Markets  ›  NY  ›  Buffalo

Buffalo, NY housing market

Buffalo, NY metro median sale price $305K in Jul–Sep 2026, up 5.1% year over year. Also days on market, price cuts, affordability and ZIP-code figures.

The median sale price in the Buffalo, NY metro is $305K over Jul–Sep 2026, up 5.1% from the same 3 months a year earlier. The gain is larger than in most of the 383 U.S. metros Pecan Street ranks on this measure. FHFA's repeat-sales index for the metro agrees within 0.7 points (up 4.4% through Q2 2026).

On median sale price, Buffalo ($305K) ranks 8th of the 13 New York metros Pecan Street tracks, between Rochester ($306K) and Syracuse ($293K). On median days on market, Buffalo (43 days) ranks 12th of the 13 New York metros, between Binghamton (51 days) and Rochester (31 days). On share of listings with a price cut, Buffalo (33%) ranks 4th of the 13 New York metros, between Albany (35%) and Utica (32%).

Listings spent a median 43 days on market in Oct 2026, fewer than in most of the 385 metros. 33% of active listings carry a price cut; the 3-month average vs a year earlier is 0.5 points lower. Median asking prices sit about 15% below the median sale price. Building permits authorized 123 new housing units in Sep 2026.

At the 7.12% 30-year fixed rate with 20% down, principal and interest on a median-priced home come to $1,643 a month; at 28% of gross income, that takes about $70K a year. The median sale price equals about 15 years of HUD Fair Market Rent, a ratio down 0.5% from a year earlier. That ratio is lower than in most of the 373 metros. Active listings ask a median $184 per square foot; the 3-month average vs a year earlier is down 1.1%.

In seven of the 12 ZIP codes in the table below, median list prices are lower than a year earlier; five are higher.

Headline

Median sale price

Jul–Sep 2026

$305K

+5.1% year-over-year

How it’s calculated

Average of the last three monthly median sale prices vs. the same three months a year earlier.

Mortgage rate

Nov 4, 2026

7.12%

30-year fixed

Where it comes from

National benchmark: Optimal Blue OBMMI 30-year conforming, via FRED. An average of rates borrowers have actually locked, updated daily.

The same rate appears on every market page.

Monthly payment

Principal & interest

$1,643/mo

$70K/yr income needed

How it’s calculated

Payment — this market’s median sale price with 20% down, on a 30-year fixed loan at the rate shown. Principal and interest only — no property tax, insurance, PMI or HOA.

Income needed — that payment at 28% of gross income. A rule of thumb, not a lending decision.

How Buffalo compares to other U.S. metros

Asking-vs-sale gap↓300th of 300
Days on market↓340th of 385
Home-price growth↑82nd of 383 (top 22%)
Price-to-rent↓227th of 373
Price cuts223rd of 385

Rank across the U.S. metros Pecan Street tracks, on market data alone — a higher rank means more of that measure (more price cuts, faster price growth, a wider asking-vs-sale gap, a higher price-to-rent ratio, or more days on market). The bar shows where this metro sits within that metric’s own cohort (left is more, right is less); ↑ and ↓ mark the positions furthest from the middle, and rows are ordered the same way. Metrics without data for this metro are omitted.

Affordability

Price-to-rent ratio≈ 15 -0.5% YoY
↓227th of 373
Asking price / sq ft$184 -1.1% 3-month average vs a year earlier

Price-to-rent divides the median sale price by the annual HUD Fair Market Rent (a 3-bedroom, 40th-percentile benchmark), so it is a directional rent-vs-buy read, not a cap rate; its year-over-year change is directional in the same way. Asking price per square foot is the median across active for-sale listings (Realtor.com), as of Oct 2026. The bar under a figure places this metro among the U.S. metros we track on that measure, highest first.

Market pressure

Listings with a price cut≈ 33% -0.5 pts 3-month average vs a year earlier
223rd of 385
New housing units permitted123

The median asking price $260K runs about 15% below the median sale price $305K.

Price-cut share is the portion of active for-sale listings that have taken a price reduction (Realtor.com), as of Oct 2026. New housing units authorized by residential building permits in the metro that month — new supply in the pipeline, which counts of existing listings don't capture (US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey), as of Sep 2026. Asking is the median list price of active listings (Realtor.com, Oct 2026); sale is the headline median of recent closings (Redfin, Jul–Sep 2026) — distinct sources and windows, so the gap is a directional read, not a like-for-like difference. The bar under a figure places this metro among the U.S. metros we track on that measure, highest first.

