting immediate action.
Messaging shift: The new administration’s tempered tone is resonating with the business community and sending early signals of renewed confidence in the City’s long-term trajectory.
Unintended impact: The FARE Act is driving rental demand and prices higher, even in co-ops. Sellers who are not reaching their number are pivoting to rentals to buy time and, in some cases, benefit from the tax advantages that come as an investment property. This factor will continue to manifest bids under $2 million throughout the City.
TRI-STATE AREA
The gridlock is real: Inventory across New Jersey, Westchester, and Connecticut is tight, and owners are simply not listing or taking advantage of returning to the City while still on discount and seizing multiple bids on their suburban homes.
NATIONAL
The American Dream is alive: Even with the ongoing noise around rates, politics, and economic uncertainty, buyers have adapted and view real estate as the best way to diversify their assets.
AI is the new frontier: Just as the internet reshaped markets two decades ago, AI is poised to transform housing, finance, labor, and consumer behaviors. Major companies are committing billions of dollars to OpenAI partnerships, and we’re on the edge of something big.
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