28,000 Buyers Left NYC. Here's Where 3 Neighborhoods Held On

New York lost more prospective buyers to other states than any other metro in the country last quarter. Roughly 28,000 more people searched for ways to leave the city than to move in, according to Redfin. This has narrowed from 46,000 since 2022, and New York still sits at the top of the list.

Not every buyer priced out of one part of New York is leaving the city altogether. Many are simply resetting their expectations and searching for value in different neighborhoods. Seattle homebuyers search for listings in Washington Heights more than buyers from any other metro, per Redfin. Kalamazoo and Bloomington follow close behind.

That exodus story only covers half the picture. Buyers are leaving New York while finding new entry points within it at the same time. Those entry points sit at prices the citywide average hides.

Three neighborhoods show this pattern clearly. One sits in Manhattan. One sits in Queens. One sits on Staten Island. Each tells the same story about where the money is going, just in a different way. Mortgage rates easing off their peak explain part of the shift. Sellers holding onto old low rates explain the rest. Fewer of them are willing to list and trade up right now.

The Manhattan Neighborhood Seattle Can’t Stop Searching For

Daily life is easy here. Express subway access, Highbridge Park's green space, and NewYork-Presbyterian's Columbia campus for healthcare all sit nearby. Seattle sends more home searches to Washington Heights than any other metro in the country, per Redfin. Kalamazoo and Bloomington follow close behind.

Washington Heights sold at a median of $487,000 over the three months ending in May. That's up 26.4% from the year before. Price per square foot climbed 25.4% to $229 over the same stretch.

Homes now sell in 40 days, down sharply from 174 days a year earlier. New listings stay scarce, but the ones that do come up move fast.

The Queens Block With An Apt Calculation

Sunnyside sits fifteen minutes from Midtown on the 7 train. It still doesn’t look like a hot market with a median home price of $620,000, up 11.7% year over year. That sits well below the $742,274 median for Queen’s County overall. Price per square foot climbed 27.3% to $706, and homes now sell in 54 days instead of 71. 23 homes sold, up from 18 the year before.

Anyone browsing homes in NYC across these outer-borough blocks should compare at least three recent closings before signing an offer. One listing price doesn't tell the full story. Demand is outpacing the available inventory here. Buyers are racing to close before Long Island City's condo prices push further east. Sunnyside Gardens still runs one of only two private parks in New York City. It's a leftover from a 1920s planned community, and that kind of history rarely survives redevelopment pressure.

Staten Island: The Borough That Keeps Getting Skipped

Staten Island still carries the "forgotten borough" label in NYC. But the numbers say something else. The median sale price hit $748,000 over the three months ending in May, according to Redfin. That's up 3.2% year over year and $128,000 below the citywide median. Price per square foot climbed 2.6% to $456, still roughly half of what buyers pay in most of Brooklyn.

Families priced out of Bay Ridge and Park Slope are crossing the Verrazano for this borough. They're after driveways and backyards that they cannot find anywhere else in the city. The free ferry ride into Lower Manhattan still runs 24 hours a day. Fewer buyers compete for space here, and that alone keeps prices lower than most of New York City.

The Next Move Won’t Wait For a Headline

All three neighborhoods share one trait. Inventory remains limited even as buyer interest persists. Fewer new listings mean fewer choices for buyers. Well-priced homes continue to move relatively quickly despite a slower citywide market.

Mortgage rates have eased to 6.43%, down from 6.67% a year ago, according to Freddie Mac. Lower borrowing costs are helping bring some sidelined buyers back into the market. Nationally, 19.1% of house hunters searched to relocate last quarter, per Redfin. That's the highest share on record, up from 18.9% the previous year.

Citywide, homes now sit on the market for 78 days before selling, up from 67 days last year. Buyers have more time to weigh their options than they did a year ago, while desirable neighborhoods continue to attract steady demand.

Washington Heights, Sunnyside, and Staten Island each offer a different kind of value. All three remain more affordable than many of the city's most competitive neighborhoods. The best opportunities in New York don't always come with the loudest headlines. Right now, they may be hiding in the neighborhoods that buyers have only just begun to notice.