Published October 25, 2026 in Market Update

More homes are for sale in Rochester Core, but buyers are still moving

By Dylan Tanaka

Real estate, Rochester Core

Here is the one thing worth knowing right now. The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 340 homes for sale across Rochester Core in the three months ending August 31, 2026. That is up 16.8% from the same months a year before. More supply sounds like bad news for sellers. But 509 homes went pending in that same window, also up 6% year over year. More homes came to market, and buyers kept pace.

Nationally, Realtor.com reported that active listings grew 5.5% year over year in September 2026. Rochester Core's 16.8% inventory gain is three times that pace. So more choice is arriving here faster than in most of the country. That is worth knowing before you price a home or make an offer.

What the numbers look like ZIP by ZIP

Rochester Core covers six ZIP codes, and they do not all tell the same story. The table below shows the median sale price and days on market for each one, for the three months ending August 31, 2026, as counted by the Real Estate Data Aggregator.

Speed: homes are still going fast in most ZIPs

The Real Estate Data Aggregator shows that in ZIP 48307, the median home went under contract in 13 days. ZIP 48309 was 14 days, and ZIP 48306 was 16 days. Those are not slow numbers. ZIP 48363 and ZIP 48367 took 21 days at the median, which is longer, but still well under a month.

Perhaps the sharpest speed signal is this one. In ZIP 48362 (Lake Orion), the Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 55.2% of homes going under contract within two weeks of listing. In ZIP 48309, that share was 52.9%. In ZIPs 48306 and 48307, it was just under half. Even in ZIP 48363, more than a third went that quickly.

Prices: two ZIPs dipped, four held or climbed

Not every ZIP saw prices rise. The Real Estate Data Aggregator shows the median sale price in ZIP 48307 slipped 4% year over year, to $427,000. ZIP 48363 dipped 9.4%, to $838,500. Those are honest admissions worth knowing if you own in either area.

On the other side, ZIP 48306 saw its median climb 13.1% to $644,900. ZIP 48367 rose 15% to $615,000, though only 13 homes sold there, so one or two sales can move that number. ZIP 48309 was nearly flat, up 0.6% to $485,000. ZIP 48362 edged down 5% to $404,950.

The wider picture: rates are up, and that is shaping buyer behavior

Realtor.com reported that mortgage rates topped 7% in September 2026, the first time since January 2025. CNBC reported the average contract rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage at 7.41% as of late October 2026. That is real pressure on monthly payments.

CNBC also reported that mortgage applications to purchase a home fell 7% for the week ending in late October and were 18% lower than a year before. That is a national number, not a Rochester Core count. But it helps explain why pricing and presentation matter more than they did two years ago. Fewer buyers are shopping, so the ones who are shopping have more to compare.

Realtor.com noted that 20.8% of listings nationwide took a price cut in September 2026, the highest share since October 2022. Rochester Core has not stalled, but that national signal is worth watching. Homes that are priced well are still moving here. Homes that are not may sit longer than sellers expect.

What this means if you are thinking about selling

More inventory means buyers have more to compare your home against. That is different from a year ago. It does not mean your home will not sell. It means the homes that are priced right and show well are the ones going under contract in two weeks. The ones that are not are sitting.

In ZIP 48306, the Real Estate Data Aggregator shows homes for sale jumped 53.2% year over year. Yet 37.8% of homes there still sold above list price, and the average sale came in at 100.1% of list. So competition is real, but it is not gone. The margin for error on pricing is just smaller than it was.

What this means if you are thinking about buying

More homes for sale is genuinely good news for buyers. You have more to look at than last year. In most of these ZIPs, supply is still under three months, which historically favors sellers. But the pressure is easing. You are less likely to be in a ten-offer situation than you were in 2024.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency reported U.S. house prices rose 2.6% from July 2025 to July 2026. That is a slower pace than recent years. Prices in Rochester Core are mixed, with some ZIPs up and some down. That is worth knowing as you think about what you are willing to pay.

One more thing. These are ZIP-code numbers. What is happening on your street can read very differently from what the whole ZIP shows. A block with newer construction, a particular school boundary, or a stretch of lakefront can behave like its own small market inside a larger one.