Housing Report, September 2026: National vs Essex County, MA 10/19/2026
National Housing Report September 2026 (Homes and Condos):
Sellers faced cooling demand resulting in lower median sale prices that fell -1.1% from August, to $417,500. Unit sales increased +1.5% from August but fell -2.2% from Sep 2025. List Prices (asking prices) fell -1.2% from August to $419,250, the 11th consecutive monthly drop. Active home listing inventory rose to 1,161,615 units, (the highest level since early 2020), up 0.5% from August and up +5.4% from September 2025. September Months of inventory is now 4.8 vs 4.3 months a year ago. 20.8% of all active September listings had price reductions which averaged -4.5%. Days on Market rose +1.7% to 61.
Essex County MA Housing Report September 2026
The Essex County residential market remains firmly anchored in seller-favorable territory, driven by low inventory and consistent buyer demand. Despite 30-year fixed mortgage rates averaging 7.43% as of mid-October:
• Inventory remains historically constrained: Months of inventory across all property categories sit between 2.3 and 2.4 months, far below the 6.0-month mark representing a balanced market.
• Condominiums are leading price and volume growth: The condo category experienced substantial year-over-year gains in median price (+14.5% to $521,000) and sales volume (+35.8%), providing an active alternative for buyers managing elevated borrowing costs.
• Pricing is holding steady with selective corrections: Single-family median prices remained virtually unchanged month-over-month (-0.5%) and down marginally year-over-year (-1.2%). Between 20% and 25% of active listings underwent price adjustments across all segments, indicating that while properly priced inventory moves quickly, over-aspirational initial list prices are being met with buyer resistance.
Essex County MA: Median Sold Price to Median List Price Ratio - September 2026:
Single Families Sold for 94.1%; Condos Sold for 102.2%; Multi-Families Sold for 94.5%.
Percent of Active Listings With Price Reductions - September 2026:
Single-Families 20.2%, Condos 20.6% and 2-4 Unit Multi-Families 24.5%.
Average $ Price Reductions: Single-Families -5.43%; Condos -3.76%; Multi-Families -3.09%.
Current Months of Inventory: (a balanced market has 6 months of inventory):
Single-Families 2.4 months, Condos 2.3 months, 2-4 Unit Multi-Families 2.3 months.
Bottom line: Current low inventory favors sellers who price their properties correctly.
- To view data for every Essex County town, http://www.sullivanteam.com/Properties/Reports/Public/Charts.php
- To Download the full housing report go to: http://sullivanteam.com/pages/EssexCountyHousingReports
