A lot of market talk feels abstract, so here’s a more straightforward way to look at what’s happened in Highlands over time, using actual dollar ranges and a longer view.
The chart below shows estimated home prices in the Highlands area from 1990 through 2025, scaled using long-term regional housing data and anchored to today’s market. Right now, a typical home in Highlands is selling in the mid-$500,000 range, depending on location, condition, and property type.
How Prices Have Changed Over Time
- Early 1990s: Homes in the Highlands area were commonly selling in the $150,000–$175,000 range.
- Early 2000s: By around 2000, typical values had moved closer to $225,000–$250,000.
- Mid-2000s peak: Prices climbed rapidly, reaching roughly $400,000–$425,000 before the housing downturn.
- Post-crash period (2009–2012): Values pulled back and settled closer to the low-$300,000s for several years.
- Mid-2010s: Prices began rising again more steadily, moving into the mid-$300,000s to low-$400,000s.
- 2020–2022: Values increased faster, pushing typical prices into the $500,000+ range.
- 2024–2025: Recent sales and listings suggest most homes are now clustering around $550,000–$600,000, with condos sometimes lower and larger or waterfront homes well above that.
What This Tells Us
The main takeaway isn’t that prices always go up in a straight line — they don’t. Highlands has seen periods where prices jumped quickly, times when they dropped, and years where they barely moved at all.
What does show up clearly is that the market moves in cycles, and today’s prices sit well above where things were even 10 or 15 years ago.
Why This Context Matters
Short-term market updates can make things feel uncertain, especially when inventory or interest rates change. Looking at longer-term numbers helps show that adjustments are a normal part of the process.
Every home is different, and these figures are meant to give general context, not describe the value of any specific property.
This post is just meant to share where things have been and where they roughly stand now, using real numbers instead of headlines. More local market updates will follow as new data comes in.
Dean Cramer is a local real estate agent in Highlands, NJ. This post is shared for general market context only.