We buy houses in Rochester, NY
We buy houses in Rochester, NY for cash, in any condition. You pay no agent commissions and make no repairs before you sell. We buy with our own money, so we can commit to a closing date. Market figures below cover August 2026 and were last refreshed on September 17, 2026.
The typical home in Rochester, NY is worth around $287,000, below the national typical value of $369,000. That value is up about 4.9% over the past year. It is a market-wide figure. A house that needs major work sits well below it, and a renovated one sits above.
The Rochester market right now
- Typical home value
- $287,000
- Days to go under contract
- 17 days
- Listings cutting their price
- 14.9%
- Compared to nationally
- 22% lower
- Homes for sale
- 2,006
- New listings a month
- 1,147
- Months of supply
- 1.8
- Sales closing below asking
- 11.8%
+4.9% over the past year
+13% vs. a year ago
+1.3% vs. a year ago
National typical value is $369,000
+6% vs. a year ago
+4% vs. a year ago
Tight market, limited buyer choice
Nationally 50.0%
Rochester, NY housing figures for August 2026, except the share closing below asking, which Zillow publishes a month behind and covers July 2026. Last refreshed September 17, 2026. Source: Zillow Research. Months of supply is calculated here as for-sale inventory divided by the monthly sales count. These are market-wide figures, not a valuation of any individual property.
What the Rochester numbers mean for your sale
Houses here go under contract in about 17 days on average. That is quick, since the national figure is closer to 53 days. At this pace, a house in good shape with a sensible price usually sells the normal way without much trouble. So if your house shows well and you have no deadline, listing it in Rochester will likely net you more than a cash sale. We would rather tell you that than talk you out of it.
About 14.9% of listings in Rochester have cut their asking price, below the national share of 26.4%. Few price cuts suggests sellers here price close to what the market will pay, and get it. That is a fair setting for listing a house in good shape.
If timing is your main question, see how long it takes to sell a house in Rochester. It goes stage by stage, including what a normal sale adds after the house goes under contract.
If the real question is whether you can afford to keep it, see what it costs to own a home in Rochester. That includes what owners with no mortgage left still pay.
When selling for cash still makes sense in a fast market
Rochester moves quickly enough that a house in good shape does not need us. We are still the better answer when the house cannot be shown well. That means major repairs you will not pay for, a tenant in place, an inherited house full of belongings, or a probate timeline. It also means a deadline that a 30-to-60-day mortgage approval cannot meet. Speed and certainty are what we sell. In a market this quick, only buy them if you really need them.
How the sale runs, from first call to closing, is on how it works. The side-by-side with listing through an agent, including the row where listing wins, is on cash offer vs realtor.
Filing your Rochester deed with the Monroe County Clerk
Deeds for Rochester property are recorded by the Monroe County Clerk. The clerk is the county's official registrar of deeds, mortgages, judgments, and liens. The office is at 39 West Main Street, Room 105.
Every deed must be a dated original, the clerk says. It needs:
- both parties' names and addresses
- a full legal description naming the municipality
- the new tax number
- a notary acknowledgment matching the signature.
Each deed must also come with a completed TP-584 transfer tax return and an RP-5217 equalization form.
New York's real estate transfer tax is $2 for each $500 of the price. The clerk posts it as $4 per thousand. By our own math, a $150,000 sale pays $600.
The law makes it the seller's tax, so it falls on you unless your contract says otherwise. If a seller fails to pay, the buyer must pay, and both become liable (N.Y. Tax Law § 1404).
The fee list adds:
- $50 for a one page deed
- $5 for the TP-584
- $125 for the RP-5217 when the property class code is residential.
There is also a $10 residential deed fee, in place since March 11, 2020.
Sources: Monroe County Clerk: Land Records, Recording and Filing Fees; New York State Department of Taxation and Finance: Real estate transfer tax; New York State Senate: Tax Law section 1404, Liability for tax.
Three taxing bodies on one Rochester parcel
The City of Rochester taxes one, two, and three family houses at a homestead rate. All other property pays a higher non-homestead rate.