Market facts

ZIPs with listing data12 shown of 79
MLS board of recordBuffalo Niagara Association of REALTORS
Price methodologyRedfin vs FHFA HPI
Sale-price windowJul–Sep 2026

Recent signals

No signals flagged for this market right now.

Recent notable readings

Readings from the latest data that sit at one end of the U.S. metros Pecan Street tracks, from the nightly cross-metro comparison. They are not signal alerts.

Housing Economy

Buffalo · ConstructionCOPIED

Buffalo builders pulled 14.9% more single-family permits than a year earlier

Single-family building permits in the Buffalo metro area, by month, one line per year, units

AprJulOct25507510012520252026
AprJulOct25507510012520252026
2024
Chart data
Month202420252026
Dec53105—
Nov5752—
Oct8177—
Sep675185
Aug746972
Jul536970
Jun836867
May817881
Apr715790
Mar726363
Feb525339
Jan463947

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey · data through September 2026

Builders in the Buffalo metro area pulled 848 single-family permits in the twelve months through September 2026, 14.9% more than in the twelve months before. So far in 2026, permits are running 12.2% above the same months of 2025.

Why it matters. Permits come before starts, and starts come before new homes for sale, so this is the earliest read on how much new building is planned in the Buffalo area. When the permit pipeline shrinks, buyers see fewer new-build options later; when it grows, sellers of existing homes face more competition from builders.

Buffalo · Home pricesCOPIED

Buffalo home prices are 4.4% higher than a year ago, the weakest gain since the second quarter of 2016

Home prices in the Buffalo metro area, change from a year earlier, FHFA all-transactions index, quarterly, percent; shaded bars mark recessions

19801990200020102020-11%0%11%22%33%Buffalo
1990200020102020-11%0%11%22%33%Buffalo
No changeRecession
Chart data
DateBuffalo
Jun 20264.4%
Mar 20265.7%
Dec 20255.7%
Sep 20256.2%
Jun 20256.6%
Mar 20257.6%
Dec 20248.5%
Sep 20245.8%
Jun 20247.4%
Mar 20247.8%
Dec 20236.9%
Sep 20236.6%
Jun 20237.1%
Mar 20238.2%
Dec 202210.3%
Sep 202214.2%
Jun 202217.9%
Mar 202216.4%
Dec 202116.5%
Sep 202118.1%
Jun 202112.7%
Mar 20219.8%
Dec 20207.9%
Sep 20205.8%
Jun 20205.5%
Mar 20206.1%
Dec 20196.2%
Sep 20195%
Jun 20195.2%
Mar 20195%
Dec 20185.5%
Sep 20186.3%
Jun 20186.2%
Mar 20187%
Dec 20176%
Sep 20175.6%
Jun 20175.7%
Mar 20174.8%
Dec 20165.2%
Sep 20164.7%
Jun 20163.5%
Mar 20163.6%
Dec 20153.3%
Sep 20153.2%
Jun 20154.1%
Mar 20152.5%
Dec 20142.7%
Sep 20143.8%
Jun 20142.6%
Mar 20142.6%
Dec 20132.7%
Sep 20132.9%
Jun 20132.6%
Mar 20131%
Dec 20121.9%
Sep 20121.1%
Jun 20120.5%
Mar 20121.2%
Dec 2011-0.8%
Sep 2011-0.6%
Jun 20110.8%
Mar 20110.6%
Dec 20101.2%
Sep 20102%
Jun 2010-0%
Mar 2010-0.8%
Dec 20092%
Sep 20090.8%
Jun 20091.1%
Mar 20092.8%
Dec 20081.6%
Sep 20082.1%
Jun 20082.2%
Mar 20082.5%
Dec 20071.1%
Sep 20072.2%
Jun 20073.2%
Mar 20072.5%
Dec 20062.6%
Sep 20061.7%
Jun 20063.7%
Mar 20064.2%
Dec 20055%
Sep 20055.8%
Jun 20054.8%
Mar 20055.9%
Dec 20045.6%
Sep 20046%
Jun 20045.6%
Mar 20045%
Dec 20035%
Sep 20034.4%
Jun 20034.3%
Mar 20033.9%
Dec 20024%
Sep 20024.2%
Jun 20023.8%
Mar 20023.9%
Dec 20015.9%
Sep 20014.7%
Jun 20015%
Mar 20016.2%
Dec 20002.8%
Sep 20002.5%
Jun 2000-0.1%
Mar 2000-3.2%
Dec 1999-2.3%
Sep 1999-1.2%
Jun 19990.1%
Mar 19990.4%
Dec 19982.2%
Sep 19981.9%
Jun 19982.7%
Mar 19982.4%
Dec 19970.7%
Sep 1997-0%
Jun 1997-2.2%
Mar 1997-2%
Dec 1996-1.2%
Sep 1996-0.4%
Jun 19962.8%
Mar 19965.5%
Dec 19953%
Sep 19951.9%
Jun 1995-1.4%
Mar 1995-3.7%
Dec 1994-3%
Sep 1994-1.8%
Jun 19940.3%
Mar 19942.5%
Dec 19932.4%
Sep 19932.5%
Jun 19933.7%
Mar 19931.8%
Dec 19924.5%
Sep 19924.9%
Jun 19923.2%
Mar 19925.4%
Dec 19913.7%
Sep 19913.7%
Jun 19913.8%
Mar 19913.6%
Dec 19904.1%
Sep 19905.4%
Jun 19908.1%
Mar 199010%
Dec 19899%
Sep 19899.4%
Jun 198910.4%
Mar 198910.8%
Dec 198810.3%
Sep 19889.9%
Jun 198811.7%
Mar 198811.9%
Dec 198715.6%
Sep 198714.8%
Jun 198710.2%
Mar 19879.2%
Dec 19866.8%
Sep 19865.3%
Jun 19866.1%
Mar 19867.6%
Dec 19858.4%
Sep 19856.7%
Jun 19855.3%
Mar 19853.7%
Dec 19841.7%
Sep 19847.9%
Jun 19846.2%
Mar 19847.7%
Dec 19838.1%
Sep 1983-0.7%
Jun 19830%
Mar 19832.7%
Dec 1982-3.3%
Sep 1982-1.1%
Jun 19825.8%
Mar 1982-2.3%
Dec 19813.8%
Sep 19816.5%
Jun 19810.3%
Mar 19813.2%
Dec 19801.6%
Sep 19801.3%
Jun 19805.1%
Mar 1980-0.5%
Dec 197918.2%
Sep 197917.7%
Jun 197916%
Mar 197930.6%
Dec 19788.1%
Sep 19788.4%

