Scranton, Pennsylvania Housing Market

How much can you negotiate in Scranton?

Only 44 out of every 100 homes for sale have found a buyer. The other 56 are still waiting. Your offer may be the only one on the table. About 1 in 4 sellers has already dropped their price. Each one has learned their first price was too high. Start below their new price, not their old one.

A typical Scranton home takes 54 days to find a buyer. Half of them take even longer. That is 14% slower than a year ago. Those sellers are paying to own a house they want to sell. Search for homes listed 60+ days ago. There are 184 homes for sale in Scranton. That is 3.0 times the tightest month on record, but below the peak of 470. Supply is growing against last year.

What to do about it

• Start in 18512, 18505, and 18504. Those are the three softest ZIP codes in Scranton.
• Filter for homes listed 60+ days ago that have already cut their price.
• Offer below the reduced price.
• Keep your inspection and financing contingencies.
• In 18512 only 33 out of 100 homes have a buyer. You can lose a few offers there and still win.

Is now a good time to buy in Scranton?

Asking prices are at their highest point on record. You are buying at the top. Underwrite it that way. Prices are rising again. Every month you wait costs money. The question is no longer when. It is which house. Scranton prices have risen in 100 of the last 111 months. Drops here have been short and shallow. Buying in a slow month has rarely hurt a long hold.

This market is turning. Which way is not settled yet. Check the monthly numbers above before you commit.

Who will rent from you in Scranton?

In Scranton, 46 out of every 100 households rent. That is nearly half. The renter share is shrinking. Five years ago it was 48 in 100. Renter households average 2.1 people. Singles and couples rent here. Two bedrooms beat four.

Households grew 1% in five years. The housing stock grew 1%. The two are moving in step. 13.4% of homes sit empty. Tenants have options. Budget extra weeks of vacancy between leases.

The median Scranton household earns $54,389 a year. Incomes here have grown 4.3% a year since 2019. Home prices have outrun incomes. Locals are being priced out. A typical home costs 4.3 times the median income. That is the national middle. Neither cash flow nor appreciation is free here. A tenant on the median income can pay about $1,360 a month. That is the standard 30% affordability line. Rents above it thin your tenant pool fast.

That is the market, not your address. Run an address through the app to see its rent estimate and cash flow.

What numbers should you underwrite a Scranton deal with?

• Price growth to assume — +8.0%/yr. Scranton has grown about 8.5% a year for five years and for ten. That is a durable trend, not a boom artifact. It is a fair long-run input. Prices rose 7.0% over the last year. That is a timing signal, not a trend.
• Months of carrying cost — 2. A typical home takes 54 days to sell. Budget that long when you exit or refinance. It is 14% slower than a year ago.
• Odds you cut your price to sell — 1 in 4. About 24% of homes on the Scranton market right now have already cut their asking price. Assume you are one of them when you sell. Do not underwrite an exit at your asking price.
• Comp on this, not median price — $134/sqft. The average listing runs +11% above the median. Luxury homes skew it. Comp your own size class per sqft.
• Competition when you exit — +29%. That is how much the number of homes for sale grew in a year. Your resale will face a bigger crowd than today's comps did.
• Price-to-income ratio — 4.3×. A typical home costs 4.3 times the median income. That is the national middle. Neither cash flow nor appreciation is free here. Home prices have outrun incomes. Locals are being priced out.
• Tenant rent ceiling — $1,360/mo. 30% of the median household income of $54,389. Rents above this line shrink your tenant pool fast.

New to these numbers? Read how days on market and rent-to-price work, then run the numbers on a deal.

Is Scranton a buyer's or seller's market in 2026?

Yes, if you negotiate. Buyers have the upper hand in Scranton right now. 44 out of every 100 homes for sale have a buyer, 24% of sellers have cut their price, and a typical home takes 54 days to sell.

Are Scranton home prices going up or down?

Asking prices are at their highest point on record. You are buying at the top. Underwrite it that way. Prices are rising again. Every month you wait costs money. The question is no longer when. It is which house.

What price growth should I assume for Scranton?

Assume +8.0% a year. Scranton has grown about 8.5% a year for five years and for ten. That is a durable trend, not a boom artifact. It is a fair long-run input. Prices rose 7.0% over the last year. That is a timing signal, not a trend.

How fast are homes selling in Scranton?

A typical Scranton home takes 54 days to find a buyer. Half of them take even longer. That is 14% slower than a year ago. Those sellers are paying to own a house they want to sell. Search for homes listed 60+ days ago.

Is Scranton a renters' market or an owners' market?

In Scranton, 46 out of every 100 households rent. That is nearly half. The renter share is shrinking. Five years ago it was 48 in 100. 13.4% of homes sit empty. Tenants have options. Budget extra weeks of vacancy between leases.

What rent can Scranton tenants afford?

A tenant on the median income can pay about $1,360 a month. That is the standard 30% affordability line. Rents above it thin your tenant pool fast. The median Scranton household earns $54,389 a year.

Which Scranton ZIP code has the most negotiating room?

18512. Only 33 out of 100 homes there have a buyer. 36% of sellers there have cut their price, and a typical home takes 49 days to sell.