Most real estate markets across the country have slowed. Inventory has loosened. Days on market have stretched. Buyers have more room to negotiate. But in Wayne, New Jersey, none of that is true, and Artur Tyszka, co-lead of the Tyszka Team at their Wayne-based office, has a front-row seat to why.
Offers in Wayne are routinely coming in $150,000 to $200,000 above asking price – and buyers are still uncertain whether that will be enough to win. “That’s where we are in Wayne,” Tyszka says.
While most of the country has seen buyer activity ease, Wayne’s market has held firm – and the reasons are structural, not speculative. Wayne sits in a pocket of Northern New Jersey that combines top-ranked schools, direct access to New York City, and a critical shortage of available homes. Those three factors together have kept competition intense even as demand has softened elsewhere.
The $700,000 to $1,000,000 price range draws first-time buyers, downsizers, upsizers, and second-home buyers all competing for the same limited pool. “Especially if a house is nicely renovated and priced competitively, it happens fast,” Tyszka says.
That competitive reality has changed how buyers approach offers. Tyszka, who has been active in the Wayne market for over a decade alongside his mother and business partner, says buyers who once tested lower numbers to gauge seller flexibility are now leading with their strongest offer from the start.
“A buyer used to take a couple of tries to understand that asking price wasn’t going to cut it,” he says. “Now I’m seeing buyers go $200,000 over on their first offer. The market has educated people.”
With inventory so tight, finding available homes has become as important as winning them. The Tyszka Team uses circle prospecting, direct mail, door-knocking, and a wide agent network to surface off-market opportunities before they are publicly listed. When a listing agent is sorting through fifteen or twenty offers, familiarity with the buyer’s representative can be a deciding factor. “Relationships carry real weight in this market,” Tyszka says.
Beyond price, the composition of an offer signals a buyer’s seriousness. Deposit size, financing terms, cash availability, and willingness to cover an appraisal gap – the difference between the offer price and the bank’s appraised value – tell a seller’s agent as much about a buyer’s reliability as the number itself.
Looking ahead, Tyszka does not expect prices to fall sharply. Once more inventory enters the market, he expects prices to level off rather than decline. A true correction, he says, would require an external shock on the scale of the COVID-19 pandemic. His read on the current cycle: another two to three years of sustained competition before conditions begin to normalize.
For buyers and investors considering Wayne in 2026, the market rewards preparation. Knowing the area, building relationships with local agents, and structuring offers carefully matter as much as the number on the page.
About the Tyszka Team: The Tyszka Team is a family-run real estate group based in Wayne, New Jersey, serving buyers and sellers across Wayne and Pompton Lakes. Led by Artur Tyszka alongside his mother and fellow team members, the group brings over a decade of local market experience to every transaction. Learn more at tyszkaproperties.com.
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