Source: FHFA house price index; recession dates from NBER · data through Q2 2026

FHFA's all-transactions index for the Buffalo metro area in the second quarter of 2026 was 4.4% above its level a year earlier. Since 1978, prices have risen an average of 4.8% a year. That is the weakest reading since the second quarter of 2016. Nationally, prices were 3.0% higher than a year earlier.

Why it matters. Long-run context shows how the latest change in Buffalo home prices compares with the market's own history, including the recessions shaded on the chart. When appreciation slows, sellers have less room for a list price to run ahead of recent sales, and buyers feel less pressure to stretch to keep up; when it speeds up, the reverse holds: list prices can run ahead of recent sales and buyers compete harder.

Price reconciliation

normal · 0.7pp

Redfin (metro)

+5.1%

FHFA HPI · Q2 2026

+4.4%

Year-over-year home-price change from two independent methods — Redfin (sale prices over the last 3 months) and FHFA (quarterly repeat-sales index). When they diverge, the market is mid-shift; cite the figure with that in mind.

Market dispatches

Citable market dispatches for Buffalo → Latest dispatch: Jul 10, 2026.

More markets in NY

AlbanyBinghamtonElmiraGlens FallsIthacaKingstonNew YorkPoughkeepsie / NewburghRochesterSyracuseUticaWatertown

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ZIP-level data

ZIPMedian list priceActive listingsNew listingsPrice reductionsDays on marketHome value
14075$350K↓71↑44↑20↑44↓$336K↑
14086$300K↓51↑44↑20↑26↓$387K↑
14094$310K↑94↑48↑36↑37↓$271K↑
14120$330K↓54↑40↑20↑29↓$286K↑
14127$600K↑68↑36↑12↑44↑$436K↑
14215$171K↑86↑24↓20↑48↑$149K↑
14221$400K↓107↑64↑36↑35↓$419K↑
14224$292K↑57↑40↓28↑36↑$299K↑
14225$240K↑66↑40↑2833↓$235K↑
14301$112K↓58↑8↑12↑58↑$115K↑
14304$195K↓62↑32↑20↑39↑$208K↑
14305$125K↓69↑24↑20↑62↑$154K↑

ZIP figures from Realtor.com listing data; home value from Zillow ZHVI. ZIP codes shown have the most complete listing-data history and active for-sale inventory in this metro; the latest available month is shown per ZIP. Arrows show the direction of each figure against the same three months a year earlier; no arrow means the change rounds to zero or the comparison isn't available.