Published October 4, 2026 in Market Update

South End buyers got more choice, but fewer homes moved fast

By Liza Elmstrom

Real estate, South End

Here is the number that changes the conversation: only 14.4% of South End homes sold above list price in the three months ending July 31, 2026, according to the Real Estate Data Aggregator. That is down 11.1 points from the same stretch a year ago. Fewer homes are sparking a bidding push. Pricing right matters more now.

At the same time, the Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 126 homes for sale in ZIP 02118, up 12.5% from a year before. Buyers have more to look at. That extra inventory is part of why fewer homes are closing over asking.

How the market moved

The median sale price still rose 6% year over year to $1,150,000, per the Real Estate Data Aggregator. So prices are not falling. But homes are taking 6 days longer to sell than they did a year ago, and the average sale closed at 98.4% of list. That small gap adds up fast at this price point.

Speed: fewer homes are flying off the shelf

The Real Estate Data Aggregator found that 22.5% of South End homes went under contract within two weeks of listing. That is down 15.5 points from a year ago. More than three in four homes are taking longer than two weeks to find a buyer. That is not a crisis, but it is a real shift.

What is happening nationally

South End is not alone in feeling this. Redfin reported that 21% of U.S. home sellers dropped their asking price in the four weeks ending September 20, 2026. Mortgage rates topped 7% in September, according to both Redfin and Realtor.com. Higher rates slow buyers down everywhere, and that pressure shows up in local numbers too.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency reported U.S. house prices rose 2.6% from July 2025 to July 2026. South End's 6% gain is well above that national pace. Prices here are holding up. The shift is in HOW homes are selling, not whether they are.

What this means for you

Buyers: 126 homes for sale means more options than a year ago. You have more room to compare, and fewer homes are pulling competing offers the same weekend. That said, the median price is still $1,150,000, and the good ones do move.

Sellers: 97 homes still sold in three months, per the Real Estate Data Aggregator. Buyers are out there. But with 4 months of supply and only 22.5% of homes going under contract fast, the price has to be right from day one. A miss on price now costs more time than it did a year ago.

One more thing: these are ZIP code numbers. One block can read very differently from the next. A condo on one street may sit longer than a townhouse two streets over.