Key Takeaways
- Norfolk County home prices slipped 1.5% year over year in July while the national median climbed 3.2%—yet 55% of homes still sold above asking price, proving demand remained resilient.
- The median sale price fell to $782,704, while the national median rose to $407,730.
- Active inventory jumped 10% year over year and new listings rose nearly 9%, sustaining the supply expansion that began earlier this year.
Norfolk County, MA Housing Market Snapshot
| Median Sale Price | Pending Sales | Active Listings | Days on Market | Sold Above List |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $782,704 (-1.5% YoY) | 627 (-6.0% YoY) | 2,151 (+9.9% YoY) | 20 days (+2 days YoY) | 55.3% (+1.6 ppt YoY) |
Norfolk County’s housing market continued its gradual price normalization in July, with the median sale price dipping 1.5% from a year ago to $782,704. The decline was modest compared to the sharper correction seen in certain cities, and fundamentals remained surprisingly tight: the typical home sold for nearly 102% of its list price and closed in just 20 days. Above-list activity actually ticked up 1.6 percentage points year over year, a counterintuitive signal in a market where headlines focused on falling prices.
Below is a breakdown of Norfolk County, MA housing data for July 2026, along with guidance for buyers and sellers heading into the fall market.
U.S. Housing Market Snapshot
| Median Sale Price | Pending Sales | Active Listings | Days on Market | Buyer-Seller Balance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $407,730 (+3.2% YoY) | 335,051 (-0.7% YoY) | 1,462,921 (-0.6% YoY) | 49 days (0 days YoY) | Sellers outnumber buyers by 51.3% |
Norfolk County diverged from national trends in opposite directions. U.S. home prices rose 3.2% year over year while Norfolk County’s median declined 1.5%—a gap of nearly 5 percentage points. Yet inventory nationally contracted slightly (-0.6%) while Norfolk County’s supply expanded nearly 10%. The local market’s price retreat looked increasingly like a correction from unsustainable 2025 peaks rather than a demand-side collapse: pending sales nationally dipped less than 1%, and Norfolk County’s above-list rate actually improved year over year even as the overall price level came down.
“The U.S. housing market continued its slow recovery in July, but again felt some bumps in the road,” said Chen Zhao, Redfin’s head of economics research. “Both supply and demand declined for the second month in a row, propping up prices and exacerbating the slow and expensive buyer’s market that has defined the post-pandemic period. Mortgage rate and economic volatility tied to the war in Iran and an unexpectedly hot job market has added a layer of uncertainty as well. Most buyers and sellers won’t see a much improved housing market, but economists are confident that affordability and normalcy will return in the coming years.”
Norfolk County Prices Continued Their Retreat From 2025 Peaks
Norfolk County’s median sale price fell 1.5% year over year to $782,704, widening the gap with the national trajectory of +3.2% growth to $407,730. The county remains roughly twice as expensive as the U.S. median, but the spread narrowed for the second consecutive month. Prices peaked locally at $804,250 in June 2025 and have declined approximately $21,500 since.
The median price per square foot declined 2.2% to $426, a slightly sharper drop than the headline figure, suggesting some genuine softening in per-unit values rather than purely a mix shift. Price reductions edged up to 16.8% of active listings, though the typical home still sold for 101.8% of its list price. The sale-to-list ratio ticked up 0.2 percentage points year over year, indicating that well-priced homes continued to attract competitive bids.
Demand Held Steady Despite Seasonal Cooling
About 46% of Norfolk County listings went under contract within two weeks in July, down 1.5 percentage points from a year ago but still well above the national rate of roughly 32%. Homes sold in a median of 20 days, two days slower than July 2025 but still less than half the national median of 49. Seasonal cooling was evident—the two-week rate dropped from 57% in June—yet the pace remained remarkably brisk for a market registering price declines.
Closed sales came in at 771, up 2.7% year over year, outpacing the national trend where pending sales fell 0.7%. Pending sales dipped 6% to 627, reflecting the typical July pullback as spring urgency faded. The divergence between rising closings and falling pendings suggested a pipeline effect: homes that went under contract in the competitive spring months closed in July, while new contract activity moderated as expected.
Inventory Growth Persisted Into Midsummer
Active listings reached 2,151 in July, up 9.9% year over year and the highest July figure since 2019, while nationally inventory edged down 0.6%. New listings rose 8.7% to 760, sustaining the supply injection that characterized the spring. The age of active inventory dropped 3 days year over year to 39 days, suggesting that the additional supply was being absorbed more quickly than in recent months.
Norfolk County had 1.9 months of supply, up from an estimated 1.5 a year ago but still firmly in seller’s-market territory and well below the national figure of 3.9. The persistent gap between local supply (tight) and national supply (more balanced) underscored Norfolk County’s structural housing shortage even as conditions loosened incrementally.
