Published October 18, 2026 in Market Update

Some Rochester buyers are still bidding hard, even as national demand slips

By Scott Barrows | Keller Williams Realty

Real estate, Rochester- City Neighborhoods

CNBC reported that Zillow found pending home sales were down 8.5% year over year in September. That is a real number. But it is a national number, and Rochester does not always follow the national story.

The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 188 pending sales in ZIP 14609 during the three months ending August 31, 2026. That is up 12.6% from the same three months in 2025. The national number went one way. This part of Rochester went the other.

Here is what makes that number meaningful. The Real Estate Data Aggregator found that 86.5% of homes in ZIP 14609 sold above list price in those same three months. Buyers are not just showing up. They are competing.

Rates are not helping buyers anywhere right now. Freddie Mac put the 30-year fixed rate at 7.40% as of October 15, 2026. CNBC reported that Fannie Mae is forecasting an average of 7.4% for the fourth quarter of 2026 and 7.5% for all of 2027. That is a real headwind. And yet buyers in parts of Rochester are still moving.

How the ZIP codes compare

Not every part of the city looks the same. The Real Estate Data Aggregator breaks this down by ZIP code, and the differences are worth knowing.

ZIP 14607 is worth a closer look. The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 37 homes sold there, up 32.1% from a year ago. Pending sales were up 19.2%. But the median sale price came in at $374,000, down 16% from the same period in 2025. More homes sold, prices pulled back. That kind of split does not show up in a national headline.

The ZIP codes with more breathing room

ZIP 14608 and 14611 tell a different story. The Real Estate Data Aggregator put months of supply at 2.1 in ZIP 14608 and 1.8 in ZIP 14611. Those are still low numbers, but they are the highest in this group. In ZIP 14608, only 52% of homes sold above list price. That is a real gap from the 86.5% in ZIP 14609.

Speed: how fast are homes going?

Across most of these ZIP codes, the median home went under contract in 8 to 10 days, according to the Real Estate Data Aggregator. ZIP 14608 was the outlier at 15 days, though that is actually 8 days faster than the same period a year ago.

What about prices?

Prices are not all moving the same direction. The Real Estate Data Aggregator shows median sale prices up in ZIP 14609 (up 7%), ZIP 14620 (up 5.3%), ZIP 14618 (up 4.7%), ZIP 14608 (up 11.5%), and ZIP 14611 (up 5.4%). But ZIP 14607 was down 16% and ZIP 14625 was down 12.7%. Fewer homes sold in those two ZIP codes compared with a year ago, which can pull the median around.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency reported that U.S. house prices rose 2.6% from July 2025 to July 2026. Several of these Rochester ZIP codes beat that number. A few did not. Local results and national averages rarely land in the same place.

Supply is still very tight

The Real Estate Data Aggregator put months of supply at 0.5 in ZIP 14618, 0.6 in ZIP 14625, and 0.9 in ZIP 14609, ZIP 14620, and ZIP 14607. A balanced market is generally around six months. These numbers are a fraction of that. Even the highest in this group, ZIP 14608 at 2.1 months, is still well below balanced.

Rates are high. Buyers are still showing up.

CNBC reported that the average contract rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage with a conforming loan balance was 7.50%. Freddie Mac put its weekly average at 7.40% as of October 15, 2026. Those are real costs. CNBC also reported that ARM loans hit 10.5% of mortgage demand, the highest share since October 2025. Some buyers are adjusting how they borrow to keep buying.

CNBC reported that total mortgage application volume dropped 2.7% last week compared with the week before. Nationally, fewer people are applying. In ZIP 14609, the Real Estate Data Aggregator still counted 188 pending sales. Both things are true at the same time.

One more thing worth saying: these are ZIP code numbers. One street inside a ZIP code can read differently from the whole. The mix of homes that sold, the condition they were in, the specific block they sat on, all of that shapes the result. The ZIP code gives you a direction. Your address gives you the real answer.