Published October 4, 2026 in Market Update

Some parts of the Primary market are still moving very fast

By Elise Vetri

Real estate, Primary market

Here is the one thing that changes what you should do right now. The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted just 1.3 months of supply in ZIP 02838 for the three months ending July 31, 2026. The National Association of Realtors put the U.S. figure at 4.9 months. That gap is wide. If your home is in a tight ZIP code, you may be in a very different market than the national headlines suggest.

That local tightness shows up in speed too. The Real Estate Data Aggregator found that 71.4% of homes in ZIP 02838 went under contract within two weeks of listing. That is more than 7 in 10 homes. Buyers in that ZIP code need to be ready to move quickly.

How fast are homes moving across each ZIP code?

Not every part of the Primary market looks like ZIP 02838. The Real Estate Data Aggregator tracked the share of homes going under contract within two weeks across all ZIP codes for the three months ending July 31, 2026. The range is wide.

ZIP 02919 sits at the other end. The Real Estate Data Aggregator found that only 39.5% of homes there went under contract within two weeks. That is still more than 1 in 3, but it is a noticeably slower pace than the tightest ZIP codes. Not every home sold fast, and that is worth knowing before you price.

How much supply does each ZIP code have?

Even the loosest ZIP code here, 02857 at 3.7 months, still sits below the 4.9-month national figure the National Association of Realtors reported. So the Primary market as a whole is tighter than the country. But the spread from 1.3 to 3.7 months is real, and it matters for how you price and how you offer.

What are homes actually selling for?

Prices moved in both directions. The Real Estate Data Aggregator recorded a median sale price of $645,000 in ZIP 02921 for the three months ending July 31, 2026, the highest in this market. But that was also down 13.7% from the same period last year. Prices dipped in several ZIP codes, while others rose. ZIP 02917 posted the strongest year-over-year gain, up 13.7%, with a median of $545,000.

Are sellers getting above list price?

In ZIP 02830, the Real Estate Data Aggregator found that 77.8% of homes sold above list price in the three months ending July 31, 2026. That was up 31.6 points from the same period last year. ZIP 02861 was close behind at 71.3%. In ZIP 02825, only 30.8% sold above list, down 25.5 points from a year earlier. The story is not the same everywhere.

How does the Primary market compare with the country?

Freddie Mac put the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate at 7.28% as of October 1, 2026. Realtor.com noted that rates crossed 7% in late September for the first time since January 2025. That is a real cost for buyers across the country.

The National Association of Realtors reported that existing-home sales fell 2.0% month over month in August 2026. Year-to-date through the first eight months of 2026, they were up 1.6%. The Federal Housing Finance Agency found that U.S. house prices rose 2.1% year over year between the second quarter of 2025 and the second quarter of 2026.

The whole Primary market in three numbers

What this means for you

Buyers in the tightest ZIP codes, like 02838 and 02888, may need to move faster and expect to offer above list. Sellers in those same areas are in a stronger spot, though even there, fewer homes are selling above list than a year ago in some places.

In ZIP 02825, homes took a median of 63 days to sell, according to the Real Estate Data Aggregator. That was 34 days longer than the same period last year. Pricing carefully matters more in spots like that.