Published October 6, 2026 in Market Update

Bedford inventory is down hard, and buyers still feel it

By Lais F

Real estate, Bedford, NH

Nationally, inventory is growing. Realtor.com reported active listings grew 5.5% year over year, topping 1.16 million homes for sale. Bedford is doing the opposite. The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted just 48 homes for sale in ZIP 03110 during the three months ending July 31, 2026. That is down 39.2% from the same period a year before. For homeowners, less competition means a well-priced listing gets more attention. For buyers, it means fewer choices and less room to wait.

Supply is tight. Demand held up.

The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 101 homes sold in ZIP 03110 during the three months ending July 31, 2026. That is up 12.2% from the same period in 2025. More homes sold even as fewer came to market. New listings fell 12.9% year over year to 115. Supply dropped to 1.5 months, down 1.2 months from a year before. That is a thin cushion. A balanced market typically sits around five to six months.

Sellers are still getting above asking price

The Real Estate Data Aggregator found that homes in ZIP 03110 sold at 102% of list price on average during the three months ending July 31, 2026. That is up 0.5 points from a year before. Nearly 6 in 10 homes, 59.4%, sold above list price, up 2.7 points year over year. Those are not the numbers of a market where buyers have the upper hand.

Most homes go fast. Homes that sit, sit longer.

The Real Estate Data Aggregator found that 68.4% of Bedford homes went under contract within two weeks of listing, up 3.3 points from a year before. That means nearly 7 in 10 listings did not last long. The median days on market was 30 days, which is 7 days longer than the same period in 2025. So the homes that moved, moved quickly. The ones that did not found a slower path.

Rates add pressure for buyers

Freddie Mac put the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate at 7.28% as of October 1, 2026. The 15-year rate averaged 6.60%. Realtor.com noted that rates topped 7% for the first time since January 2025. That raises the monthly cost of any purchase. In a market with only 48 homes available, buyers are paying more for a home and more to borrow. That combination asks for preparation.

Bedford vs. the national picture

The Federal Housing Finance Agency reported U.S. home prices rose 2.6% year over year through July 2026. Bedford's median sale price rose a smaller 0.8% over the same stretch, according to the Real Estate Data Aggregator. Nationally, Realtor.com found 20.8% of listings had a price cut in September, the highest share since October 2022. In Bedford, homes are still selling above asking. The two pictures look very different.