March 2026 Massachusetts Housing Report

March was the month supply finally turned up — and prices went with it.

After two months of falling listings across every county, new listings rose 12.6% in Essex, 2.9% in Middlesex and 2.4% in Norfolk. And the Middlesex median jumped to $907,500, up 6.8% — its highest reading of the first quarter.

Statewide, 2,177 single-family homes closed across all fourteen counties, level with January and well ahead of February's 1,732.

The short version

• New listings rose in four of five counties after two months of decline
• Middlesex median hit $907,500, up 6.8%
• Pending sales strong everywhere — Norfolk +20.9%, Essex +16.8%
• Inventory still falling — Norfolk down 18.8%, Worcester down 16.3%
• Homes took longer to sell in all five counties

What happened across the region

Two things moved at once, and they pulled in opposite directions.

Supply improved. New listings rose in Essex, Middlesex, Norfolk and Suffolk, and Essex's 12.6% increase was the first meaningful addition of inventory the North Shore had seen in 2026. That is the spring market starting.

But total inventory kept falling — Norfolk down 18.8%, Worcester down 16.3%, Essex down 16.2% — because the new listings were being absorbed as fast as they arrived. Pending sales rose in all five counties, by 20.9% in Norfolk and 16.8% in Essex.

Prices responded. Middlesex rose 6.8%, Essex 4.3%, Worcester 2.6%. Sellers received right around 100% of original list price in Essex and Middlesex — the first time in 2026 the region reached asking.

Days on market rose in all five counties, which reads oddly against strengthening prices. March closings reflect winter contracts, so the slower pace describes January and February conditions rather than March's.

County by county

Essex County closed 187 single-family sales, down 19.4%, at a median of $735,000, up 4.3%. The headline decline is a timing artifact — pending sales rose 16.8% to 348 and new listings rose 12.6% to 430. Homes sold at exactly 100.0% of original list price. Essex condos rose 12.2% in count at a median of $480,000.

Middlesex County closed 441 sales, up 2.1%, at a median of $907,500, up 6.8% — the strongest price performance in the region. Inventory fell 8.1% to 859 homes. Days on market rose sharply to 49 from 36.

Norfolk County recorded 204 closings, down 14.3%, at a median of $796,163, essentially flat at up 0.5%. Its forward indicators were the region's best: pending sales up 20.9% to 434, against inventory down 18.8%.

Suffolk County posted 61 single-family closings, up 15.1%, at a median of $735,000, down 5.8%. Days on market rose 47.5% to 59. Suffolk condos, the county's real market, held at 270 sales and a median of $749,500.

Worcester County closed 319 sales, up 0.3%, at a median of $495,000, up 2.6%. Inventory fell 16.3% to 671 homes. New listings fell 5.4% — the only county where spring supply had not yet arrived.

What this means if you're buying

March offered the first genuine improvement in choice of 2026, concentrated in Essex County where new listings rose 12.6%. But the improvement was consumed almost immediately: total inventory still fell in all five counties.

The practical read is that March was better than February for selection and worse for leverage. Sellers reached 100% of original list price in Essex and Middlesex for the first time that year, and the direction from there was upward.

Middlesex at $907,500 and Worcester at $495,000 continued to describe two very different markets an hour apart.

What this means if you're selling

March was the month the market began rewarding sellers rather than merely tolerating them. Prices rose in four of five counties and the region reached asking price for the first time in 2026.

The reason to note the pending-sales figures — up 20.9% in Norfolk, 16.8% in Essex — is that they were signalling a considerably stronger spring ahead. Sellers listing in March met a market that was still supply-starved. Those who waited met more competition.

About this data

Figures are from the Massachusetts Association of REALTORS® Local Market Update for March 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.