North Shore MA Housing Market Update: July 2026
The North Shore home prices leveled off in July, as sales increased, inventory tightened, and the median sale-to-list ratio climbed to 103.3%.
A total of 263 single-family homes sold in July, up from 247 in June and 172 in May. Meanwhile, inventory remained tight at approximately 2.0 months of supply, helping maintain favorable conditions for sellers across much of the North Shore.
For comparison, see the North Shore MA Housing Market Update for June 2026.
The North Shore Market by the Numbers: July 2026
North Shore Home Prices Held at $805,000
The median sale price for a single-family home on the North Shore was $805,000 in July, exactly the same as June and up from $756,000 in May.
Rather than another sharp increase, July appears to show prices settling at the higher level reached in June.
Median sale price per square foot also increased slightly, from $434 in June to $441 in July, compared with approximately $440 in May.
That combination suggests that July was not a month of broad price decline. Instead, overall pricing was relatively stable while buyers continued to compete for available homes.
More North Shore Homes Sold in July
There were 263 North Shore single-family home sales in July, up from 247 in June and 172 in May.
That represents approximately a 53% increase in monthly closings compared with May.
The increase in transactions is important because it shows buyers are still actively completing purchases despite home prices remaining elevated.
Buyers can browse current North Shore MA homes for sale.
Buyer Competition Strengthened Despite Flat Prices
One of the clearest changes in July was the sale-to-list ratio.
The median North Shore sale-to-list ratio increased from 100.8% in June to 103.3% in July. Homes therefore sold, on a median basis, above their most recent asking prices.
Homes also continued to move quickly. The median property received an accepted offer after just 7 days, unchanged from June, while median days on market moved only slightly from 20 to 21 days.
At the same time, inventory tightened modestly. North Shore months of supply declined from 2.1 months in June to 2.0 months in July, while active single-family listings fell from 371 to 358 as of August 12.
So while the headline median price was flat, more homes sold, inventory decreased, and sale-to-list ratios increased. Those are all signs that competition for well-positioned properties remained strong.
July 2026 North Shore Town Highlights
Conditions continue to vary significantly between North Shore communities.
The highest July median single-family sale prices were:
- Wenham: $1.70 million
- Marblehead: $1.25 million
- Nahant: $1.22 million
The lowest median prices were Essex at $579,000, Lynn at $626,000, and Saugus at $735,000.
Ipswich had the highest median sale price per square foot at $553, followed by Marblehead at $545 and Essex at $503.
Inventory also varied considerably. Nahant had 7.1 months of supply and Rockport 6.5 months, while Peabody had just 1.3 months, and Danvers and Marblehead were both around 1.4 months.
Sale-to-list ratios showed similarly large differences. Hamilton led the region at 116.9%, followed by Beverly at 107.5% and Salem at 107.4%. Gloucester, Nahant, and Rockport all finished below 100%.
What July Means for North Shore Buyers and Sellers
The July North Shore housing market tells a fairly clear story: prices paused, but competition did not.
For Sellers
Limited inventory, seven-day offer timelines, and a 103.3% median sale-to-list ratio continue to support favorable conditions for well-priced homes.
For Buyers
The flat regional median price is encouraging compared with another large monthly increase, but the decline in available inventory means desirable properties can still attract significant competition.
Planning a move? Browse recently listed North Shore Homes for Sale or contact Matt Rosen, REALTOR® with Realty ONE Group NEST, at 978-600-8005 or matt@rosen.homes for a town-by-town look at available homes, recent sales, and current market conditions.
This report includes Beverly, Danvers, Essex, Gloucester, Hamilton, Ipswich, Lynn, Marblehead, Middleton, Nahant, Peabody, Rockport, Salem, Saugus, Swampscott, Topsfield, and Wenham MA.
Source & Methodology: Market data is based on MLS PIN single-family statistics for 17 towns in the MA North Shore:
- 1/1/25 to 12/31/25 used for 2025 numbers.
- 5/1/26 to 7/31/26 for monthly numbers for Median Sales Price, Transactions, Sales Price per Sq Ft, Days to Offer, and Days on Market.
- Sales Price, Sales Price per sq Ft, Days to Offer and Days on Market used median values.
- Months of Supply used active inventory from 8/12/26 divided by the average monthly transactions from 8/1/25 to 7/31/26.
