The Context Report, Issue No. 3: August 2026
Single-family sales closed in July 2026, by region and town. Archived as published. For current numbers, see the latest update.
2,567 single-family closings across 129 towns in seven regions.
| Region | Closings | Towns |
|---|---|---|
| Greater Boston | 656 | 26 |
| Metro West | 434 | 21 |
| Northwest Suburbs | 203 | 11 |
| Southwest Suburbs | 233 | 13 |
| North Shore | 298 | 22 |
| South Shore | 422 | 21 |
| Merrimack Valley | 321 | 15 |
† jumbo rate used · * residential exemption available, not applied · ‡ fewer than 5 sales
Greater Boston
Cambridge took the price crown this month at a $2,480,000 median. Twelve of the twenty-six towns closed July above $1M. From Cambridge down to Chelsea, that's a spread of more than $1.8M. WIDE. The year-over-year picture is more mixed. Milton led the gains at +9.0%, Winchester led the declines at -8.0%, the two widest moves on the page. Six of the twenty-six towns are down from a year ago.
| Town | Median | Sales | Est. carrying cost / mo | 12-mo median | 12-mo change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cambridge †* | $2,480,000 | 22 | $14,428 | $2,490,000 | +7.9% |
| Brookline †* | $2,325,000 | 9 | $14,218 | $2,582,500 | -0.7% |
| Winchester † | $2,025,000 | 27 | $12,525 | $1,730,000 | -8.0% |
| Belmont † | $1,862,500 | 16 | $11,587 | $1,725,000 | +3.0% |
| Newton † | $1,755,000 | 69 | $10,652 | $1,837,000 | -4.8% |
| Lexington † | $1,580,000 | 47 | $9,935 | $1,750,000 | -7.9% |
| Arlington † | $1,370,000 | 27 | $8,427 | $1,283,000 | +5.2% |
| Watertown * | $1,110,000 | 5 | $6,897 | $1,050,000 | +5.5% |
| Melrose | $1,075,000 | 29 | $6,614 | $995,000 | +7.0% |
| Reading | $1,050,000 | 35 | $6,416 | $962,500 | +6.9% |
| Milton | $1,002,500 | 18 | $6,196 | $1,090,000 | +9.0% |
| Somerville * | $1,002,500 | 8 | $6,127 | $1,365,000 | +5.8% |
| Waltham * | $912,000 | 19 | $5,524 | $870,000 | +1.2% |
| Boston * | $898,485 | 107 | $5,598 | $865,000 | -1.7% |
| Medford | $895,750 | 28 | $5,299 | $902,500 | +0.2% |
| Stoneham | $860,000 | 18 | $5,190 | $849,999 | +0.6% |
| Woburn | $837,000 | 25 | $4,988 | $785,000 | +1.6% |
| Dedham | $814,250 | 32 | $5,066 | $775,000 | pending |
| Wakefield | $785,000 | 15 | $4,847 | $845,000 | +1.8% |
| Quincy | $760,000 | 37 | $4,696 | $740,500 | +1.4% |
| Winthrop | $747,000 | 7 | $4,575 | $723,500 | +0.5% |
| Saugus | $735,000 | 21 | $4,458 | $700,000 | +5.3% |
| Everett * | $725,000 | 5 | $4,530 | $667,500 | +0.1% |
| Malden * | $700,000 | 15 | $4,303 | $705,000 | -2.1% |
| Revere | $680,500 | 12 | $4,043 | $677,000 | +1.0% |
| Chelsea ‡* | $645,000 | 3 | $3,969 | $696,000 | +0.9% |
Metro West
Wellesley and Weston are the only two towns above $2M. Add Dover and Needham and you've got the four very expensive towns at the top tier. The year-over-year numbers don't move together, though. Dover is up 18.5%. Sherborn is down 12.5%. Eight of the twenty-one towns tracked downward. And the cheap end keeps shrinking. Only four towns are still under $750K: Framingham, Hudson, Ashland, and Maynard.
