The Hudson Valley housing market continues to rank as one of the hottest in the nation, and the upward trend is expected to continue this year, according to those in the industry.

Trevor Moran, president of The Truss Group, has witnessed the competition, helping buyers and sellers land in the right home amid a changing landscape in the valley.

“With this comes a lot of redevelopment and fixing up of homes that may have been left for dead,” said Moran. “But there are pluses and minuses in everything. For a lot of people that have seen it a certain way for a long time, that can be scary.”

According to the National Association of Realtors, millennials make up 37% of potential homebuyers, and the Hudson Valley continues to be a destination on the rise. Hudson’s hot home market is now moving, with Kingston expected to see the next wave of new residents.

According to Redfin, a real estate brokerage company, the national average for a home to last on the market was just 15 days.

Moran's most recent listing in Kingston didn’t last more than a week on the market without an offer, eventually going under contract with a woman moving from Brooklyn that stopped by an open house he hosted at the property.

Moran was once in her position, moving up north after falling in love with the region and wanting a safe place to start a family.

“I took a look around at the start of the movement, saw the opportunity and thought, ‘this could be a really good shift,’ ” said Moran.

He’s seen Hudson's exponential growth firsthand, and works from spots like Moto Coffee. He appreciates the Hudson Valley’s distant creativity and personality.

Fifteen years after owning property in the valley, Moran now receives phone calls from realtors all over the country whose clients want to call the Hudson Valley home.

“I love playing a part and role in making this Hudson Valley more interesting in bringing a greater diversity of people, and see who finds their way up here,” said Moran.

He shared that some potential clients have hailed from Texas or California, looking to escape extreme weather that's plagued the regions.

“My first thoughts are that I’m lucky I’m here, and my thoughts are ‘oh my gosh, what it must feel like to be in a place where you have to worry on a daily basis of that threat,' ” said Moran.

Between the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and long-distance moves, Moran finds himself using video tours to keep clients at the front of his mind and competitive in the current housing market.

“In an environment that we’re in, which is very much a seller’s market, it is very good to be aware of all your potential avenues and levers to pull on the buyer’s side,” said Moran.

In a real estate market flush with all-cash offers and very little contingencies, Moran has a tip: Bring an inspector, along with the potential buyer, during a second walk-through to point any glaring issues with the home. This gives the buyer more options when discussing contingencies to include in their offer.

He encourages this tactic for offers on newer homes hooked up to city water and sewage, since those are two major expenses, but a safe risk because of their reliance in a larger system's infrastructure.

“It has to be done strategically and carefully, but we’ve had a number of cases where people have been able to win out bids because of that, and they end up being fine and safe because we gave it a once over,” said Moran. “It’s meant to be there to protect you against the bigger unknowns. You can really mitigate your risks a tremendous amount.”