Syracuse Rents Increasing Faster Than New York City Syracuse Rents Increasing Faster Than New York City

Central New Yorkers are grappling with higher prices across the board.

BRADLEY HOPPENSTEIN: Going to work and coming home — pretty routine. But that home is likely costing Central New Yorkers more than it did just a few years ago. New data from Zillow shows rents in the Syracuse metro area have grown faster than those in New York City over the past two years. That’s an increase to the tune of over 26 percent.

So just driving around some of the residential areas of Syracuse, you may be asking yourself why here? And that’s exactly what I asked realtor Keif Timmins.

KEIF TIMMINS: With the rise of COVID, people wanted to put their money into something besides the dollar and invest in real estate more. With that being said, supply and demand means a lot of people are investing more in Syracuse and that causes the prices to go up.

HOPPENSTEIN: Syracuse’s rate of rent growth has also outpaced the national average over the last two years. But it’s not just rent and mortgage rates, prices are up across the board.

CARLY VERRETTE: Well even someone who is somewhat financially stable, inflation is still affecting me. It’s really hard to get basic things.

HOPPENSTEIN: Chris Benson delivers packages for FedEx. He says higher costs for his commute and groceries have set him back, but there’s nothing he can do about it.

CHRIS BENSON: Oh 100% gas…everything from formula milk, all that stuff. But you gotta do what you gotta do.

HOPPENSTEIN: As steep as prices in the Syracuse region are, they are nowhere near the top of the list nationwide. And yes – prices are high – but as inflation and the pandemic appear to be winding down – some stability may be on the horizon for consumers. Bradley Hoppenstein, NCC News.

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — Rent prices in Syracuse have grown faster than those in New York City over the past two years, according to new data from Zillow. That’s an increase of over 26% since July 2020. For comparison, New York City’s rents have grown just 21% since then. Syracuse’s rate of rent growth has also outpaced the national average since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Keif Timmins, an agent at Warren Real Estate’s Ithaca office, says Syracuse has always been an undervalued market, but more people are investing in property than ever before.

“With the rise of COVID, people wanted to put their money into something besides the dollar and invest in real estate more. With that being said, supply and demand means a lot of people are investing more in Syracuse and that causes the prices to go up,” Timmins said.

Dating back to January 2014, Zillow has used listed rents and proprietary techniques to create a rent index for larger U.S. metro areas. Looking back at the company’s initial data, rents in Syracuse have soared 57% since 2014, compared to 39.8% in New York City.

“Syracuse historically has been an undervalued market and has been cheap compared to other places in New York,” Timmins added. “Some higher rent prices also come from the landowners matching other higher prices around them or even offloading increased utility and operating costs to the renter.”

The country’s inflation rate of 8.3% means prices are up across the board. Gas, groceries, baby formula, and, of course, rent, are costing Central New Yorkers more.

Carly Verrette, a Syracuse resident, says it’s been difficult to grapple with inflation, even though she would consider herself financially stable.

“Inflation is still affecting me. It’s hard to get basic things…and I end up spending more on those basic things,” she said.

Chris Benson, a FedEx package handler, says increased prices for his commute and groceries are stretching him thin, but there’s nothing he can do about it.

According to the latest government report, food prices are up 13.1% from this time last year.

However, as steep as rent and price hikes in Syracuse have been, the region is still nowhere near the top of the list nationwide.

Reported by
Bradley Hoppenstein

Bradley Hoppenstein

I'm Bradley Hoppenstein. I'm from Boca Raton, Florida and I am a sophomore in Newhouse studying Broadcast and Digital Journalism. I've had a passion for journalism my entire life and am leaning toward being a news reporter and anchor as my career. I am a scratch golfer and enjoy spending my time outside in the sun when I'm home. Feel free to follow me on Twitter for career and life updates @brhoppenstein.

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