Despite persistent low inventory problems in markets statewide, Chelmsford, Natick and Dennis recorded big, double-digit increases in home sales this spring. iStock illustration

Half of surveyed cities and towns in Massachusetts saw an improvement in home sales activity this past spring compared to last year’s record lows of closed sales and new listings, according to new data.

And some communities are performing far better than others, based on year-to-date closed sales numbers for single-family homes through May. They include Chelmsford (year-to-date sales up 50 percent), Natick (up 48 percent), Dennis (up 48 percent), Shrewsbury (up 45 percent), and, rounding off the top five, Longmeadow (up 44 percent), according to data from The Warren Group, publisher of Banker & Tradesman.

To be clear, only 52 of the 104 communities examined for this story saw single-family sales improvements this past spring, with some of them seeing very small improvements. Only towns with 50 or more year-to-date sales, either this year or last year, were included to prevent small numbers of high-dollar sales in any one town, city or neighborhood from skewing its median sale price.

That means about half the surveyed communities saw declines in year-to-date sales through May, including the bottom five of Hyde Park (a neighborhood of Boston, down 34 percent), Lakeville (down 31 percent), Holliston (down 30 percent), Medford (down 29 percent) and Bellingham (down 27 percent).

Lack of inventory still remains a critical concern across the state, both in hot and not-so-hot communities, creating a severe supply-and-demand housing imbalance that’s helped drive up homes prices to record levels.

According to The Warren Group’s data, the median year-to-date price for a single-family home in Massachusetts was up 9 percent, to $590,000, through May.

Still, the increases in sales activities in many towns, even if they’re coming off of last year’s super-low numbers, are welcome.

Statewide, single-family homes sales were up 2 percent, to 14,005, through May 31, according to The Warren Group.

That number was partly driven by a bump in new single-family listings in some regions of the state, such as Greater Boston’s year-to-date 10.6 percent increase in new single-family listings through May, according to data from the Greater Boston Association of Realtors.

Following is a look at three hot towns during relatively tepid times this past spring, based on year-to-date sales through May.

Natick Sees More Sellers

After top performer Chelmsford, Natick ranked second on this spring’s list of “hot towns,” based on the 48 percent rise in single-family home sales, to 111 deals, through May. Indeed, Natick has been a hot town for a while now in the MetroWest region of Greater Boston.

Most recently, the median price for a single-family home in Natick jumped by 16 percent, to $910,000, during the first five months of 2024, compared to the same period last year, according to The Warren Group data.

Nina Sable, team leader at Sables Homes MetroWest-William Raveis, said she’s definitely seen an improving inventory outlook in Natick – at least compared to last year.

“It’s been a much better market,” said Sable. “There’s more people wanting to sell.”

And by “more people,” she specifically means older empty-nesters, many of whom have held off from downsizing over the past two years due to recent higher mortgage rates that dwarf the interest-rate levels on their current homes. They’ve not wanted to buy an alternative smaller home, if they can even find one, if it meant significantly higher mortgage rates.

But many reluctant older sellers have simply decided it’s time, higher mortgage rates or not, to put their homes on the market and reap today’s higher prices, said Sable.

“Older sellers just want to get out,” said Sable. “’They’ve waited long enough.”

It also helps that demand to buy homes is so great that elder sellers, many of whom don’t have much money to spare, can get by without investing a lot into fixing and preparing homes prior to sales, Sable said.

“We’re helping people sell their homes ‘as is,’” said Sable. “There’s a buzz out there about selling your homes without big [pre-sale] expenses.”

Shrewsbury’s Location Brings Buyers

The town of Shrewsbury, located in Worcester County and ranked fourth on this year’s “hot towns” list, saw a 45 percent increase in closed sales through May, to 107 deals, compared to the same spring period in 2023. The year-to-date median price for a single-family home in Shrewsbury was up by 17 percent, to $635,000, through May, according to The Warren Group.

In recent years, Shrewsbury has been a major beneficiary of more people looking west in search of affordable housing. The town of 39,000 people is conveniently located between Worcester and Boston, sitting along Routes 9 and 20, with easy access to I-290, I-495 and the Mass Pike.

It’s also known for its solid schools.

“Put everything together and you have a very attractive town,” said Lee Joseph, a broker associate at Coldwell Banker in Shrewsbury and the former president of the Realtors Association of Central Massachusetts.

Like Sable in Natick, Joseph thinks today’s high home prices in Shrewsbury are too tempting for some potential sellers to pass up.

Combined with more stable interest rates this year, there just seem to be more people looking to sell, she said.

In addition, new 55-and-up housing projects are being developed in or near Shrewsbury, providing empty nesters with new housing options if they opt to sell their current homes, she said.

Overall, demand for homes in Shrewsbury remains intense, said Joseph.

She noted a four-bedroom home came on the market over a recent weekend – and by the following Monday she had already scheduled seven showings.

“Demand is still high and inventory is still low,” she emphasized.

Hingham ‘Has the Right Vibe’

Located in Plymouth County, Hingham is another town that’s been hot for a number of years now. Ranked eighth in percentage increase in sales this past spring, it remains a hot town.

Year-to-date single-family sales in Hingham jumped by 30 percent through May, to 83 deals, while median home prices rose by 17 percent, to $1.3 million, during the same time period, according to data.

The town of 38,000 sits along the coast with easy road, commuter rail and ferry access to and from Boston. Hingham is also known for its good school.

“This town just has the right vibe,” said Kerrin Rowley, a sales associate at Coldwell Banker Realty in Hingham. “Hingham has been hot for a while. So now it’s really hard to buy here [due to higher prices].”

Rowley said she’s also noticed a slight increase in inventory so far this year – and it’s led to an easing of price pressures, just a bit.

“I’m seeing buyers being a little more picky again, considering how much they’re paying,” she said.

As for rising inventory, she also attributes it to mostly empty nesters simply concluding it’s time to make a change and sell.

Darleen Lannon, a Realtor at Coldwell Banker, said she welcomes the recent rise in inventory in Hingham even if it’s small compared to pre-pandemic levels. As of July 8, she said homes on the market were up 63 percent compared to last year, to 49 from 30, she said.

“For the first time in a long time, the data is showing we have a significantly higher amount of inventory,” she said. “A lot of people have decided they can’t wait longer to sell.”