| Town | Median | Sales | Est. carrying cost / mo | 12-mo median | 12-mo change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wellesley † | $2,772,000 | 31 | $16,935 | $2,400,000 | +12.7% |
| Weston † | $2,695,000 | 11 | $16,624 | $2,600,000 | +2.0% |
| Dover † | $1,950,000 | 11 | $12,079 | $1,955,000 | +18.5% |
| Needham † | $1,850,000 | 35 | $11,404 | $1,830,000 | +3.5% |
| Sherborn † | $1,540,000 | 9 | $10,113 | $1,225,000 | -12.5% |
| Wayland † | $1,265,000 | 18 | $8,220 | $1,275,000 | +14.3% |
| Sudbury † | $1,190,000 | 32 | $7,677 | $1,202,500 | -2.5% |
| Hopkinton † | $1,156,000 | 28 | $7,441 | $1,151,000 | +14.0% |
| Natick | $1,090,000 | 35 | $6,770 | $1,080,000 | +1.9% |
| Bolton | $1,035,000 | 12 | $6,937 | $917,500 | -6.4% |
| Stow | $992,500 | 8 | $6,636 | $880,000 | +10.0% |
| Southborough | $975,000 | 9 | $6,234 | $975,000 | -2.1% |
| Holliston | $940,000 | 24 | $6,004 | $745,000 | +0.3% |
| Littleton | $902,500 | 16 | $5,745 | $770,000 | -11.8% |
| Marlborough | $856,350 | 16 | $5,202 | $616,100 | -0.6% |
| Westborough | $835,000 | 13 | $5,448 | $759,750 | -6.8% |
| Northborough | $810,000 | 19 | $5,210 | $745,000 | +1.8% |
| Maynard | $730,250 | 12 | $4,806 | $675,000 | +9.8% |
| Ashland | $730,000 | 23 | $4,567 | $743,198 | +3.9% |
| Hudson | $720,000 | 27 | $4,590 | $680,000 | +10.6% |
| Framingham | $680,000 | 45 | $4,204 | $700,000 | -0.7% |
Northwest Suburbs
Concord won on price at $1,750,000, though its trailing-twelve is flat at -0.1%. Boxborough posted the biggest year- over-year jump at +16.0%, on just six sales. Fun to look at, not much to learn from. The education is the six towns doing the most sales. Billerica, Wilmington, Westford, Acton, Burlington, and North Reading closed 163 of the 203 sales. Every one of them came in between -3.7% and +7.3% year over year. The high-volume core of the Northwest Suburbs is holding steady.
| Town | Median | Sales | Est. carrying cost / mo | 12-mo median | 12-mo change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Concord †* | $1,750,000 | 11 | $11,111 | $1,747,500 | -0.1% |
| Lincoln † | $1,550,000 | 5 | $9,746 | $1,592,500 | -9.6% |
| Bedford † | $1,337,000 | 11 | $8,427 | $1,072,000 | -4.8% |
| Carlisle † | $1,250,000 | 7 | $7,913 | $1,400,000 | -2.8% |
| Boxborough | $1,140,000 | 6 | $7,386 | $1,080,000 | +16.0% |
| Westford | $1,025,000 | 27 | $6,446 | $907,500 | -3.7% |
| Acton | $960,000 | 24 | $6,287 | $962,500 | +1.3% |
| Burlington | $907,500 | 24 | $5,373 | $850,000 | -1.2% |
| North Reading | $905,000 | 21 | $5,685 | $901,000 | +7.3% |
| Wilmington | $815,000 | 32 | $5,010 | $792,500 | +6.7% |
| Billerica | $730,000 | 35 | $4,500 | $711,000 | +1.4% |
Southwest Suburbs
Three towns crossed $1M: Medfield, Westwood, and Sharon. The others sat between $665,000 and $940,000. That's the story. Compared to what you're seeing everywhere else, the Southwest Suburbs generally have your money working the most. Walpole led the region year-over-year at +8.3%, with Millis just behind at +7.8%. Five of the thirteen are down, including Mansfield and Sharon. The whole region is sitting under the price point that most of Greater Boston cleared months ago.