Upper Tiers Gained While the Bottom Weakened Further
| Price Tier | Median Price (YoY) | Sold (YoY) | DOM (YoY) | % Above List (YoY) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luxury (top 5%) | $2,849,222 (+6.3%) | 151 (-15.2%) | 21 days (+6 days) | 33.1% (-6.8 ppt) |
| High (65th-95th%) | $1,224,790 (+3.4%) | 572 (-2.1%) | 18 days (+2 days) | 61.9% (-0.8 ppt) |
| Non-luxury (35th-65th%) | $745,579 (+2.1%) | 581 (+1.0%) | 20 days (+2 days) | 63.0% (-2.0 ppt) |
| Starter (5th-35th%) | $519,193 (+0.6%) | 483 (-0.6%) | 21 days (+1 day) | 55.5% (-6.2 ppt) |
| Bottom (bottom 5%) | $299,478 (-2.2%) | 64 (-16.9%) | 21 days (+1 day) | 29.7% (-15.8 ppt) |
Redfin analysis of MLS data • Rolling three-month period (April-June 2026)
Luxury prices surged 6.3% year over year to $2.85 million, but volume plunged 15% and above-list activity fell nearly 7 percentage points as buyers gained negotiating leverage at the top. Days on market stretched to 21, six more than a year ago, the largest slowdown of any tier. The high tier remained the most competitive segment overall, with 62% of homes selling above asking and prices rising 3.4%.
At the bottom, prices fell 2.2% and sales volume dropped 17%. Only 30% of homes in that bracket sold above asking, down nearly 16 percentage points—the steepest decline across all tiers. Starter homes appreciated less than 1%, and above-list activity retreated 6 percentage points. The pattern was clear: the upper segments of Norfolk County’s market continued to reward sellers with price appreciation, while the lowest rungs saw meaningful softening in both prices and competition.
How Buyers and Sellers Can Navigate Norfolk County’s Market
If you’re buying in Norfolk County, the 1.5% year-over-year price decline gives you modest leverage, especially in the bottom and starter segments where competition has cooled meaningfully. Inventory is at its highest July level since 2019, and homes are sitting slightly longer than a year ago. Target listings that have been on the market more than three weeks—those sellers are likelier to negotiate. In the high and non-luxury tiers, expect to compete: above-list rates remain above 60%.
If you’re selling, pricing strategy is more important than ever. The average home sold for 101.8% of list price, and only 16.8% of active listings had price drops, evidence that accurate initial pricing still generated bidding wars. Overpricing carries elevated risk: buyers have nearly 10% more inventory to choose from than a year ago, pending activity has slowed, and the luxury segment in particular saw significant volume declines despite strong price gains.
Norfolk County, MA Market Data by City
Rolling three-month period (May-July 2026). Cities with 50+ sales shown.
| City | Median Sale Price (YoY) | Sold | New List. | Active | DOM | % Above | Supply |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quincy | $669,665 (-4.3% YoY) | 209 | 323 | 459 | 20 | 52.1% | 2.6 |
| Brookline | $1,274,362 (-13.6% YoY) | 194 | 227 | 412 | 25 | 37.5% | 2.9 |
| Weymouth Town | $639,680 (+1.5% YoY) | 187 | 213 | 294 | 20 | 57.0% | 1.4 |
| Wellesley | $2,423,786 (+9.7% YoY) | 115 | 111 | 190 | 15 | 48.3% | 1.7 |
| Braintree Town | $724,637 (+3.5% YoY) | 110 | 131 | 180 | 20 | 52.5% | 1.9 |
| Braintree | $724,637 (+3.5% YoY) | 110 | 132 | 181 | 20 | 52.5% | 1.9 |
| Needham | $1,661,668 (+2.1% YoY) | 108 | 125 | 200 | 20 | 46.3% | 2.0 |
| Franklin | $739,630 (+7.6% YoY) | 95 | 131 | 173 | 19 | 73.3% | 1.6 |
| Franklin Town | $744,627 (+8.3% YoY) | 94 | 131 | 172 | 19 | 74.1% | 1.6 |
| Dedham | $754,622 (-6.4% YoY) | 94 | 118 | 178 | 20 | 57.7% | 2.2 |
| Stoughton | $557,221 (-7.9% YoY) | 86 | 109 | 152 | 21 | 66.8% | 1.7 |
| Canton | $699,650 (-13.1% YoY) | 85 | 142 | 199 | 20 | 61.6% | 2.6 |
| Randolph Town | $579,710 (-0.1% YoY) | 77 | 113 | 150 | 19 | 61.5% | 2.4 |
| Randolph | $579,710 (-0.1% YoY) | 77 | 113 | 150 | 19 | 61.5% | 2.4 |
| Milton | $1,019,489 (-0.5% YoY) | 75 | 96 | 147 | 21 | 63.2% | 2.1 |
| Norwood | $739,630 (-0.1% YoY) | 65 | 84 | 112 | 20 | 67.3% | 1.7 |
| Sharon | $843,078 (-2.0% YoY) | 61 | 88 | 122 | 22 | 55.1% | 2.6 |
| Medfield | $1,149,424 (+5.9% YoY) | 60 | 43 | 73 | 19 | 57.8% | 0.8 |
| Medway | $690,654 (-4.4% YoY) | 52 | 61 | 85 | 20 | 68.8% | 1.6 |
This article has been generated, in whole or in part, using generative artificial intelligence (AI) technology, with input from Redfin head of economics research Chen Zhao. While efforts have been made to ensure the accuracy and reliability of this information, you should independently verify all data, facts, and citations contained in this article before relying on it for any purpose. This information is not a substitute for advice from a real estate agent, financial advisor, or other licensed professional. County-level data is not seasonally adjusted. Check the Redfin Data Center for additional in-depth housing market data.