For 2026-27, the homestead rate is $4.396 per $1,000 of assessed value for the city. It is $6.884 for the school district, a combined $11.280. The matching non-homestead figure is $25.499.
Monroe County's 2026 rate of $5.6567 and a Pure Waters capital charge of $1.279001 come on a separate county bill. The city says that bill is issued December 31. All together, the city lists a homestead total of $18.215701 per $1,000.
The city's July bill also carries frontage charges for plowing, street cleaning, and sidewalk work. It adds a refuse charge by house size:
- $411 for a one family house
- $827 for two family
- $917 for three family.
When a prior owner's tax exemption is removed at a sale or at death, the city may add a supplemental tax to recover it. Ask about this on an inherited house.
New York's condition form, with no buyout option
If you sell a one to four family home, you must fill out and sign the property condition disclosure statement. You deliver it to the buyer or the buyer's agent before the buyer signs a binding contract (N.Y. Real Property Law § 462).
A copy signed by both of you is attached to the contract. The same law says you and the buyer are still free to agree to an as is sale. It does not require you to inspect the house or search public records to fill out the form.
The New York State Bar Association reports a change from Chapter 484 of the Laws of 2023. It removed the $500 credit sellers once gave instead of the form. The change took effect in March 2024.
It also added seven flood questions, bringing the total to 56. The form now asks if the property is in a FEMA floodplain. It asks if flood insurance is required or in place. It also asks if you have filed a flood claim or received federal flood aid.
A seller is liable only for a willful failure to follow the law. In that case, the seller owes the buyer's actual damages plus other remedies (N.Y. Real Property Law § 465).
Sources: New York State Senate: Real Property Law section 462, Property condition disclosure statement; New York State Senate: Real Property Law section 465, Liability; New York State Bar Association: Property Condition Disclosure Act Amended; New Requirements Go Into Effect in March.
Rental certificates and Monroe County estates
If the house is a one or two family rental you do not live in, the City of Rochester requires a certificate of occupancy. You renew it every six years.
It is every three years if the property is in the Lead High-Risk Area or inspectors find worn paint inside.
One and two family homes where the owner lives do not need one. But the city notes a certificate may be required when a building is newly occupied or re-occupied. The city also notes that certificate and permit fees changed on July 1, 2026.
Estates of Monroe County residents go through the Monroe County Surrogate's Court. It is in the Hall of Justice, 99 Exchange Boulevard, 5th floor, Room 541. The court does not take personal checks.
The court's small estate process is limited to estates of $50,000 or less. It is described as covering personal property only. A real estate attorney can confirm what your estate needs before a house is sold.
Sources: City of Rochester: When is a Certificate of Occupancy required?; New York State Unified Court System: Monroe County Surrogate's Court; New York State Unified Court System, 7th Judicial District: Small Estate Proceedings.
Local facts checked September 2026. Rates and rules change; a real estate attorney or the office named above can confirm them for your property.
Markets near Rochester
We buy across this whole region, including the towns between these metros.
Selling a house in Rochester
- Who pays the transfer tax when I sell a house in Rochester?
- The seller pays, unless the contract says otherwise (N.Y. Tax Law § 1404). The rate is $2 per $500 of the price. It is paid with the TP-584 when the deed is filed with the Monroe County Clerk.
- What is Rochester's 2026-27 homestead tax rate?
- The city lists $4.396 per $1,000 of assessed value for the city and $6.884 for schools, a combined $11.280. With Monroe County's 2026 rate and the Pure Waters charge, the listed homestead total is $18.215701 per $1,000.
- Can I still give a $500 credit instead of a disclosure form in New York?
- No. The New York State Bar Association says the 2023 change that took effect in March 2024 removed that credit. Sellers of one to four family homes must deliver the signed disclosure statement before the buyer signs a binding contract.
Tell us what you need for your Rochester house
Two minutes to ask, no obligation, and no fee whatever you decide. If we are not the right answer, we will say so.
Sabrina usually picks up. (615) 576-8827