Week of November 9, 2026 · Northern New York
October asking prices moved lower in four of seven Northern New York counties, according to newly checked Realtor.com® Economic Research data. Clinton and Franklin counties posted modest monthly increases, while Essex County’s median held steady.
Jefferson County’s median listing price was $259,900, down 3.7% from September’s $269,900 but up 3.6% from October 2025’s $250,950. The figures describe the asking prices of homes represented in the listing data. They do not measure completed sales, appraised values or the change in the value of an individual home.
October 2026 residential asking prices
Monthly comparisons below are with September 2026; annual comparisons are with October 2025. These monthly, not seasonally adjusted figures are the latest release available for this weekly report.
| County | Median asking price | Monthly change | Annual change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jefferson | $259,900 | −3.7% | +3.6% |
| Lewis | $239,000 | −3.0% | Withheld* |
| St. Lawrence | $194,950 | −1.0% | +6.2% |
| Franklin | $249,000 | +1.2% | +12.6% |
| Clinton | $254,000 | +1.2% | +3.3% |
| Essex | $399,450 | Unchanged | +2.6% |
| Oswego | $238,500 | −4.6% | −4.6% |
Source: Realtor.com® Economic Research, November 4, 2026 monthly release. Current and historical county files checked November 9 at 10:45–10:46 a.m. Eastern. Dollar amounts are county median residential listing prices. Comparisons were recalculated from the same release and rounded to one decimal. *Lewis County’s October 2025 comparison row carries the source’s quality flag, so its annual comparison is withheld. All seven October 2026 and September 2026 rows are unflagged.
What the county numbers show
St. Lawrence had the lowest median asking price among these seven counties, at $194,950; Essex had the highest, at $399,450. Those are separate county observations, not a regional average. Differences in the types and locations of homes offered for sale can move the medians.
Oswego recorded the largest monthly decline in this group, at 4.6%. Its October median of $238,500 was also 4.6% below the same month a year earlier. Franklin’s $249,000 median was 12.6% higher than October 2025, the largest annual increase among the six counties with an unflagged year-earlier comparison.
Lewis’s current $239,000 median can be compared with September’s unflagged $246,500 value. The flagged October 2025 observation is a reason to withhold that annual trend, not to treat the county as missing or to discard its current-month figure.
These changes should not be read as weekly gains or losses. Realtor.com revises historical observations, and a different mix of listings can change a median without every home’s price moving by the same amount. This report does not provide commercial-market price, rent or vacancy statistics.
Essex County: ADU contractor bids due Friday
North Country Rural Development Coalition is accepting sealed contractor bids for a Saranac Lake project in Essex County that would convert a garage and add an extension to create an accessory dwelling unit. The official project notice sets a deadline of November 13, 2026, at 3 p.m.; bidding opened October 16.
Contractors can request the bid package from Calsie Granger at cgranger@northcountryruraldevelopment.org or 518-585-6366. Construction cannot begin until the coalition issues its written Notice to Proceed. This is a contractor procurement, not an open homeowner application or a completed housing project.
Winter improvements: help for eligible owners and renters
As households prepare for colder weather, NYSERDA’s EmPower+ program provides a place to check eligibility for a no-cost home energy assessment and assistance with approved efficiency improvements. Eligible participants can include homeowners and renters in one- to four-family homes.
For upstate single-family households, the program lists no-cost improvements capped at $12,000 for low-income participants and incentives covering 50% of eligible costs, up to $6,000, for moderate-income participants. Insulation and air sealing are priorities. These are program incentives, not automatic cash payments or a guarantee that every project will be entirely free; separate supplementary programs may have different rules.
Check the current income-eligibility guidelines before applying. The program FAQ says work already completed cannot be reimbursed. Rental projects may require owner involvement, depending on the work.
- Jefferson, Lewis, St. Lawrence, Franklin, Clinton and Essex: North Country Clean Energy Hub, 518-891-6200 ext. 108.
- Oswego: EnergySmart CNY, 315-313-5050.
Service areas and contact numbers were checked against NYSERDA’s regional hub directory on November 9. This is a current reader-service resource, not a newly announced grant award.
Sources and local property resources
The market table uses Realtor.com’s current county file and historical county file, both issued November 4. October observations agree between the files for all seven New York counties. The FRED county median-listing-price release table is another way to explore the source series. Comparisons here use the refreshed Realtor.com files rather than mixing cached FRED pages or local market summaries from different releases.
Visit the Northern New York Real Estate Hub for property-search links, interactive market charts, county sales reports and local development resources. Listing availability and property details should be confirmed with the listing broker.
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