Most spring market reports are about a single neighborhood. They tell you what happened on your block. They don't tell you whether your block is the rule or the exception.
We wanted to know the latter. So this quarter we built a tool that takes every reliable market in Greater Boston — 143 cities, towns, and Boston neighborhoods, three property types each — and puts them on the same scoreboard. Same metrics, same window, same confidence floor. The answers are sharper than we expected, and a few of them genuinely surprised us.
Here's what the numbers say about Q1 2026, and what they mean if you're trying to figure out where your home, your block, or your next move sits in the bigger picture.
Single-Family Is Firm. Condos Are Soft. The Gap Is Bigger Than People Think.
Across 95 reliable single-family markets, the median home sold for 0.6% more than it did a year ago, in 33.6 days, at 100.4% of list. Sixty-one percent of SF markets are selling at or above ask.
Across 70 reliable condo markets, the median home sold for 2.0% less than it did a year ago, in 38.3 days, at 99.5% of list. Only twenty-four percent of condo markets are selling at or above ask.
That's the headline. Single-family inventory is thin enough across the region that even cooling demand is meeting cooler supply, and prices are holding. Condo inventory is meaningfully wider, the buyer pool is more rate-sensitive, and the leverage has shifted. If you're a condo seller right now, you have to actually look at this market — not the one you sold into in 2022. The 2022 playbook does not work against a 2026 defense.
A Top 3 Across Three Property Formats
Two ranking methodologies — the source data's growth score, and an independent percentile composite of growth, days-to-offer momentum, and sale-to-list change — both surface the same three names. When two independent methods agree, the signal is real.
| Market | Type | Why It Wins | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gloucester | Multi-Family | Highest growth score in the dataset. 11 closings, 22-day DTO, 99.7% of list. Investor demand showing up in a market where prices haven't gotten silly yet. |
| 2 | Winchester | Condo | 15 closings, 20-day DTO, prices firmer than a year ago. The "downsize-without-leaving-town" trade in Winchester is real, and the data shows it. |
| 3 | Acton | Single-Family | 17 closings, 11-day DTO (fastest in the entire region), 103.9% of list. The closest thing to a 2022 market we found anywhere. |
Honorable mentions: Littleton SF posted +63.8% YoY price growth on 16 closings — eye-popping, but partly mix-driven. Melrose condo is the cleanest condo story in the region: 20 closings, 15-day DTO, +37% YoY price.
Source: MLS PIN, Q1 2026, reliable markets only (confidence ≥ 0.7, transactions ≥ 10).
The condo market and the single-family market are no longer telling the same story. They're not even telling stories from the same season.
The Five Fastest Single-Family Markets in Greater Boston
Ranked by days to offer (reliable markets only). If you're shopping a single-family in any of these, you should be pre-approved, decisive, and ready to write a strong first offer the day a house hits the MLS.
| Market | Days to Offer | AVERAGE Sale | Sale-to-List | Q1 Closings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acton | 11 days | $890K | 103.9% | 17 |
| Canton | 14 days | $901K | 101.3% | 21 |
| Arlington | 16 days | $1.58M | 104.9% | 21 |
| Reading | 16 days | $1.09M | 103.1% | 24 |
| Boxford | 17 days | $1.12M | 101.3% | 10 |
Two-thirds of these markets are selling at 102%+ of list, in two-and-a-half weeks or less. The bench in these towns is unusually deep this spring.
Should Condo Sellers Temper Their Expectations?
Mostly yes — but not everywhere. Across the 70 reliable condo markets, the median sale-to-list ratio is 99.5%, down from 101%+ in spring 2024. Only 17 of 70 reliable condo markets are still trading at or above ask.
The exceptions cluster around a recognizable pattern: outer-ring, sub-$700K, walkable-to-something condo stock. These are the markets where condo demand is still genuinely competitive and sellers are still getting their number:
| Market | Sale-to-List | Average Sale | Days to Offer | Q1 Closings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ipswich | 103.1% | $865K | 32 days | 13 |
| Stoneham | 101.7% | $517K | 38 days | 19 |
| Malden | 101.6% | $474K | 72 days | 16 |
| Norwood | 101.6% | $479K | 30 days | 11 |
| Maynard | 101.5% | $464K | 25 days | 12 |
The pattern is the same across all five: comfortably-priced, well-located, decent commute, real downtown of their own. These are the markets absorbing the buyers who got priced out of (or chose not to compete in) the urban core condo segment.
The flip side, also notable: the urban luxury condo segment is the slowest-moving part of the entire dataset. Seaport, Back Bay, Downtown, and Beacon Hill condos all sit at 95.7%–96.2% of list, with Back Bay averaging 92 days to offer. The most expensive Boston condo segment is also the slowest-moving Boston condo segment — and it's only April.
Lynn vs. Salem
Two North Shore markets, often mentioned in the same breath, telling very different stories this quarter:
| Metric | Lynn | Salem | Edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| SF — YoY price | –1.4% | +14.5% | Salem |
| SF — Days to offer | 33.6 days | 25.2 days | Salem |
| SF — Average sale | $571K | $860K | different tiers |
| CC — YoY price | +8.5% | +0.9% | Lynn |
| MF — YoY price | +8.8% | +12.2% | Salem |
| MF — Q1 closings | 31 | 11 | Lynn (depth) |
Salem single-family is in a real moment. Buyers are paying up for the historic-downtown lifestyle, and the data reflects it. Lynn condos, meanwhile, are the value play of the North Shore: still appreciating, still adding density, still the fastest-improving condo market on that stretch of coast.
If you're investing in multi-family, both are credible — Lynn for depth and liquidity (31 closings vs. 11), Salem for stronger appreciation. The right answer depends on whether you're optimizing for the trade you can actually do or the trade you wish you could do.
