Yates home prices are up 4.3 percent

    YATES COUNTY—The median home sales price and numbers of homes sold are both up in Yates County.
    According to the Greater Rochester Association of Realtors, the median price for a home sold in Yates County between Jan. 1, 2012, and June 30, 2012, was $120,000. During the same six month time period of 2011, the median price was $115,000. This was a 4.3 percent increase in the median price.
    Peter Stoller, director of communications for the GRAR, added the most expensive Yates Home to be sold in 2012 was for $959,000. He added it was 4,024 square feet and had six bedrooms and three bathrooms. The smallest home sold for $69,000. It had one bedroom and one bathroom with 200 square feet. Stoller pointed out one unique trend: 32 percent of the Yates homes sold in 2012 so far have been between $90,000 and $140,000.
    Stoller said the number of homes sold has also gone up. During the first half of this year, 104 single family homes were sold. In the first six months of 2011, 94 homes were sold, or a 10.6 percent increase.
    Mark Moon, with Nothnagle Realtors, said Yates County has a very “self sufficient market.” He said it’s a niche market where some people will move five to six times within Penn Yan over a lifetime and work with a realtor each time. He added Hammondsport is also a niche that “has seen an increase in activity.”
    He attributed some success to programs like the Keuka Housing Council, which offers grant money to first time home buyers. Moon added he hoped other nearby counties would establish similar programs.
    In Schuyler County to the south, the median price is down, while the number of homes sold is up slightly. According to the Elmira-Corning Regional Association of Realtors, the median home sale price between Jan. 1, 2012, and June 30, 2012, was $119,900. During the same six month time period of 2011, the median price was $125,750, or a 4.6 percent decrease.
    The number of homes sold in Schuyler was up 7.5 percent. During the first half of the year, 43 homes were sold in 2012. This number was just 40 in 2011.