NJ Proper Unveils Research Results: How the Convenience Economy Is Changing What Homebuyers Expect in 2026

New Jersey Proper examines lasting shopping habits and the role of detailed digital presentations in luxury real estate

TENAFLY, N.J., Nov. 02, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Groceries ordered from the kitchen table. Children’s clothing purchased after bedtime. A car researched and bought from a laptop. The pandemic brought more everyday activities online, and recent shopping data show that digital purchasing continues to grow across several categories years later.

Jason Pierce, founder and team lead of New Jersey Proper, works with buyers and sellers at the top of Northern New Jersey’s residential market. His team ranked No. 1 among teams on the New Jersey Multiple Listing Service (NJMLS) by 2025 residential sales volume for homes priced at $3 million and above, as well as the $10 million-and-above segment, according to the team’s review of NJMLS data. ^[10]

That experience informs Pierce’s view that the ability to explore a property on demand has become an essential part of good service. Buyers should be able to understand how rooms connect, examine visible details and revisit the presentation with family when their schedules allow. In the luxury market, that can mean helping a buyer assess an unfamiliar town or a complex property before committing time to a showing.

The evidence extends well beyond the pandemic shopping surge. Brick Meets Click reported that U.S. households earning $200,000 or more nearly doubled their online grocery spending between December 2023 and December 2025. Its September 2026 survey also found that average order frequency among monthly online grocery shoppers rose 9% from a year earlier. These measures include pickup and shipping as well as delivery. ^{[1, 2]}

Other businesses reported continued online growth in their 2025 results. Home Depot’s online sales rose 10.4% on a comparable-week basis. Gap Inc., whose brands include Old Navy, Gap and Banana Republic, reported a 4% increase in online sales. Online vehicle retailer Carvana sold 596,641 retail vehicles, up 43% from 2024. ^{[3, 4, 5]}

These figures illustrate continued digital purchasing for products ranging from everyday essentials to substantial purchases. Pierce sees a common expectation: customers want useful information and the freedom to act on their own schedule.

Homebuyer research gives that interpretation a direct connection to real estate. In the National Association of REALTORS’ 2025 Home Buyers and Sellers Generational Trends Report, 79% of buyers who used the internet rated detailed property information very useful. Floor plans received that rating from 57%. ^[6]

Zillow’s 2026 Consumer Housing Trends Report found that 69% of buyers agreed that 3D tours help them get a better feel for a space than static photographs, compared with 52% in 2019. In a separate question, 52% said they had wasted time visiting properties they would have skipped if they had understood the floor plan beforehand. ^[7]

Those findings describe a practical opportunity for sellers. A thorough presentation can help prospective buyers recognize features that fit their needs and identify questions worth investigating. Buyers can return to a room, study the relationship between floors or share the property with someone who could not attend the showing.

Luxury research adds another dimension. Sotheby’s International Realty’s 2026 Mid-Year Luxury Outlook reported that 62% of the real estate professionals surveyed considered lifestyle an increasingly important factor for homebuyers. For Pierce, the implication is that marketing should help people understand how a home would function for them, including spaces for work, guests, recreation and daily living. ^[8]

A buyer testimonial on NJ Proper’s website describes a purchase completed more than three years ago. Describing the purchase of 766 Wooded Trail in Franklin Lakes, Harry Moumdjian wrote: “We looked through that tour many times between showings to get a feel for the home and what we could do with it.” The review credits the presentation with helping the buyers understand the property during their bidding process. ^[9]

The experience also illustrates how digital access can work alongside personal service. The buyers still attended showings, and the same review describes Pierce’s help researching a complex inspection issue. Nationally, NAR’s 2025 Generational Trends report found that 88% of buyers purchased through an agent or broker. ^{[6, 9]}

NJ Proper has made detailed property presentations part of its approach to representing homes throughout Bergen County and Northern New Jersey. The team also represented at least one party in each of the five highest-priced qualifying residential sales reported by NJMLS from August 23, 2023 through August 23, 2026, according to its published review. ^[10]

“We believe helping buyers understand the properties we represent has been an important contributor to our growth,” Pierce said. “We invest in that work because sellers deserve a presentation that explains their home, and buyers deserve the information to decide whether it could be right for them.”