Jamaica Plain vs. Somerville
Both urban, both condo-dominant, both perpetually compared. Here's how the Q1 numbers actually shake out:
| Metric | Jamaica Plain | Somerville |
|---|---|---|
| Average sale | $738K | $913K |
| $ per sq ft | $624 | $757 |
| Days to offer | 44 days | 40 days |
| Sale-to-list ratio | 99.5% | 99.9% |
| YoY price | –1.4% | –6.2% |
| Q1 closings | 40 | 70 |
Somerville is the bigger, more expensive market — and historically the more competitive one. This quarter, it's also the softer one. Buyers shopping JP and Somerville together are finding more leverage in Somerville. But JP's smaller inventory and steadier YoY price suggest it's the more durable hold over the next two years.
How Boston's Neighborhoods Stack Up
Seventeen Boston-only neighborhoods cleared our reliability filter on the condo side. Single-family activity at the neighborhood level is too thin in most of Boston to rank meaningfully — condo is the city's primary market and where the comparison runs deepest.
Top 5 by $/sq ft
These five neighborhoods form their own tier — and notably, all five sit at 95.8%–98.4% on sale-to-list, softer than every other reliable Boston neighborhood. The most expensive Boston condo segment is also the slowest-moving one.
The middle of the city: Charlestown ($823/sf), South Boston ($863/sf), Brighton ($779/sf), Somerville-adjacent neighborhoods, JP ($624/sf), Allston ($635/sf), East Boston ($666/sf). All trading 35–55 days, 98%–100% of list. The workhorse market.
The Value Plays
Don't read "value" as a knock. These are the three Boston neighborhoods where you can still buy a condo under $700K and not commute into another zip code for everything. Roslindale specifically is the only Boston neighborhood in this group selling at or above ask — worth noting.
The High End of the Quarter
Four of the most notable closings across our service area this quarter. The Beacon Hill axis dominates, but the Cambridge and Weston comps are worth their own attention.
Source: MLS PIN, Q1 2026 closed sales across Greater Boston.
What This Means for You
If you're a single-family seller in the 60%+ of markets where SF is firm: this is your moment. Price right, prep well, list before Memorial Day. The buyer pool is engaged and inventory is thin enough that well-prepared sellers are getting their number.
If you're shopping single-family in Acton, Canton, Arlington, Reading, or any of the inner suburbs: stop waiting. Get pre-approved, set your alerts, and be ready to write the day a property hits. The fastest of these markets are turning over in two weeks or less.
If you're a condo seller in the urban core (Seaport, Back Bay, Downtown, Beacon Hill, South End): expect a longer market time, expect to negotiate, and price honestly out of the gate. Aspirational pricing in this segment is getting punished.
If you're a condo seller in the outer-ring markets (Ipswich, Stoneham, Malden, Norwood, Maynard): you're in one of the seventeen condo markets in Greater Boston still trading at or above ask. The buyer is engaged. Proceed accordingly.
If you're shopping multi-family: Gloucester, Jamaica Plain, South Boston, and Lowell are the four reliable MF markets with positive growth scores this quarter. Lynn and Salem are credible if you want depth. The thesis hasn't changed: triple-deckers in walkable Boston-adjacent markets continue to find both investor and owner-occupant buyers, and the price-per-unit math still works in places where it doesn't in Cambridge or Brookline.
The Numbers Are One Thing. The Experience Is Another.
BJ Ray, through careful analysis and deep knowledge of the market, set an asking price that — combined with beautiful marketing — drew in packed open houses. After being on the market less than a week, we had eight offers and received an offer beyond what we expected.
When the Fed began to raise rates, we began to panic. The team pivoted quickly, sped up our timeline, and strategized a listing plan that would drive interest fast. Their knowledge of the market led to multiple offers above our expectations with only one open house.
After interviewing other realtors, I chose BJ because of his depth of understanding of the market and sophisticated reasoning around timing, pricing, and bidding. The listing process was smooth. BJ was right on with his pricing — I accepted a final offer a few percentage points above listing price.
BJ presented a thorough analysis of the market, gave expert advice on physical improvements to make, and marketed the listing successfully. The house sold within one week at a price 10% higher than we thought we would receive — all during a recession.
Q2 2026 Outlook
The seasonal lift is here, and it arrives whether the headlines are good or bad. Greater Boston Q1-to-Q2 typically sees closings expand 50–80% across the region. With single-family pendings already running ahead of last year in our core markets and condo activity firming up in the outer-ring segments, Q2 closings should land meaningfully higher than Q2 2025.
The wild card is rates. A move toward the low 6s would meaningfully accelerate the condo recovery. A move back above 7.5% would slow but not derail the SF momentum. Our base case for Q2: more closings, firmer SF pricing, condo prices stabilizing in the outer-ring markets but staying soft in the urban core, multi-family continuing to attract both investor and owner-occupant capital.
Want a Personalized Read on Your Block?
We track all 143 of these markets continuously. If you'd like to know how your specific neighborhood, building, or property type sits within the broader Greater Boston picture this spring — or if you want to talk through what these dynamics mean for a buying or selling decision — we'd welcome the conversation.
Schedule a ConversationSource: MLS PIN data covering closed sales, Q1 2026, across 143 cities, towns, and Boston neighborhoods. Rankings restricted to markets with confidence score ≥ 0.7 and ≥ 10 transactions. Tewksbury single-family data excluded due to feed corruption. Composite "best overall" rankings agree across both the source-data growth score and an independent percentile composite of growth, days-to-offer momentum, and sale-to-list change. The Boston Home Team · Gibson Sotheby's International Realty.
