Fewer closings, nearly flat median prices, and lingering listings tell a more complicated story than “hot” or “cold.” For buyers and sellers, the useful answers are in the details. If you’re trying to figure out whether the Ithaca West Hill real estate market is moving quickly or slowing down, here’s the frustrating answer: you can … Continue reading Ithaca’s West Hill Has Two Speeds: Fast Sales and Longer Waits
Rooted in the Finger Lakes, with a curiosity that goes well beyond the closing table.
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 … Continue reading The Counties surrounding Tompkins tell a Different Real Estate Story.
If you've seen a headline this fall saying Tompkins County home prices are down, the number is real. The median sale price fell 7.6% this year, from $395,000 to $365,000. If you own a home here, that probably made your stomach drop a little. If you're trying to buy, it might have made your heart … Continue reading Are Tompkins County Home Prices Really Down?
What just happened with rates Here's the short version. The 30-year fixed rate crossed 7% for the first time in 20 months, hitting 7.31% on September 30 on Intercontinental Exchange's index after the Federal Reserve raised rates a quarter point in September. Some lenders were quoting north of 7.5% last week. (Inman) And buyers are … Continue reading Rates Just Crossed 7%. Should Ithaca Buyers Consider an ARM?
By Lindsay Hart, REALTOR | Hart & Homes at RE/MAX In Motion | Ithaca, NY Lately, I'm hearing a lot about buyer's or seller's starting real estate conversations with, "So I asked ChatGPT…" I love it. Truly. Buyers and sellers who show up having done some homework ask better questions, understand the process faster, and … Continue reading AI Can Answer Your Questions. It Can’t Walk You to Closing.
Week of September 14–21, 2026 · Tompkins + 6 Contiguous Counties The County Scoreboard Chemung3729538155Tompkins3627099133Cayuga30248132173Seneca163741120Cortland12132111321Schuyler121113411Tioga6811241REGION1491152444684414 Absorption: new listings per contract (lower = tighter) Cortland0.9 : 1186.6%Seneca1.5 : 111 (fastest)2.9%(shallowest)Cayuga1.4 : 1286.1%Schuyler3.0 : 1224.4%Tioga3.0 : 156 (slowest)9.8%(deepest)Tompkins4.0 : 1177.6%Chemung4.6 : 1188.0%Region2.2 : 1187.0% Week Over Week vs. Sept 7–14 CountyNewΔCutsΔContractsΔExp+WdΔTompkins33 → 36+330 → 27−311 → 9−237 → 13−24Cayuga27 → 30+335 → 24−1120 … Continue reading Mid Week {Ithaca Real Estate} Market Brief : Supply is Surging, demand isn’t keeping the same pace.
2026 does not yet qualify as a buyer's market on absorption. Across the seven-county region, year-to-date supply sits at 3.6 months (a 27.7% monthly absorption rate), which is still inside seller's-to-balanced territory. The conventional threshold for a buyer's market is more than 6 months of supply, or an absorption rate below roughly 16–17% per month. … Continue reading Balanced, Tilting, Not Broken: The Real Story Behind Tompkins County’s Slowing Market
Pip: Lindsay Hart pulled six years of her own MLS data, ran the numbers county by county, and then wrote it all up so the rest of us wouldn't have to pretend we understood the headlines. Mara: That's the thread running through this episode — what the local data actually shows about inventory, price signals, … Continue reading Ithaca & Tompkins Co. Housing Market Reality: a podcast episode
Every conversation I have right now starts the same way. A seller asks if they missed the window. A buyer asks if prices are about to fall. Both of them are working off headlines, and the headlines are about markets that look nothing like ours. So I pulled the numbers. Not a summary of a … Continue reading Same Buyers, More Houses: Why Your Market Isn’t Crashing (It’s Just Getting Crowded)
