How Hard Is It To Sell A Ranch House in Buffalo, New York?

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As a homeowner you might be curious to what the demand might be like for your ranch house in the Buffalo, New York area. 

• Are modern buyers looking for a house that feels a bit more contemporary with 2 floors?  

  
  

• Are single story houses perceived unfavorably in the local real estate market?  

  
  

• How much more attractive are ranch houses when compared to other single family properties? 

These might be some of the questions you’re considering.

Today, let’s look at how ranch houses are selling across all of Erie County.  

SOLD with Roncroft! B1417545

We have taken a general look at the trends to help you understand the local Western New York market for ranch houses. 

In the following table you will see the WNYREIS (Western New York Real Estate Information System) MLS breakdown of all the Erie County New York ranch houses listed, sold, under contract and pending between 3/22/2025 and going back to 9/23/2024 (180 days).  

WNYREIS MLS (as of 3/22/2025)

For further reference, here are some status definitions: 

Active Listings - Houses currently being advertised for sale, right now. 

Under Contract - The seller has received an acceptable offer, however in most cases, the escrow “good faith” deposit from the purchasing party has not been collected. 

Pending Sale - The seller has received an acceptable offer and the transaction is in the process of closing.  

Sold / Closed - Successfully completed transactions, a.k.a. SOLD. 

(FYI, No rental data was included. The system defaults to "S-Closed/Rented" as the status, even if no rental data is used. This table is based solely on closed sales.)

Now that we have the definitions out of the way, let’s look deeper at the numbers.

Two of the major questions sellers ask are typically, 

1.  “How much can I sell my house for?”

2. “How long will it take to sell my house?"

Based on the table for all of Erie County, you will notice that for Status S - Closed Sales, the average sale price to list price ratio is 106%.  The median sale price to list price ratio is 103%.

Therefore in extremely general terms, the tendency is for ranch houses to sell in the range of 106% of their list price, and 50% listed sell at or above 103% of their list price. 

What does it mean when a house sells at 106% or 103% of its list price?  

Here is an easy example. 

Let’s say Ronda lists her house for $400,000 

If it sells for 106% of the list price then she would receive. 

1.06 * $400,000 list price = $424,000

She’s earned an extra $24,000 more than what she initially asked.  Great for her! 

Here's another example: 

Let’s say Ronda’s house sold for 103% of the list price 

Then she’s earned, 

1.03 * $400,000 list price = $412,000 

In this scenario Ronda made $12,000 extra. 

Most would say that this outcome is still acceptable.   

As someone still considering selling a house, it’s important to keep in mind that those results are not guaranteed.

All we can infer from the data is that 50% of the recent sellers of ranch homes earned 103% of whatever list price they desired.

SOLD with Roncroft! B1280512

So to answer the second question, “ How long will it take to sell my ranch house? “, the most important statistic to consider is the DOM or Days On Market. 

In our MLS, days on market is a measure of the duration between the date the house was listed and the date that a contract was signed for an accepted offer.  

For instance, if Ronda puts her house on the market on 4/1/2025 and she accepts an offer and signs a contract on 4/10/2025, then the Days On Market will show as 10 days.  

You will notice in this table that of the houses that SOLD, the average DOM is 18 days and the median DOM is only 9 days.  

Generally, ranch homes are selling within 18 days on market and half are selling in only 9 days or less.  

This is helpful information to keep in mind because it can help us to better understand the effectiveness of the efforts to market one’s house. 

Indeed, one of the most uncertain times for sellers are the days spent waiting between when the house is listed and when it finally receives an acceptable offer.  

Unfortunately, some houses never receive an acceptable offer and go off the market into the expired list. 

Here are the statistics on the latest ranch houses throughout the Buffalo area that did not sell.  

WNYREIS MLS Expired Listing Stats going 180 back from 3/22/2025

You will notice that the average DOM for expired listings of ranch houses was 83 days and the median was 62 days.  

Not too great. 😬

As the owner of a ranch, you are already familiar with what makes them such a wonderful style of house to enjoy.

Here are some of the anecdotal reasons that we’re hearing in the market on why ranch houses are sought after with enthusiasm. 

• "Single-Story living is more easy and accessible for those with mobility issues"

  
  

• "Ranches tend to have larger living spaces"

  
  

• "Roof repairs tend to cost less because they are closer to the ground"

  
  

• "In the unfortunate event of a home fire, everyone in the household can escape through 1st floor windows."

  
  

• "The lots that ranch houses are built on also tend to be expansive"

Which features of your ranch do you think will get the most attention? 

Let us know in the comments!