Columbia County NY Real Estate Market Update: Is the Market Really Slowing Down?
Is the Columbia County, NY housing market slowing down? Partly. Inventory sat at 6.78 months at the end of August. Balanced, leaning toward buyers. And homes sold at 95.9% of list price. But the $600K to $1M tier is moving faster now than it has all year.
Start Here
Diesel is at $6.37. Mortgage rates have climbed past 7% this month, the highest in more than a year and a half. And the question I'm getting from homeowners right now is some version of: should I have listed in June? or should I pull my home off the market?
The short answer is that it depends entirely on your price point and the data from August makes that case better than I could.
We're officially in the fall season, when leverage shifts toward buyers. The reasonable concern is whether buyers are still in the market at all. What the August numbers show is a county that slowed down in some segments and sped up in others, which is the pattern I keep coming back to: there is no single Columbia County real estate market. What happens under $600K and what happens between $600K and $1M are two different stories right now.
August by the Numbers
The median sale price in August was $608,000, down -10.79% from August of last year, but up $62,000 from July. The median sale price for the year is still down -6.54%, sitting at $500,000.
The median list price in August was $634,900, up 5.99% over last year. For the year, the median list price is $575,000, down -1.11%.
Read those two together and you have the central tension of this market: list prices are holding up or climbing, sale prices are not. The distance between what sellers are asking and what buyers are paying is where all the negotiating is happening.
Inventory: Balanced, Leaning Buyer
There were 6.78 months of inventory on the market as of August 31st. That's a balanced market tilted toward buyers.
But inventory varies dramatically by town and by price point, and the county-wide number hides more than it reveals. More on that below.
Did the Market Actually Slow?
Average days on market grew slightly in August to 72 days, eight more than July, but still three weeks faster than the first half of the year. The average for the year to date sits at 94 days.
The activity numbers complicate the slowdown narrative:
78 new listings in August, down -20.4% from last year and down from July
64 homes went under contract, up +20.8% from last year and up from July
57 homes sold, down -8.1% from last year, though up slightly from July. Sales are still down -3.67% year to date.
Fewer sellers are listing. More buyers are going under contract. That is not what a market in free fall looks like… it's what a thinner, more selective market looks like.
Pricing Expectations vs. Reality
The sale-to-list price ratio fell four points from July to 95.9%. Homes sold at an average of 95.9% of the current list price, and 93.1% of the original list price.
That gap between current and original list is the number I'd want every seller to sit with. It means more homes are taking price reductions, more buyers are negotiating, or both. With rates climbing and more sellers than buyers, there’s going to be more negotiating into the fall season.
If you're pricing a home this fall, the original list price is the one the market remembers.
Where the Market Stands This Week
As of last week (9/23) there are 330 homes available in the county, including homes with accepted offers not yet under contract. The median list price of available homes is $630,000. There are 90 homes under contract. Year to date, 372 homes have sold with a median sale price of $500,000.
Three Markets, Not One
The core market: under $600K
48.5% of all the available homes and 60.8% of everything sold this year. At 6.2 months of inventory and 85.3 average days on market for the year, this segment is steady, but pending sales are showing days on market extended to 92.3, which tells me activity here has cooled in recent weeks. It's still the largest segment of the market by a wide margin, carrying 55.6% of all pending sales.
This is also the segment where a +7% mortgage rate does the most damage. These are the buyers whose monthly payment math changes when rates move.
The transitional tier: $600K to $1M
This is the surprise. 25.5% of all available inventory, but only 21% of sales year to date, and the tightest supply in the county at 4.7 months.
The year-to-date average days on market here is 105.9, the slowest of the three tiers. But current pending sales are averaging 49.9 days. That's less than half, and far faster than either the core or the luxury market. The trend has been visible since July. Homes in this price segment account for 25.6% of all pending sales today.
Something is happening in the middle of this market that the headline numbers don't show.
The luxury market: over $1M
26% of all available homes but only 18.3% of all sales year to date, with 6.6 months of inventory and 99.6 average days on market. This segment makes up 18.9% of all homes currently under contract.
The number that explains this segment: 67.6% of sales over $1M have been cash this year. This buyer is far less affected by mortgage rates and affordability pressure, which is why the luxury tier tends to move on its own logic rather than following the rate cycle.
Where the Activity Is
The Hudson ZIP code spans both ends of the market, leading closed sales both under $600K and over $1M. It's the densest area in the county, covering several towns and a wide mix of housing: historic townhomes and estates, suburban neighborhoods, village homes.
Most closings under $600K: Hudson (56), Valatie (18), Copake (16), Kinderhook (15), then Chatham and Ghent tied at 13 each.
Most closings over $1M: Hudson (20), Germantown (6), Hillsdale (5), then Austerlitz, Canaan and Chatham tied at 4 each.
These counts use mailing address rather than taxable town, so a Hudson mailing address may sit in a neighboring town.
What This Means for You
If you're selling under $600K: expect to compete on price and condition, and expect negotiation. Price to the current market, not to last spring. The spread between original and final list price is what's costing sellers right now.
If you're selling between $600K and $1M: your tier has the least competition in the county and the fastest current pace. That is a genuinely better position than the countywide numbers suggest.
If you're buying: leverage has shifted your way in the core and luxury segments. Fewer new listings means less to choose from, but sellers who are on the market in October are generally serious about selling.
FAQ
Is now a bad time to sell in Columbia County, NY? Not categorically. Inventory is at 6.78 months, which is balanced leaning buyer, and homes are selling at 95.9% of current list. But the answer depends on your price tier. The $600K to $1M range currently has the tightest supply in the county at 4.7 months.
How long does it take to sell a home in Columbia County? Average days on market in August was 72 days, with a year-to-date average of 94 days. It varies by segment: 85.3 days under $600K, 105.9 days between $600K and $1M, and 99.6 days over $1M, year to date.
Do high mortgage rates affect the luxury market in the Hudson Valley? Less than you'd expect. 67.6% of Columbia County sales over $1 million have been cash transactions this year, so that buyer is largely insulated from rate movement and affordability pressure.
Next Steps
If you're curious about your specific micro market, send me a message and I'll put together a customized report. County-wide numbers are a starting point, not an answer. What matters is what's happening on your road, at your price point.
Planning a move in Columbia County over the next 6 to 12 months? I'll walk you through exactly where your property sits within these three tiers and what's happening in your micro market. Email call or text anytime. Not ready to connect yet, this is a great place to start: Columbia County Real Estate Guide
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Jennifer Sesma Associate Real Estate Broker, ABR® 2025 REALTOR® of the Year, Hudson Valley Catskill Region REALTORS® Beach & Bartolo Realtors — Columbia County, NY cell: 617-359-1873 | jennifer@beachandbartolo.com | jensesma.com
Market data from the Hudson Valley Catskill Region MLS. Figures reflect August and year-to-date activity as of September 23rd and is subject to change as reporting comes in.
