Is Now a Good Time to Sell a Home in New Orleans or on the Northshore in 2026?
June 2026 MLS data across Orleans Parish and St. Tammany Parish shows which market gives sellers more leverage right now and what your price point has to do with it.
If you own a home in New Orleans or on the Northshore and you have been watching the market trying to figure out whether now is the right time to sell, July 2026 provides the most encouraging data we have seen in over a year.
Here is what the numbers actually show.
The Two Markets Side by Side
Two things stand out.
The Northshore is the tighter market. 4.0 months of inventory puts St. Tammany firmly in seller’s market territory. Orleans Parish at 5.9 months sits just inside balanced. Both markets favor sellers right now but to different degrees.
The price per square foot gap is real eye opener. Sellers in Orleans Parish are closing at $206 per square foot versus $177 on the Northshore. New Orleans commands a roughly 16 percent premium per square foot. That has held consistently through the spring selling season.
Orleans Parish | What Sellers Need to Know by Price Tier
The parish-wide 5.9 months of inventory is useful context. It does not tell you what your specific home is worth or how long it will take to sell. The price tier breakdown does.
(Note on $800K-$1M: 13 closed sales is thin. Three fewer closings pushes MOI from 4.2 to 5.4. I would use this interpret the broader trend and not to use for negotiating.)
Under $300K
The most supply-heavy tier in Orleans Parish at 6.8 months and 50 days median DOM. Sellers here will wait longer than any other price point before finding a buyer. The direction is improving. Last month this tier sat at 8.7 months. The trend is moving your way but patience is still required. I recommend under pricing the market. Remember do you want the market to chase you or do you want to chase the market?
$300K to $500K
The most efficient tier in the city right now. 6.2 months of inventory and 24 days median DOM. Well-prepared homes are closing in under a month. This is where the market feels most functional and sellers in this range have a reasonable window to transact without excessive waiting.
$500K to $800K
The market shifts in your favor here. 5.5 months of inventory and 16 days median DOM. Buyers at this price point are decisive. Sellers with well-prepared homes are not waiting long.
Above $800K
This is where Orleans Parish does something unusual. Luxury is moving faster than entry level. The $1M+ tier sits at 3.4 months of inventory closing in 22 days. The $800K-$1M tier is at 4.2 months with 26 days median DOM. Flag that as directional given only 13 closed sales but the pattern is consistent with May.
New Orleans luxury is in a seller’s market. If you own above $800K in Orleans Parish the June data is working in your favor.
Three Months of Direction for Orleans Parish Sellers
Active inventory dropping every month. Closed sales climbing every month. MOI compressing from 8.2 to 5.9 in 90 days. Median price per square foot at its highest point of the spring.
Three months ago Orleans Parish was a buyer’s market. It is not anymore.
St. Tammany Parish | What Sellers Need to Know by City
Four of five cities are tightening or holding tight. One is softening. Which city you are in determines how much leverage you have right now.
Madisonville closed sales are thin at 12 transactions. Treat as directional.
Covington
3.8 months of inventory and 30 days median DOM. Inventory has compressed every month since March when it sat at 4.1. The volume leader on the Northshore with 92 closed sales in June. Well-positioned homes here are clearing in a month.
Mandeville
The strongest seller’s market on the Northshore. 2.6 months of inventory and 16 days median DOM. After loosening slightly in May the market snapped back in June with 70 closed sales. Mandeville has been the tightest market in this report for three consecutive months. If you own here the data is as favorable as it gets in this rate environment.
Slidell
The one market moving in the other direction. MOI has climbed from 4.8 in March to 5.7 now. Still a seller’s market but softening. Sellers in Slidell have more competition than they did 90 days ago and the timeline numbers reflect it.
Abita Springs
The surprise of the month. MOI dropped from 5.7 in May to 3.3 in June on 34 closed sales. That is a meaningful single month move with a sample size large enough to take seriously. Sellers in Abita Springs are in a better position this month than they were in May.
Madisonville
12 closed sales makes this month directional only. MOI at 2.8 would make it one of the tightest markets in the report but the sample is too thin to lean on. Worth watching as volume builds in July.
Which Market Gives Sellers More Leverage Right Now
At the parish level the Northshore wins on MOI. 4.0 months versus 5.9 months.
But the story gets more nuanced at the price point level.
Above $800K, New Orleans is the stronger seller’s market. Orleans Parish luxury is closing faster than Northshore luxury right now. The $1M+ tier in Orleans Parish sits at 3.4 months closing in 22 days. The Northshore $1M+ tier sits at 6.6 months.
Between $300K and $800K both markets are competitive. Mandeville at 2.6 months is the best seller’s market in either parish at that price point.
Under $300K the Northshore is clearly stronger. Slidell at 5.7 months is softer than other Northshore cities but still tighter than Orleans Parish entry level at 6.8 months.
What to Watch in July
Three data points worth tracking.
Whether Orleans Parish entry level continues improving. It dropped from 8.7 to 6.8 months in one month. If it crosses below 6.0 in July the seller’s position at that price point changes significantly.
Whether Mandeville holds below 3.0 months of inventory for a third straight month. If it does that is a durable trend.
Whether Abita Springs holds its June tightening or reverts toward May’s softer numbers. One month is interesting. Two months confirms a shift.
Every month I pull this data for both parishes so you do not have to guess about what the market is doing.
If you are thinking about listing in the next 90 days, which market are you in?
Philip Ewbank Realtor Keller Williams Realty New Orleans 8601 Leake Ave, New Orleans, LA 70118 C: 504.335.7481 | O: 504.862.0100 philip.ewbank@kw.com Each office independently owned & operated. Licensed in the state of Louisiana. License #0995700196