Home shoppers in New York City and Washington, D.C., make up more than a third of the out-of-town views to Rochester-area listings on Realtor.com.

And while clicking on an online listing doesn’t necessary equate to a purchase or even an interest in buying, out of town buyers from more expensive markets like New York City and the nation’s capital do put pressure on local home shoppers if they do begin the relocation process.

Data in Realtor.com’s 2026 Cross-Market Demand study shows that in the second quarter, 24.7 percent of views to Rochester listings on its site came from the New York City metro area, where the median home price is nearly 60 percent higher.

Another 11.5 percent of views initiated in the metro area of Washington, D.C./Alexandria, Virginia, where the median listing price of $579,450 in July made Rochester’s $307,450 look like a major bargain.

“I think, with the affordability being an issue in some of the larger cities, they’re looking at Rochester and some of Western New York options to see what $1 million can get them, or even just $500,000 can get them,” said Jeremias Maneiro, broker with The Maneiro Team at RE/MAX Realty Group.

If those buyers are considering relocating, they can disrupt the local market because they’re usually bringing a larger bankroll to the bidding table.

“An out-of-area buyer is usually working from a different price anchor,” Maneiro said, “so what looks aggressive to a local buyer looks like a bargain to them, and that pressure lands on local first-time buyers rather than on the seller.

“They are almost always the ones who will reset the top end of an area or price point because it’s still a better ‘deal’ than New York City or California.”

Out-of-market shopping increased significantly in the second quarter, at least based on listing views, Realtor.com said. The national average of 60.1 percent of out-of-market views was up from 48.2 percent in the pre-pandemic second quarter of 2019.

“Home shoppers are increasingly looking beyond the market where they live, but the reasons may vary by metro,” Jiayi Xu, senior economist at Realtor.com, said in a news release. “Where prices have outrun local budgets, shoppers are looking farther afield, sometimes toward a more affordable nearby market and sometimes toward a stronger job center.”

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