| Town | Median | Sales | Est. carrying cost / mo | 12-mo median | 12-mo change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Medfield † | $1,250,000 | 18 | $7,986 | $1,150,000 | +4.5% |
| Westwood | $1,200,000 | 9 | $7,523 | $1,235,000 | +5.1% |
| Sharon | $1,020,000 | 22 | $6,758 | $804,000 | -5.4% |
| Franklin | $937,500 | 28 | $5,764 | $752,500 | +2.5% |
| Mansfield | $930,000 | 15 | $5,847 | $711,500 | -2.1% |
| Walpole | $878,045 | 31 | $5,474 | $850,000 | +8.3% |
| Wrentham | $872,500 | 12 | $5,383 | $770,000 | +4.4% |
| Canton | $850,000 | 17 | $5,108 | $850,000 | +4.9% |
| Foxboro | $753,000 | 20 | $4,729 | $735,000 | +3.6% |
| Medway | $715,500 | 12 | $4,553 | $723,750 | -3.6% |
| Millis | $708,500 | 8 | $4,586 | $773,500 | +7.8% |
| Stoughton | $683,000 | 26 | $4,222 | $630,000 | -1.5% |
| Norwood | $665,000 | 15 | $4,000 | $750,000 | -1.0% |
North Shore
Manchester-by-the-Sea was tops on price at $2,100,000, on just five sales. The biggest year-over-year gain went to Wenham at +30.4%, with Rockport (+22.5%) and Manchester (+22.2%) right behind. All single digits. Not much to take away. The towns actually selling houses look calmer. Beverly, Lynn, Marblehead, Peabody, Gloucester, and Lynnfield closed 170 of the 298 sales. Medians go from $623,500 in Lynn up to $1,250,000 in Marblehead, and every one of them is between -0.8% and +12.8% year over year. You can buy at a lot of different price points on the North Shore today. But, most of them are inching up.
| Town | Median | Sales | Est. carrying cost / mo | 12-mo median | 12-mo change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manchester-by-the-Sea † | $2,100,000 | 5 | $12,572 | $1,549,000 | +22.2% |
| Wenham † | $1,700,000 | 5 | $11,210 | $1,275,000 | +30.4% |
| Marblehead † | $1,250,000 | 32 | $7,469 | $1,128,000 | +9.5% |
| Nahant † | $1,219,838 | 6 | $7,332 | $919,838 | +5.1% |
| Lynnfield | $1,200,000 | 17 | $7,382 | $1,100,000 | +12.8% |
| Middleton | $1,190,000 | 9 | $7,433 | $1,025,000 | +6.3% |
| Newburyport | $1,175,000 | 14 | $7,013 | $1,070,000 | -8.5% |
| Rowley ‡ | $1,035,500 | 4 | $6,425 | $944,950 | +11.8% |
| Rockport | $967,500 | 6 | $5,710 | $1,032,434 | +22.5% |
| Hamilton | $935,000 | 11 | $6,031 | $845,000 | -6.7% |
| Ipswich | $895,000 | 7 | $5,455 | $937,500 | +4.2% |
| Topsfield | $888,000 | 5 | $5,774 | $961,000 | -2.2% |
| Salisbury | $850,300 | 6 | $5,122 | $667,500 | -15.2% |
| Swampscott | $846,000 | 12 | $5,242 | $872,500 | -5.2% |
| Gloucester | $806,250 | 18 | $4,815 | $775,000 | +4.4% |
| Beverly | $805,000 | 37 | $4,909 | $800,000 | +7.4% |
| Newbury | $802,500 | 10 | $4,979 | $920,000 | -5.6% |
| Salem | $779,000 | 15 | $4,748 | $707,500 | +1.8% |
| Peabody | $765,000 | 31 | $4,579 | $717,665 | +5.5% |
| Danvers | $751,500 | 12 | $4,572 | $728,000 | +0.4% |
| Lynn | $623,500 | 35 | $3,775 | $590,000 | -0.8% |
| Essex ‡ | $579,000 | 1 | $3,638 | $817,500 | -28.9% |
South Shore
Plymouth closed 91 sales in July. Weymouth 50, Marshfield 33. The South Shore sold 422 houses, and Plymouth was more than a fifth of that. Four towns cleared $1M: Cohasset, Hingham, Duxbury, and Norwell. The other seventeen run from $578,500 up to $957,000 and most had 10+ sales. Year over year, Scituate's trailing-twelve leads the region at +17.4% and Carver trails it at -8.0%. Only three of the twenty-one towns are down. One month doesn't undo a year.
