Published October 25, 2026 in Market Update

More homes are hitting the market across the Primary market

By Liza Elmstrom

Real estate, Primary market

The big shift right now: more homes to choose from. The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 294 homes for sale across Dedham, West Roxbury, Westwood, Needham, Roslindale, Norwood and Canton in the three months ending August 31, 2026. That is up 23.5% from the same stretch last year. Buyers have more options. Sellers have more competition.

More listings did not slow things down. The Real Estate Data Aggregator shows 590 closed sales and 521 pending sales across the market. Homes are still moving. Sharp pricing is the difference.

The national picture

The National Association of Realtors reported inventory hit 1.60 million homes nationwide in September 2026. That same report put existing-home sales at 3.99 million units. More supply, and buyers are still out there absorbing it.

Rates are not helping anyone right now. Freddie Mac put the 30-year fixed rate at 7.32% as of October 22, 2026. The 15-year came in at 6.68%. Those numbers add real cost to every offer.

How each town is reading

The inventory jump is not the same everywhere. Canton saw new listings surge 84.5% year over year, per the Real Estate Data Aggregator. Needham was up 82.1%. West Roxbury actually saw new listings slip 2.4%. Same market, very different stories by ZIP.

Prices: a mixed bag

More supply put some pressure on prices in a few towns. The Real Estate Data Aggregator shows Dedham's median sale price dipped 5.9% to $755,000. Canton slipped 3.7% to $722,500. West Roxbury was down 2.2% to $851,000. Small moves, not a collapse.

Other towns held firm or gained. Westwood's median jumped 15% to $1,415,000, per the Real Estate Data Aggregator. Roslindale was up 11.6% to $791,000. Norwood gained 7.8% to $754,375. Needham was nearly flat, up 0.5% to $1,741,500.

Homes are still selling fast, if priced right

Westwood's median days on market was just 16, down 4 days from last year, per the Real Estate Data Aggregator. Canton and Norwood each sat at 20 days. Needham, Dedham and Roslindale all landed at 21. West Roxbury was the slowest at 22 days, still fast by any normal standard.

Sellers are still getting over list in most towns. The Real Estate Data Aggregator shows Roslindale averaging 103.4% of list price. Norwood came in at 103.2%. Even the softer markets, like West Roxbury at 100.8% and Needham at 100.6%, are still closing above ask on average.

Speed: who is going fast

Canton had 60.4% of homes go under contract within two weeks of listing, per the Real Estate Data Aggregator. Westwood was at 58.8%. Norwood hit 58.8% too. Roslindale and Dedham were right at 52% and 50%. Needham sat at 47.1%. West Roxbury was at 43.5%. Half the market or more is moving in two weeks or less.

One more thing: these are ZIP code numbers. One street can read very differently from the whole town. If you want to know what is happening on your specific block, that is exactly what I can show you.