“How’s the market?” is the question I get more than any other. Every month I pull the numbers straight from the MLS and put them on our market page. This post is the part the numbers can’t tell you on their own: what they mean for you.
The short version
In October, single-family homes in Monroe County sold for a median of $289,000. The typical home went in 8 days, for 112.9% of its list price. That’s still a seller’s market.
The October median came in under September’s $300,000. That’s normal for this time of year, and it’s why I always look at the bigger picture too. Compared with October 2025, the median was up 5.1%. And from January through October, the median sale price was $300,000, up 9.1% from $275,000 over the same months last year.
Months of supply, explained
Agents say “months of supply” like everybody knows what it means. Most people don’t, and that’s on us.
Picture the bread aisle before a snowstorm. Lots of shoppers, a few loaves left, and whatever’s on the shelf is gone fast. That’s a low-supply market.
Months of supply answers one question: if no new homes came on the market, how long would it take to sell everything that’s for sale right now? At the end of October there were 662 single-family homes for sale in Monroe County, and 571 sold during the month. That works out to about 1.2 months.
How to read it
A common rule of thumb in the industry: under about 5 months, sellers have the edge. Around 5 to 6 months is balanced. Over 6 months, buyers have the edge. At 1.2, the shelf is close to empty.
More homes for sale than a year ago
Here’s the number most people miss. Those 662 homes for sale are up 23.7% from October 2025, and months of supply is up 33.7%. Fewer homes sold, too: down 7.5% from a year earlier.
So it’s still a seller’s market, but the shelf isn’t as bare as it was a year ago. Buyers have a few more choices, and a home that isn’t priced or presented right has more competition than it used to.
But please don’t misunderstand that. More homes for sale doesn’t make this a buyer’s market.
What I’m seeing on the ground
It’s more important than ever for a home to be priced right, and there are really two ways to do it.
The first is event-style pricing, and it’s what we recommend. You price low on purpose to bring in multiple offers and let buyers bid it up. To do it right, you first establish what your market value is likely to be, then list below that. How far below depends on the price range. On a $300,000 house, it might be about 10%. On a $160,000 house, it could be closer to 20%. Here’s how event-style pricing works.
The second is listing right at market value. The homes selling at market value or a little above, with no bidding war or just one or two offers, are the ones in really great shape: updated kitchen and baths, clean, staged, no deferred maintenance, ready to move into. If you list at market value and the house needs a little work, maybe a roof or some older mechanicals, it could sit a little longer.
For sellers, hiring the right agent makes all the difference. Knowing how to handle multiple offers is how you walk away with the most money.
And buyers, here’s the flip side. More homes on the market doesn’t mean you get to dictate your terms. “We want this closing date, we have a grant, and we’re doing an inspection” can lose you the house. Terms and conditions are just as important as price, so be careful with them. Sometimes you have to let the seller win on price so you can win on terms, like using a grant or keeping your inspection.
If you’re buying
- Get pre-approved before you start touring, not after you find the house
- Know your top number ahead of time, so you’re not deciding it at 10 PM on offer night
- Decide which terms you can’t give up, like a grant or an inspection, and be ready to give a little on price to keep them
- Be ready to move the same week a home you like comes on
- Ask your agent what’s for sale and what just went pending in the towns you’re looking at, not just the county average
More on the money side: what cash to close really includes and our first-time buyer guide.
If you’re selling
Low supply brings buyers to your door. It doesn’t guarantee they stay. With more homes for sale than a year ago, price, photos and condition decide how many buyers show up and how hard they compete.
- Decide up front: event-style pricing, or market value with a home that’s truly move-in ready
- Price off what’s for sale and pending today, not what sold last spring
- Fix the things a buyer will notice in the first five minutes
- If you’re a couple of weeks in with no offer, read what we look at on day 14
More: how we price a Rochester-area home and what’s worth fixing before you list.
Your town has its own number
Monroe County isn’t one market. Greece, Pittsford, Webster, Irondequoit, Brighton, Hilton, the city neighborhoods: every town and village tells its own story, and the county average can hide what’s happening on your street. Tell us your town and we’ll pull the numbers for you.
How’s your neighborhood doing?
Send us your town or village and we’ll tell you what the market looks like there.
Keep reading: This month’s market numbers · Day 14 and no offer · What’s my home worth?
Monroe County single-family homes, new and resale. Source: UNYREIS via Domus Analytics, data updated November 5, 2026. This is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice.