Okay, can we talk about what the heck happened to our housing market? 😂🏡
Because I have been fascinated by this ever since COVID!
Seriously, remember what houses around here used to sell for? And then seemingly overnight, home prices just exploded!
I’ve had my own little theory about why.
Before COVID, most people had to live relatively close to where they worked. If the good-paying jobs were somewhere else, that’s usually where you had to be.
Then COVID happened, remote work became an option for a whole lot more people, and suddenly living somewhere like our little corner of Upstate New York became a real possibility.
And let’s face it, we’ve always had a pretty beautiful place to live!
We’re between Albany and Syracuse, surrounded by lakes, countryside, little villages, and enough deer to start their own homeowners association. 😂
You can get to so many places within 20 minutes, 45 minutes, or an hour, and the drive usually involves more trees than traffic lights.
I think people from more expensive areas started realizing what their money could buy here, and things got interesting!
Of course, historically low mortgage rates and limited housing inventory were big factors too. But how much did remote work and people moving into our area actually change our market?
And more importantly, where are we heading now?
I get asked about the housing market everywhere I go. At the grocery store, around town, pretty much anywhere someone knows I’m a Realtor. 😂
And I LOVE these conversations!
So I figured, why not bring everybody into them?
I want to start something here where we take one house at a time, look at what it actually sold for, what it was originally listed for, how long it took to sell, and what the numbers might tell us about our local market.
Not just Fort Plain. Canajoharie, Nelliston, Palatine Bridge, St. Johnsville, Oppenheim, Ephratah, Minden, and wherever else we find something interesting!
Real houses. Real numbers. Real conversations.
And I think I’ve got a pretty interesting one to kick things off!
🏡 46 Clinton Avenue, Fort Plain
If you’re familiar with Prospect Hill, you probably know this house!
This latest sale really caught my attention.
Here’s what happened.
December 28, 2016: sold for $132,500
July 17, 2026: listed for $399,900
August 3, 2026: pending
October 2, 2026: sold for $390,000
That is 17 calendar days from listing to pending, rather than a confirmed MLS days-on-market figure.
In December 2016, this property sold for $132,500.
Fast forward to July 2026, and it was listed for $399,900.
It went under contract in early August and officially closed October 2nd for $390,000!
That’s $9,900 below asking price.
The $257,500 question
But here’s the number that really gets me.
The difference between its 2016 sale price and its 2026 sale price is $257,500!
😳
Now, obviously, that doesn’t mean the market alone increased the value by that amount. The house has had updates, and condition, improvements, and individual property features make a huge difference.
But isn’t that fascinating?
And this is exactly the kind of thing I want to explore.
What does a sale like this tell us? Is it a reflection of how much our area has changed? Are we seeing a new normal in home prices? Or is this simply an exceptional property that attracted the right buyer?
One house can’t answer all those questions, but it sure can start a conversation!
What are you seeing around town?
I’m curious what everybody thinks.
Do you remember what houses on Prospect Hill were selling for before COVID? Do you think we’re going to continue seeing these kinds of prices in our small towns?
And most importantly, are you guys as interested in this stuff as I am? 😂
Because I could geek out over this all day, but I also don’t want to be that person who turns everybody’s Facebook feed into a real estate commercial!
Let’s talk about it!
For more local context, visit my Fort Plain and Nelliston page, including recent-sale searches. You can also see homes I’ve helped clients buy and sell, a separate collection from these community market stories.
Carrie Smith, Realtor®
Krutz Properties
Disclaimer: These are 100% my thoughts, opinions, and endless ramblings about real estate. AI just helped me turn them into actual sentences because apparently I have a lot to say. 😂
About the numbers
Sale and listing dates were checked October 21, 2026 against the Global MLS-sourced listing history on Zillow, MLS #202622007 and prior MLS #201614686. The listing was represented by Laurie L. Weingart of Krutz Properties LLC. This is community sale analysis, not a claim that I personally represented this transaction. The $257,500 is the difference between two sale prices, not a measure of overall market appreciation.
