BINGHAMTON, N.Y. -- The Binghamton was abuzz Monday after real estate expert Barbara Corcoran said the city was one of the top five hottest markets on NBC's the Today Show.

"Binghamton leads the nation in how quickly home prices are going up, and the reason for that is it's all about business," Corcoran told Today Show host Meredith Vieria.

Corcoran also cited increased jobs, and the contributions of Binghamton University.

Her analysis reflected 2nd quarter numbers put out by the National Association of Realtors.

Local realtors say now is a great time to buy.

"I think we're doing great relative to the rest of the country, and if you've got to pick five markets, I can't think of a better market than Binghamton," said Randy Templeman, an associate broker for RealtyUSA in Endwell.

The national attention also piqued the interest of Binghamton's Chamber of Commerce, which plans to use the Today Show segment to attract new investment.

"Absolutely. In fact, we had a luncheon today and this was one of the first things that we brought up. Just like when the university gets a top rating, this can only help our efforts," said Lou Santoni, the Chamber's interim president.

While most people seemed pretty pleased with Binghamton's positive economic assessment, the city does have to contend with some harsh realities; the least of which being a downturned national economy. And there are some local issues as well.

"Despite all the growth and some people making investments, we have had relatively flat tax revenues, and increasing costs," said Matt Ryan, Binghamton's Mayor.

Experts say even with the positive spin, people should remain cautious.

Despite a top-notch housing percentage increase, overall prices in the area remain relatively low.

Third quarter real estate numbers will be out in November, so we'll have to wait until then to see if Binghamton can continue to top the list.