2026 home sales: Inside 6 of the first sales of the year

"Right after the holidays, I've seen a bunch of people say, 'Hey, 2026 is going to be my year — I want to make a move,' " said Michael Pascullo, of Douglas Elliman Real Estate, based in Syosset.

The end of 2025 saw a median sale price for single-family homes in Nassau County reach $840,000, with an all-time high of $725,000 in Suffolk, according to OneKey MLS data. The holiday season tends to be slower for buying and selling, with contracts signed in the fall leading to closings in the new year — and local real estate experts predict another competitive year ahead.

Some Long Islanders have sealed the deal at the top of the new year, closing on homes in Nassau and Suffolk throughout early January. Here's a deep dive into six of those sales, as told by the listing agents.

A Syosset standout

This three-bedroom, three-bathroom split-level in Syosset closed for $1.115 million. The taxes were listed as $20,661.

The house hit the market last September. Pascullo, who was the listing agent, said the sellers were concerned about getting eyes on their property in the fall, right in between the back-to-school frenzy and holiday season.

So, Pascullo called upon his contacts in the area. The open house garnered about 15 couples, he said.

"We were able to create some really good demand," he said.

The house was listed for $1.099 million. It went into contract within six days, Pascullo said: "It's rare that we do it that quickly."

There will always be some house hunters on the move, no matter what time of year it is, Pascullo said. The major selling point of this one was its extension, which included an expanded kitchen and extra bathroom. These features "create tremendous value" for a buyer, Pascullo said.

"Sometimes people will have extended family that need to stay with them for a little while, or maybe they have more kids, so they have that extra extension to be able to do things," he said.

The lot was also a bit oversized compared to a typical property in Syosset, Pascullo added, spanning around 9,000 square feet. The house itself totals 2,000 square feet.

Standout features include a gas fireplace, a primary suite with a walk-in closet and balcony, an attached two-car garage and a finished basement. The property is in the Syosset Central School District.

"I think the neighborhood in general and the way they kept up on the house was the biggest allure to people," Pascullo said.

Oyster Bay history

This Queen Anne Victorian was full of old-fashioned charm, its listing agent said, ultimately closing for $1.175 million.

The four-bed, two-bath home in Oyster Bay was built in 1910. It was listed last May for $1.45 million. There were plenty of showings and the open houses were busy, said listing agent Margaret Burkett, of Signature Premier Properties.

"But because it's a specific type of house, being older and designed in the early part of the last century, I felt like living-wise, it didn't work for a lot of people," she said.

In addition to its age, the house was last updated more than five years ago, "so I think that made it take longer," Burkett added.

Wood shutters and cedar siding adorn the facade, encompassed by a wrap-around porch. There is also a detached garage with a loft space, fashioned with a barn door. The three-story house is in the Oyster Bay-East Norwich Central School District. Taxes were listed as $17,921.

The house totals 2,826 square feet, and sits on a 0.32-acre lot.

"A lot of today's buyers are fearful of older homes, for obvious reasons," said Burkett, who has worked in historic preservation on Long Island. "But I think a lot of older homes are made better than a lot of homes that have been made in the last 50 years."

And for the right buyers, the house was perfect.

"They just fell in love with it," she said. "That was the dream house; that's what they were looking for. And they appreciated a house like that."

A backyard canal in Freeport

"This house was solid," said Dean Graber, of Keller Williams Realty Landmark. His listing in Freeport closed for $807,000, after hitting the market in September. The high ranch was built in 1999.

"It was built so well, it had great curb appeal and there was a canal in the back," the agent said. The house contains four bedrooms and 2½ bathrooms, with 2,123 square feet of living space. The taxes were listed as $13,720.

Graber held an open house during the first weekend on the market, and the buyer was found among the 12 to 14 groups that came in, he said. The house had been listed for $799,000.

Notable features include two gas fireplaces, 45 feet of bulkhead, a full finished basement and a one-of-a-kind garage.

"It's a two-car garage and when you walk into the house, one side is a regular garage and the other side of it, he had a sauna and a Jacuzzi," Graber said.

Inside, vaulted ceilings and large windows provided picturesque waterfront views. The house is in the Freeport Public School District.

"It was on a dead-end street, a couple blocks from the Nautical Mile," Graber said. "If you're a boater, this is just a wonderful home."

A Centerport Colonial

When listing agent Cynthia Awan first put this Centerport Colonial on the market in September, she said more than 100 people came to look at the house in the first weekend.

"We knew it was a very strong contender," the Compass agent said. The house was listed for nearly $750,000, with taxes of $14,775. It is in the Harborfields Central School District.

The house stayed on the market "longer than we really expected," Awan added.

"It was a lot of first-time homebuyers; those were predominantly the buyers that came," she said. "This house did need a significant amount of work, and it was priced accordingly."

There was a price reduction in November, to nearly $720,000. The house contains four bedrooms and three bathrooms, totaling 2,126 square feet. Some early records show 1947 as its construction date, Awan said, but she believes the property dates back even further.

All three bathrooms needed to be redone, along with some tree work around the property that would require permits. "That was a deterrent," Awan said.

But the spacious open-floor plan, flat 0.35-acre property and dramatic entryway with double-height ceilings were highlights that prospective buyers loved, she said. In the end, Awan and her motivated seller found a cash buyer and closed for $665,000.

"Long Island still has a very high demand," Awan said. "To have over 100 people at the first open house — that was a significant amount of people coming in and out."

A Port Washington classic

When listing agent Heidi Karagianis first met with these sellers, she fell in love with their home right away.

"It was one of those quintessential Port Washington houses," said Karagianis, who works for Daniel Gale Sotheby's International Realty.

The four-bed, three-bath Colonial was listed in September for $2.05 million, with taxes of $29,095. It closed for $2.315 million.

With this house, the homeowner receives membership eligibility to the Port Washington Estates beach, which also includes mooring rights.

"The property is fantastic; it has this great pool and a whole side yard," Karagianis said. "That's very rare. Usually Port Washington isn't known for their large properties, unless you're in Sands Point."

With some updates and decluttering, the agent knew it would be just a matter of time.

"I knew if I took down some of wallpaper, made it more digestible and took out some of the additional furniture that wasn't needed, then it would go really quickly, because it would be more of a blank canvas for buyers to walk in and fall in love with the space," Karagianis said.

They had 60 showings in its first week on the market, leading to eight offers, she said.

Located in the Port Washington Union Free School District, the house includes gas and wood burning fireplaces, an attached two-car garage and a full finished basement.

When it came to the pricing and changes to the interior of the home, the sellers remained open-minded, Karagianis said.

"The sellers were just incredible, and really trusting the strategy made the difference," she added.

Renovated ranch in East Northport

This East Northport ranch closed for $630,000 after undergoing a gut renovation, said listing agent Alexander Clanton, of Signature Premier Properties.

"It was a fixer-upper," he said. "It needed a lot of work."

The house features three bedrooms and one bathroom, encompassing 1,100 square feet. It was listed in October for $600,000. At that time, "in East Northport there was not that much on the market around that price point," Clanton said.

The open house and private appointments garnered between 70 and 80 showings in just three days, the agent added.

The renovation included updates to the roof, central air conditioning system and finished, full basement. But it was the finer details that stood out to potential buyers, such as the custom wainscoting and woodwork around the living room, which "made the house look much more elegant," Clanton said.

The house sits on a 0.12-acre corner lot, in the Northport-East Northport Union Free School District. Taxes were listed as $7,134. Other standout details include a wood-burning fireplace and an open-concept kitchen.

"Everything was done to the nines," said Clanton. "It was a beautiful house, once they finished it up."