Boston Housing Market

Median home sale price continued to increase year over year in April.

Boston recorded 2,933 home sales in April, ranking 20th nationwide for sales volume. This represented a 5.1% decrease in sales compared to a year ago, well below the national annual growth rate of 0.6%. Limited inventory, high home prices, and elevated mortgage rates are keeping many buyers on the sidelines, with some opting to rent instead.

In addition, sluggish job growth and slowing population gains are weighing on Boston’s housing market.

With a limited inventory, Boston’s total number of home days on market averaged 51 days, below the national average of 60 days.

Inventory remains extremely tight, with just 11,605 homes listed for sale in April 2026. Boston ranked 18^th in April among the 40 largest metros for inventory growth, but was outpaced by other markets in the Northeast, including Baltimore and Philadelphia.

Boston remains one of the priciest markets in the country. In April, the median home price reached $727,000—ranking seventh nationwide and up 1.7% from a year ago, in line with the national increase.

Price growth was more modest for condos, with the median price increasing 1.2%, while single-family homes recorded stronger growth at 3.2%.

The median home sale price in Boston increased by 1.7% compared to the same time last year, while the national median price also rose by 1.7%.

Boston median home prices rose by $12,000 year over year on a nominal basis in April to $727,000. Meanwhile, the national median home price increased by $6,500 to $390,000.

Boston was the seventh highest-priced housing market among the top 40 largest markets last month. The Boston median home price of $727,000 was 86.4% above the national median home price. Boston's median home price in April compares to the market's peak of $755,000 recorded in June of 2025.

The median price of Boston single-family homes rose $25,000 over the past year to $800,000, while the median townhome price grew 1.4%, and the median condo price rose 1.2%.

The number of active listings in Boston increased by 9.9% in April compared to the same time last year, while national active listings rose by 6.3%.

Boston active listings rose by 1,046 year over year in April to 11,605 active listings. Boston ranked 18th, on a percentage basis, for the annual change in the number of homes for sale among the top 40 U.S. markets in April.

Boston active listings were below their pre-pandemic levels in the month of April. Boston active listings were 26.1% below the April 2019 total of 15,705.

Boston single-family active listings grew by 3.0% to 6,097 in April. In comparison, townhome active listings rose by 15.8% to 602, and condo active listings increased by 19.0% to 4,906.

The number of home sales in Boston decreased by 5.1% in April compared to the same time last year, while national home sales rose by 0.6%.

Boston home sales declined by 156 year over year on a nominal basis in April to 2,933. For context, 3,089 sales closed in Boston in April 2025.

Boston ranked 35th for the annual change in home sales out of the top 40 U.S. markets in April on a percentage basis. This year's April decrease of 5.1% compares to the 0.7% year over year decrease in April 2025.

Boston single-family sales decreased by 9.3% in April to 1,662. In comparison, townhome sales fell by 5.6% to 153, and condo sales rose by 2.1% to 1,118.

For questions and commentary about this report:

Matt Giordano, Associate Director of Market Analytics at CoStar and Homes.com, based in Boston, is available for interviews to provide expert insights on this data and the broader residential real estate market.

Matt Giordano

Associate Director of Market Analytics

Homes.com

mgiordano@costar.com

Homes.com releases preliminary figures on housing trends on a monthly basis. Although these numbers may change slightly once all transactions are accounted for, they provide an early indication of home price appreciation, inventory changes, and sales volume in Boston during April 2026.

For most markets, geographical coverage consists of the Census-defined Core-Based Statistical Area (CBSA). Data for San Francisco, Los Angeles, Miami, and New York is at the Metropolitan Division level.

Definition of Sale Prices

Median home price is the midpoint sale price of homes closed during each month. This data includes homes that are detached, attached, and condominiums. Detached homes are single-family units. Attached homes are townhomes, rowhouses, and duplexes. The condominium classification includes co-ops.

Definition of Inventory

Inventory is the number of unique active listings that were for sale during each month. This data includes homes that are detached, attached, and condominiums. Detached homes are single-family units. Attached homes are townhomes, rowhouses, and duplexes. The condominium classification includes co-ops.

Definition of Home Sales

The total number of closed home sales on the MLS during the month. This data includes homes that are detached, attached, and condominiums. Detached homes are single-family units. Attached homes are townhomes, rowhouses, and duplexes. The condominium classification includes co-ops.

About the Homes.com Market Analytics Team

The Homes.com Market Analytics group is a team of experienced analysts embedded in nearly 30 markets across North America. These experts reside in and regularly visit the markets they cover, providing local expertise and a national perspective on all sectors of real estate: residential, office, industrial, retail, and multifamily.

About Homes.com Analytics Data

The Homes.com analytic data is compiled by the CoStar Analytics team, the largest and most experienced analytics team in the real estate industry. The team consists of over 50 economists, analysts, and data scientists, who collectively have more than 900 years of real estate experience and over 30 advanced degrees. Analysts on the team live in and around the markets they cover, enabling them to build deep local knowledge and unique insights.

The data set being used by the team is one of the most comprehensive and robust in the industry. It spans all 393 metropolitan markets, 542 micropolitan markets, and over 35,000 local neighborhoods in the U.S. The data set is sourced from almost 500 Multiple Listing Service (MLS) providers around the country, as well as public record data from each market, and is supplemented by proprietary data collected by CoStar's team of over 2,000 researchers. It includes a complete inventory of all homes in the U.S., including homes for sale, homes for rent, new construction homes, as well as sale comps and rent comps.