Tri-Town Housing Market Shows Early Signs of Summer Softening

The July housing market across Boxford, Middleton, and Topsfield is beginning to show signs of cooling after a competitive spring.

The clearest signal is pricing. The combined median sale price was $1.19 million in July, still about 5% below May’s $1.25 million. More notably, median sale price per square foot has declined for three consecutive months, falling from $375 in May to $369 in June and $354 in July — a roughly 6% pullback since May.

Sales activity also eased. The Tri-Town area recorded 28 closed sales in July, down from 31 in June. While one month does not establish a trend, the combination of lower price per square foot and fewer transactions is worth watching as we move through the second half of summer.

See the June 2026 Tri-Town Housing Market Update.

Homes are still moving quickly

Despite the softer pricing signals, the market remains fast.

The median home accepted an offer in just 7.5 days, while median days on market was 20 days. Inventory also remains relatively constrained, with 34 active single-family homes across the three towns as of August 10, representing approximately 1.9 months of supply.

Those numbers continue to favor sellers.

However, days to offer and days on market can be lagging indicators when conditions begin to change. July closings often reflect homes that were listed and went under agreement weeks earlier. If buyer demand has started moderating more recently, the impact may appear in pricing and transaction volume before it becomes obvious in DOM statistics.

Boxford: Sales Rebound as Median Price Pulls Back

Boxford had 14 sales in July, double June’s seven transactions. The median sale price was $974,750, down from $1.275 million in June, while homes still accepted offers in a median of 9 days. With a median sale-to-list ratio of 103.75%, demand remains competitive even as the mix of July sales pulled the median price lower.

Topsfield: Fewer Closings as Inventory Builds

Topsfield saw the sharpest slowdown in transaction volume, with 5 sales in July compared with 15 in June. The median sale price declined to $888,000 from $1.125 million, while homes still accepted offers in a median of 8 days and sold for 104.5% of list price. With roughly 2.4 months of supply, Topsfield also had the most inventory of the three communities.

Middleton: Steady Sales and Stable Pricing

Middleton was the most stable of the three towns in July. It recorded 9 sales, unchanged from June, with a median sale price of $1.19 million compared with $1.20 million the month before. Homes accepted offers in a median of 7 days, and the median sale-to-list ratio was 100%, pointing to a market that remains active but relatively balanced.

What July May Be Telling Us

The Tri-Town market is not yet showing the characteristics of a buyer’s market. Inventory remains low, and well-priced homes are still moving quickly.

But July does suggest the market may be entering a more balanced phase.

Price per square foot is trending lower, median sale prices remain below their May peak, and transaction volume declined from June. If those trends continue while inventory rises, buyers could gain additional negotiating power heading into the fall.

For sellers, this makes accurate pricing increasingly important. Homes can still attract strong interest quickly, but buyers may be becoming more selective than they were earlier in the spring.

The next few months should help determine whether July was simply a seasonal pause or the beginning of a broader shift in the Boxford, Middleton, and Topsfield housing markets.