February 2026 Massachusetts Housing Report

February was the emptiest month the Greater Boston market saw all year.

Inventory fell 32.7% in Suffolk County and 28.4% in Essex against February 2025 — the steepest year-over-year contractions of 2026 in either county. Across the region, only 1,732 single-family homes closed statewide, the lowest monthly total of the year.

And underneath it, pending sales rose in all five counties.

The short version

• Inventory at its 2026 floor in three counties — Suffolk 99 homes, Essex 293, Worcester 568
• Months supply 0.8 to 1.2 across the region
• Pending sales up everywhere — Suffolk +27.7%, Norfolk +13.8%, Worcester +10.7%
• Essex was the only county with rising sales, up 4.5%
• New listings fell in all five counties — Suffolk down 29.4%

What happened across the region

The February story is the January story intensified. Buyers kept transacting; there was progressively less for them to transact on.

New listings fell in every county — 29.4% in Suffolk, 17.9% in Essex, 14.1% in Middlesex. That is the supply side simply not showing up. Meanwhile pending sales rose across the board, most sharply in Suffolk at 27.7%.

Prices softened modestly in most of the region, which is what you would expect when the transactions that do occur skew toward whatever is available rather than whatever is best. Middlesex fell 7.5% to $786,000, Suffolk 12.9% to $700,000, Norfolk 2.8% to $743,750. Only Essex rose, and only by 1.2%.

Homes took longer to sell almost everywhere — Essex 53 days, Middlesex 56, Worcester 60. Suffolk was the exception at 42 days, down 39.1%, on a small enough sample to treat cautiously.

County by county

Essex County was the region's only county with rising sales: 184 closings, up 4.5%, at a median of $695,525, up 1.2%. Inventory fell 28.4% to 293 homes and months supply hit 0.8 — the tightest reading in the region. New listings fell 17.9%.

Middlesex County closed 342 sales, down 3.7%, at a median of $786,000, down 7.5%. Homes took 56 days to sell, up from 47. Inventory fell 12.0%. The pending number rose only 2.5%, the weakest forward signal of the five.

Norfolk County had the sharpest sales decline: 162 closings, down 19.4%, at a median of $743,750, down 2.8%. But pending sales rose 13.8% to 256 and inventory fell 16.4%, so the weakness was in what completed rather than what started.

Suffolk County recorded 38 single-family closings — the smallest count in the region and small enough that percentage changes are noisy. Inventory fell 32.7% to 99 homes. The condo market, which is Suffolk's real market, saw 176 sales at a median of $679,000, down 13.2%.

Worcester County closed 274 sales, down 9.9%, at a median of $482,500, down 1.5%. Homes took 60 days to sell, the slowest in the region. Pending sales rose 10.7% to 353.

What this means if you're buying

February 2026 was, on the evidence, the hardest month of the year to find a house in Greater Boston. Not the most competitive — that came later — but the emptiest.

The one advantage was that sellers received between 98.0% and 99.2% of original list price. Below asking, in every county. Buyers who did find something had more room to negotiate in February than at any point that followed.

Worcester at a $482,500 median, against $786,000 in Middlesex, remained the region's affordability release valve.

What this means if you're selling

With months supply between 0.8 and 1.2, February sellers faced almost no competition. The counterweight is that buyer volume was also at its floor, and homes took longer to sell than they had a year earlier in four of five counties.

The rise in pending sales across every county was the signal worth reading. March and April closings were always going to be stronger than February's, and sellers who listed into that recovering demand — rather than waiting for the spring crowd — met buyers before the supply arrived.

About this data

Figures are from the Massachusetts Association of REALTORS® Local Market Update for February 2026, drawn from the Berkshire County MLS, Cape Cod & Islands Association of REALTORS®, Inc. and MLS Property Information Network, Inc. Data provided by MAR, © ShowingTime Plus, LLC.

"Percent of Original List Price Received" divides sale price by the original list price, which differs from the New Hampshire reports' use of the most recent list price — the two are not directly comparable. "Median sales price" does not account for seller concessions.

MAR notes that activity for one month can look extreme in smaller counties due to sample size. Suffolk County single-family figures rest on a small number of transactions and should be read accordingly.