Rooted in the Finger Lakes, with a curiosity that goes well beyond the closing table.
Tag: Hart Is Where Your Home is
Rates Just Crossed 7%. Should Ithaca Buyers Consider an ARM?
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?
Mid Week {Ithaca Real Estate} Market Brief : Supply is Surging, demand isn’t keeping the same pace.
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.
Balanced, Tilting, Not Broken: The Real Story Behind Tompkins County’s Slowing Market
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
Beyond the Blips: Real Estate Pulse Across the Finger Lakes & Southern Tier
Tompkins, Cayuga, Cortland, Tioga, Chemung, Schuyler & Seneca Counties | September 7–14, 2026 County-by-County Snapshot (Past 7 Days) CountyNew ListingsPrice CutsPending / Under ContractExpired / WithdrawnTompkins33301137*Cayuga2735207Chemung25301611Tioga106121Cortland79104Seneca7493Schuyler6273Total1151167467 *37 expired/withdrawn in Tompkins includes a 28-lot builder batch expiration in Lansing. The Story Behind the Numbers Seneca County is quietly the tightest market in the region. Pending homes … Continue reading Beyond the Blips: Real Estate Pulse Across the Finger Lakes & Southern Tier
How to shop for a listing agent intelligently.
Selling Your Home in Ithaca? How to Find the Right Real Estate Agent... So you're thinking about selling your house. Maybe you're ready to make a move. Maybe you've been talking about it for six months. Maybe you're just curious what your house is worth and wondering, “If I actually decide to sell, who the … Continue reading How to shop for a listing agent intelligently.
From Seller’s Market to Balanced: What Tompkins County’s June 2026 Numbers Are Really Telling Us
If you've been watching headlines about a red-hot national housing market, our local numbers tell a different story. The Ithaca Board of REALTORS' June 2026 Monthly Indicators show a market that's quietly rebalancing — more choices for buyers, more patience required from sellers, and a few signals worth understanding before you list or make an … Continue reading From Seller’s Market to Balanced: What Tompkins County’s June 2026 Numbers Are Really Telling Us
Podcast Episode: Finger Lakes Home Buying Reality
Pip: Lindsay Hart knows that buying a home in the Finger Lakes is exciting — and that "exciting" is doing a lot of heavy lifting once the utility bills arrive.Mara: Hart is Where Your Home is has been working through exactly that gap — the distance between what buyers expect and what ownership actually costs. … Continue reading Podcast Episode: Finger Lakes Home Buying Reality
Should You Renovate Before Selling in the Finger Lakes?
If you’re preparing to sell a home in the Finger Lakes, the question usually is not simply, “Should I renovate?” It is: Which improvements will help this particular home compete for its likely buyer—and which ones risk spending money you will not get back? The right answer depends on your home’s condition, price range, location, … Continue reading Should You Renovate Before Selling in the Finger Lakes?
What Sellers Control in Any Market
Whether the Finger Lakes market is moving quickly, slowing down, or simply becoming more selective, sellers still have meaningful control over how their home competes. You cannot control interest rates, the number of competing listings, buyer confidence, or the weather on the weekend your home launches. But you can control the decisions that shape a … Continue reading What Sellers Control in Any Market