iStock illustration

Massachusetts home sales followed a familiar pattern in November, with the numbers of both single-family houses and condominiums dropping by double-digit percentages while both property types’ median sale price marched upwards.

The statewide median single-family sale price rose 8.4 percent to $579,900, the second month in a row of notably high price increases according to The Warren Group, publisher of Banker & Tradesman. In total, 3,447 single-families sold across the state in November, a 10.6 percent decline year-over-year. Massachusetts’ 2023 home sales tally as of Nov. 30 was 22.9 percent behind the same figure at the end of last November.

The statewide condo price likewise rose 5.3 percent year-over-year last month to $500,000, the third straight month where it has remained at that level, across 1,487 sales. November’s sales total was down 10.3 percent year-over-year, while the 17,849 condos sold year-to-date was 19 percent below the same figure at the end of November 2022.

“Market conditions and trends remained relatively unchanged in November as limited inventory in Massachusetts pushed single-family prices to a new all-time high for the month and sales fell by more than 10 percent on a year-over-year basis,” said Cassidy Norton, The Warren Group’s media relations director. “I don’t expect the pressure building behind this pent-up demand to be relieved this year; I think we can expect to see more of the same in the coming months due to elevated interest rates. However, the Federal Reserve has indicated it intends to reduce interest rates in 2024, which may help relieve some of that pressure.”

Statewide, there was little year-over-year change in the number of new condo or single-family listings, with the former down 2.7 percent to 1,287 units and the latter essentially flat as 3,095 houses hit the market in November, according to the Massachusetts Association of Realtors.

Total inventory of homes for sale remained significantly below figures MAR reported in 2022, the latest in large, double-digit inventory declines that have been a feature of the state’s housing market since the pandemic. The association said 2,497 condos were available for sale on the state’s multiple listing services last month, a 26.3 percent decline over November 2022, and 4,985 single-families were for sale on the same platforms, a 28.6 percent fall.

“Low inventory continues to be a roadblock for buyers looking to purchase a home in 2023 but it is not stopping them,” David McCarthy, 2023 president of MAR and operating partner at Keller Williams Metro Boston, said in a statement provided by the trade group. “The pent-up demand and lack of inventory throughout the year has resulted in potential buyers entering the market, amidst unfavorable conditions, in search of well-priced and well-presented homes.”

Mass. Home Sales Down Double Digits, Prices Still Jump

by James Sanna time to read: 2 min
0