If you’re thinking about selling a home in Columbia County, it’s natural to wonder:

“What should I fix, update, or spend money on before listing?”

This is one of the areas where I’ve seen sellers either overdo it — or hold back in ways that affect how their home is received.

There’s a balance.

How’s the war with Iran impacting mortgage rates and the housing market?

Last week we saw the lowest mortgage rates in 3 years as rates slid down to 5.99% and stayed below 6% for a week.  Then Trump launched a War over the weekend and by Monday mortgage rates jumped back up to 6.13%

Economic uncertainty tends to have a chilling effect on the housing market as buyers and homeowners hit pause and delay their plans. So let’s take a look at where things stand today in Columbia County NY in the Residential real estate market. 

One of the most common questions I hear from homeowners in Columbia County is:

“Is now a good time to sell — or should I wait?”

It’s a fair question. And it’s one that rarely has a simple yes-or-no answer.

In this market, timing isn’t just about the calendar. It’s about readiness — yours and the market’s.

If you’re thinking about selling a home in Columbia County, one of the first things you’ll probably do — understandably — is look up your home’s value online.

Most sellers do.

And while those tools can be a starting point, this is where I’ve seen people get unintentionally led off course.

If you’re thinking about selling a home in Columbia County, the most important thing to know is this:

There is no single Columbia County market.

What buyers do, what they pay attention to, and how homes actually sell can vary dramatically from town to town — sometimes from one road to the next.

Before you think about pricing, timing, or even when to list, it helps to understand how this market really works.

On January 14th, I was surprised and incredibly honored to be named 2025 REALTOR® of the Year by the Hudson Valley Catskill Region REALTORS® (HVCRR).  The REALTOR® of the Year award is given annually to a professional who demonstrates outstanding service to both the real estate profession and the community. 

1st Market Update of 2026 and final recap of 2025 stats for Columbia County, NY and some brief thoughts on affordability and where the market might be headed in 2026.

The median sale price year to date, thru November is $537,450, up +10.81% compared to LY

The number of new listings is up +3% but the numbers of homes sold is flat year to date.

Increase in available homes + slower sales + the lowest mortgage rates of the year = a win for buyers 

So buyers, what are you waiting for?

September Real Estate Market Update for Columbia County, NY

Yes, some buyers and home owners have hit the pause button on their moving plans, the economy is too uncertain for them. But others may say this is the best time to be a buyer in the market, as there is less competition from other buyers and more room to negotiate.

Last week was total chaos and who knows what tomorrow will bring, but the 1st two days of this week saw much calmer bond markets allowing the mortgage rates to slide back down below 7%. The question is will the rates keep jumping around or will they continue to decline. It would be great if rates would get closer to 6% and stay there for an extended period of time.

📊Coming off of 2 years of record low home sales, things can really only get better right?  When we closed out 2024, there was a lot of optimism about the housing market heading into the new year, not just here but overall.  Inventory climbing, mortgage rates declining, price appreciation slowing to a normal rate and those 3 factors would bring about an increase in home sales and a more balanced real estate market.  But 2025 has brought a lot of uncertainty… a new administration, tariffs on, tariffs off, on again, off again, and the real estate market does not exist in a bubble.  On top of that, winter was extra cold with lots of snow and ice.  These conditions hold both buyers and homeowners back and delay the spring market.  

Overall in 2024 we saw residential inventory increase over the year compared to the past 2 years, the Median Sale Price increase by 7.9% and the number of transactions (homes sold) also increased by 8%. Days on Market increased by 9 days and the sales price to list price ratio was 95.45% overall.

In Nov we saw a median sale price of $595K up 32% over Nov last year. Closings were up compared to LY and DOM increased by 7 days. Sale price to LP ratio was 95.75% down 4 to LY, the lowest ratio in months.

It looks like inventory peaked last month for the year. There were 94 new listings added and we have 259 active listings on the market today. Homes going under contract were up and closings up too. Overall it was a strong month. Median List price is $675K, a 26% increase over the same time last year. We continue to see homes that sell in the first 30 days selling at 102% to asking price and 95% to asking price overall.

The number of listings has climbed significantly since my last update and this is the highest inventory levels we’ve seen in a long time.

👀All eyes on the Fed this week. Interest rates have already dropped in anticipation of the Fed meeting, so the question is will they come down further or will they bounce around. Either way here in Columbia County there is less residential inventory today than there was a month ago. It appears that homes going under contract may be outpacing new inventory coming to market.

In November we saw interest rates start to come down..finishing close to 7%. Fingers crossed the 8% rate we saw in October was the peak and we are now on the downward slope. Experts are pretty confident that the Fed will not hike rates this week and that with inflation cooling the Fed will start cutting rates by mid 2024.

Interest rates hit 8%, the highest in 20+ years. Home sales continued to slow as a result. Rates dipped in the first week of November but are already creeping back up and the Fed may have one more rate increase coming in December.

So will prices or interest rates come down anytime soon? Probably not. Inventory in Columbia County remains tight overall, which will keep prices stable.

But there’s a lot of price adjustments happening right now, so the market is heading for a crash, right?