| Town | Median | Sales | Est. carrying cost / mo | 12-mo median | 12-mo change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cohasset † | $1,735,000 | 13 | $10,770 | $1,565,000 | +4.4% |
| Hingham † | $1,427,500 | 24 | $8,757 | $1,432,500 | +5.7% |
| Duxbury † | $1,350,000 | 17 | $8,224 | $1,250,000 | +4.2% |
| Norwell | $1,012,500 | 24 | $6,344 | $1,100,000 | -3.9% |
| Scituate | $957,000 | 20 | $5,757 | $1,100,000 | +17.4% |
| Marshfield | $817,000 | 33 | $4,900 | $842,500 | +4.7% |
| Hull | $740,000 | 16 | $4,512 | $735,000 | +7.4% |
| Abington | $737,500 | 12 | $4,620 | $622,500 | +3.8% |
| Plympton ‡ | $735,000 | 3 | $4,754 | $722,500 | +3.9% |
| Hanover | $725,000 | 13 | $4,521 | $895,000 | +12.6% |
| Weymouth | $714,500 | 50 | $4,316 | $675,000 | +5.3% |
| Plymouth | $705,000 | 91 | $4,401 | $715,000 | +5.9% |
| Pembroke | $665,000 | 15 | $4,109 | $675,000 | +3.4% |
| Hanson | $645,000 | 8 | $4,054 | $640,000 | +10.3% |
| Holbrook | $637,500 | 8 | $3,956 | $567,500 | +9.1% |
| Kingston | $626,500 | 15 | $3,925 | $729,500 | -4.6% |
| Halifax | $623,000 | 9 | $3,969 | $577,000 | +11.6% |
| Carver | $600,000 | 11 | $3,799 | $569,000 | -8.0% |
| Randolph | $581,500 | 18 | $3,583 | $610,000 | +6.6% |
| Rockland | $580,000 | 14 | $3,685 | $615,000 | +13.5% |
| Whitman | $578,500 | 8 | $3,647 | $555,000 | +3.8% |
Merrimack Valley
West Newbury topped the region at $1,300,000, with Andover right behind at $1,200,000. Andover did it on 41 sales, though. That's real. The I-93 corridor is where most sales happen. Methuen, Dracut, Haverhill, Lowell, and Lawrence closed 140 sales in July, and every one of those towns has a median under $650,000. Haverhill alone had 47 sales. Most of the Valley is moving up: eleven of the fifteen towns are positive year over year, with Andover leading at +10.7%. Four are in the red: Merrimac (-7.3%), Groveland (-5.6%), Lawrence (-1.9%), and Amesbury (-0.1%).
| Town | Median | Sales | Est. carrying cost / mo | 12-mo median | 12-mo change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Newbury † | $1,300,000 | 7 | $7,940 | $1,015,000 | +1.5% |
| Andover | $1,200,000 | 41 | $7,467 | $1,140,000 | +10.7% |
| North Andover | $987,500 | 19 | $6,057 | $950,000 | +0.6% |
| Boxford | $974,750 | 14 | $6,165 | $1,075,000 | +3.0% |
| Georgetown | $900,000 | 9 | $5,709 | $760,000 | +3.4% |
| Amesbury | $765,000 | 20 | $4,935 | $698,950 | -0.1% |
| Chelmsford | $750,000 | 27 | $4,727 | $730,000 | +0.7% |
| Tewksbury | $725,500 | 26 | $4,530 | $730,000 | +1.0% |
| Groveland | $715,000 | 11 | $4,489 | $705,000 | -5.6% |
| Merrimac | $711,000 | 7 | $4,476 | $665,500 | -7.3% |
| Haverhill | $642,500 | 47 | $3,907 | $605,250 | +3.8% |
| Dracut | $582,500 | 24 | $3,497 | $590,000 | +1.7% |
| Lowell | $580,000 | 31 | $3,563 | $530,000 | +1.0% |
| Methuen | $567,500 | 30 | $3,441 | $615,000 | +0.8% |
| Lawrence | $522,500 | 8 | $3,092 | $525,000 | -1.9% |
Sources
- The Context Report, Issue No. 3, August 2026 (Team Brusil). MLS PIN closed single-family sales.
Questions this page answers
Is this the latest market report?
No. This is the archived Issue No. 3 (August 2026), kept as published for reference. For the most recent numbers, see the current Massachusetts housing market update.
What does the carrying cost include?
Estimated monthly principal, interest and property tax on the town median, with 20% down on a 30-year fixed loan at the trailing 30-day average rate, and the town's residential tax rate. It excludes insurance, PMI, HOA fees, maintenance and closing costs.
Why are some 12-month changes shown as pending?
A few figures in the original issue are being double-checked against the source data. We show them as pending rather than publish a number we have not confirmed.