SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Houses in Onondaga County are becoming more difficult to purchase. According to the Greater Syracuse Association of Realtors, the average home sale price in Onondaga County increased by 17% from 2020 to 2021.
As seen in the graphic, home sale prices have shot up in 2021, the highest at almost a 50% average from the year before in Otisco. The City of Syracuse saw a 22.6% price increase, while nearby suburbs Manlius (18%), Dewitt (11.4%) and Salina (6.6%) also experienced an uptick. The Bollinger Group realtor Deana Ingram noted some appraisals are adding one percentage of the sale price every month to estimate value: for example, a Onondaga County home sold three months ago would increase in value by three percent.
According to Chip Hodgkins, the leader of the Chip Hodgkins TEAM, a realty firm which partners with Syracuse University athletics, housing prices are on the rise because of a lack of supply caused by the pandemic. Hodgkins said, “Usually we list seven or eight houses per week on the market. Now, we’re listing one per week. Seven or eight people are now bidding on that one house, and the price goes up and up and up.”
The demand is high for housing because many people want more space, as public spaces aren’t seen as safe as they were prior. Hodgkins referenced a new kitchen, a home office and a spacious yard as things home buyers were looking for; eating out, going into the office for work and going to the park aren’t always possible.
The market isn’t looking like it’s going to change. Ingram expects the housing market to stay in this current pattern of increase until at least 2022. So her advice to buyers and sellers is to stay in the market. Hodgkins said this period is a gold mine for sellers. He said, “if it’s listed, it’ll sell.”