By Lindsay Hart, REALTOR®
All six counties around Tompkins gained value per square foot this year. Tompkins itself didn’t.
Yesterday I showed that Tompkins County home values are flat this year. Price per square foot was $209 in 2025 and $208 in 2026.
So I ran the same numbers for the six counties that border Tompkins: Cayuga, Cortland, Chemung, Seneca, Schuyler and Tioga. The story there is different. Ithaca paused, but the counties around it kept climbing.
| Six surrounding counties | 2025 | 2026 | Change |
| Homes sold | 1,595 | 1,568 | −1.7% |
| Median sale price | $189,900 | $207,210 | +9.1% |
| Median price per sq ft | $121 | $132 | +9.1% |
| Median days to contract | 15 | 18 | A little slower |
Single-family and condo sales, January 1 – October 12 of each year.
In Tompkins, the median fell while value per square foot held. Around it, both rose about 9%. That’s not homes getting bigger; it’s buyers paying more for the same house.
If you own a home in Auburn, Cortland, Horseheads, Watkins Glen, Seneca Falls or Owego, you’ve probably gained equity this year, even if you haven’t heard about it.
Cortland County: the hottest market in the region
| Cortland | 2025 | 2026 |
| Median sale price | $190,000 | **$225,000 (+18%)** |
| Price per sq ft | $131 | **$154 (+18%)** |
| Median days to contract | 12 | 8.5 |
| Under contract within a week | 37% | 47% |
Cortland is the fastest market in the region. Homes there are selling faster than last year, and nearly half go under contract within a week.
- Cortlandville: median up from $217,750 to $260,000, with sales up from 44 to 66
- Homer: $200,000 → $244,000
- City of Cortland: median up to $190,000, at 6 days on market
Cortland is a short drive up Route 13 or I-81 from Ithaca, and it’s priced about $50 per square foot below Tompkins. Buyers have clearly noticed.
Cayuga County: more sales, higher prices, more patient buyers
| Cayuga | 2025 | 2026 |
| Homes sold | 414 | 439 (+6%) |
| Median sale price | $216,450 | **$235,000 (+9%)** |
| Price per sq ft | $138 | $143 (+4%) |
| Median days to contract | 13 | 19 |
Cayuga is one of only two counties in the region where more homes sold this year (Seneca is the other). It also has 126 homes under contract right now, more than any other county in the region, including Tompkins.
- Auburn: the median rose from about $162,700 to $180,000.
- Owasco, on the lake: the median jumped from $267,000 to $325,000, and price per square foot rose from $169 to $190.
The catch: 136 Cayuga listings expired this year, with a median asking price of **$284,900**. That’s about $50,000 above what the typical home sold for. Buyers are paying more, but not whatever a seller asks.
Chemung County: the busiest market, and a split one
| Chemung | 2025 | 2026 |
| Homes sold | 573 | 542 (−5%) |
| Median sale price | $163,000 | $168,250 (+3%) |
| Price per sq ft | $107 | **$116 (+8%)** |
| Median days to contract | 16 | 22 |
Chemung sold more homes than any county in the region, Tompkins included. And it’s really two markets:
- Gaining: price per square foot rose in Southport ($99 → $120), Horseheads ($123 → $137), and Elmira-Town ($111 → $121).
- Flat: the City of Elmira held at about $75 per square foot, with homes taking a median of 32 days to sell.
Chemung also had the most expired listings (184). But here, the median expired listing was priced at $151,950, below the typical sale price. That suggests many of Chemung’s expired listings struggled for reasons beyond price, such as condition, financing, or location.
Schuyler County: the lake is pulling prices up
| Schuyler | 2025 | 2026 |
| Median sale price | $262,750 | **$282,500 (+8%)** |
| Price per sq ft | $143 | $155 (+8%) |
| Sales over $500,000 | 15 | 26 |
Schuyler is small, but this year it had the biggest jump in high-end sales of any surrounding county. Sales over $500,000 jumped from 15 to 26, driven by Seneca Lake and wine-trail properties in Hector, Reading and Tyrone. In the Town of Hector, price per square foot rose from $170 to $190.
Because Schuyler is small, a handful of lake sales can move these numbers a lot. The direction is still clear: buyers are paying up for the lake.
Seneca County: quietly steady
| Seneca | 2025 | 2026 |
| Homes sold | 178 | 188 (+6%) |
| Median sale price | $205,000 | $206,000 |
| Price per sq ft | $128 | $135 (+5%) |
| Median days to contract | 11 | 14 |
Seneca doesn’t make headlines, but it’s one of the steadiest markets in the region, with more sales, firmer values, and quick sales.
- Seneca Falls: homes sold in a median of just 8 days.
- Waterloo: the median rose from $150,000 to $175,000.
Tioga County: higher prices, far fewer sales
| Tioga | 2025 | 2026 |
| Homes sold | 97 | 71 (−27%) |
| Median sale price | $193,795 | $226,000 |
| Price per sq ft | $114 | $122 (+7%) |
Tioga is the outlier. Prices per square foot are up, but sales fell more than a quarter, mostly because fewer homes under $200,000 changed hands. Only 23 Tioga homes are under contract right now. In a market this small, a few sales move the numbers a lot, so Tioga’s “gains” deserve some caution.
The big picture
| County | Price per sq ft, 2025 → 2026 | The year in a word |
| Cortland | $131 → $154 | Hot |
| Schuyler | $143 → $155 | Lake-driven |
| Chemung | $107 → $116 | Split |
| Tioga | $114 → $122 | Thin |
| Seneca | $128 → $135 | Steady |
| Cayuga | $138 → $143 | Growing |
| Tompkins (for comparison) | $209 → $208 | Flat |
All six counties around Tompkins gained value per square foot this year. Tompkins itself didn’t.
What this means for you
If you own a home outside Tompkins County:
Your home may be worth noticeably more than it was a year ago, especially in Cortland County, around the lakes, or in the stronger Chemung towns. Check your numbers before assuming last year’s value still applies.
If you’re buying and Ithaca feels out of reach:
You’re not alone, and rising prices next door suggest other buyers are thinking the same way. The surrounding counties still cost far less per square foot than Tompkins, but that gap is closing. Waiting is getting more expensive.
If you’re selling anywhere in the region:
Rising prices don’t mean any price works. In Cayuga, Chemung and Seneca, homes are taking a few more days to sell than last year. And in Cayuga and Seneca, the listings that expired were priced well above what homes really sold for. Price to the market your home is in, not the one you hope for.
Want to know what your home did this year? County numbers tell the story of a region. Your home’s story depends on its town, size and condition. We’ll run the numbers for your property, no pressure and no obligation, so you know exactly where you stand.
Contact@HartandHomes.com HartandHomes.com
Hart & Homes at RE/MAX In Motion
Serving Ithaca, Trumansburg, and the Finger Lakes
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