Pierce considers that investment one part of a broader practice that includes property preparation, pricing, agent relationships and negotiation. The sales-volume ranking reflects the team’s work representing buyers and sellers. ^[10]

The centerpiece of NJ Proper’s media package is a comprehensive video tour with continuous walkthrough footage. A floor plan overlay shows which room is on screen and where it sits within the layout. Room labels and dimensions clarify each space, while captions explain features such as radiant heat and prewiring. Details about fixtures, appliances, windows and flooring are included when known. Aerial footage often adds context about the property and its setting.

Each property’s virtual tour page combines the video with HDR photography, floor plans and an interactive 3D Matterport tour. Seller disclosures and surveys are provided when available. The team has recently added information about the surrounding area and lifestyle to help buyers evaluate the location alongside the home.

Matterport lets viewers choose where to look and how long to spend there. The team says it does not virtually stage or cosmetically retouch its Matterport imagery; selected personal details may be blurred for privacy. Buyers can examine visible features as recorded at the time of scanning.

NJ Proper also creates original vertical videos for Instagram and Facebook and has recently begun producing separate content specifically for TikTok. These presentations are designed to introduce properties to viewers on each platform, while the detailed property pages give interested buyers information they can revisit as they consider a showing or compare homes.

About New Jersey Proper

New Jersey Proper represents buyers and sellers of residential property throughout Bergen County and Northern New Jersey. Its work combines property presentation, market analysis and transaction guidance. Explore current property presentations through the team’s active listings.

Sources and measurement notes

1. Brick Meets Click. December 2025 Grocery Shopper Survey results, published January 22, 2026. The $200K+ finding compares December spending in 2023 and 2025; it is national, not specific to Bergen County. Online grocery includes delivery, pickup and ship-to-home. Source

2. Brick Meets Click. September 2026 Grocery Shopping Survey, published October 21, 2026. Average orders per monthly active user rose 9% year over year. This is order frequency, not spending or delivery-only volume. Source

3. The Home Depot. Fiscal 2025 Form 10-K, page 29. Online sales grew 8.7% as reported and 10.4% on a comparable-week basis. Fiscal 2024 had 53 weeks. The online measure excludes HD Supply and SRS, including GMS. Source

4. Gap Inc. Fourth Quarter and Fiscal 2025 Results, full-year financial results. Companywide online sales increased 4% and represented 39% of net sales. The measure is not limited to children’s apparel or to the Gap brand. Source

5. Carvana. Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2025 Results, February 18, 2026. Retail vehicles sold reached 596,641, up 43% year over year. This is a company unit-sales measure, not growth of the entire online vehicle market. Source

6. National Association of REALTORS. 2025 Home Buyers and Sellers Generational Trends Report. Exhibit 3-6, printed page 56: detailed property information 79%, floor plans 57%, among buyers who used the internet. Chapter 4, page 59: 88% purchased through an agent or broker. Source

7. Zillow Research. Buyers Results from the Consumer Housing Trends Report 2026, October 14, 2026. Sections on digital floor plans and virtual or 3D tours. Agreement figures include somewhat or completely agree. National buyer findings are not luxury-only findings. Source

8. Sotheby’s International Realty. 2026 Mid-Year Luxury Outlook announcement, June 15, 2026. The 62% figure describes surveyed real estate professionals reporting the growing importance of lifestyle; it is not the percentage of buyers requesting digital tours. Source

9. New Jersey Proper. Jason Pierce page, 766 Wooded Trail testimonial attributed to Harry Moumdjian. Buyer describes repeat viewing between showings and help with an inspection issue. Pierce dates the transaction to more than three years before October 2026. An individual testimonial illustrates an experience and does not establish typical results. Source

10. New Jersey Proper. Rankings Awards and Record Sales. Team-published 2025 volume rankings at $3M+ and $10M+; representation of a party in each of the five highest qualifying residential sales from August 23, 2023 through August 23, 2026. NJMLS coverage and buyer/seller representation apply. These records do not isolate marketing’s effect. Source

MEDIA CONTACT

Jason Pierce
201-397-5888
jp@njproper.com

A video accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/fe942f72-f6c0-4f92-aa3d-667dc22a5d33