Published October 9, 2026 in Market Update

Newburyport has more choices, but well-priced homes still move fast

By Lais F

Real estate, Newburyport

Here is the one thing that changes what you should do right now: inventory in Newburyport rose 31.9%, but nearly half of homes still went under contract in two weeks. That gap is the whole story. More supply did not slow the best-priced homes down. It just raised the bar for everyone else.

These numbers come from the Real Estate Data Aggregator for the three months ending August 31, 2026, for ZIP code 01950.

More homes to choose from

The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 62 homes for sale in 01950 during those three months. That is up 31.9% from the same period in 2025. New listings rose too, up 16.9% to 90 homes. Realtor.com reported the same pattern nationally: active listings topped 1.16 million homes for sale in September 2026. Buyers have real options now. That is a shift from where things stood a year ago.

The price picture is honest

The Real Estate Data Aggregator put the median sale price at $937,000, down 11.2% from a year ago. That is a real dip and worth knowing. At the same time, the Federal Housing Finance Agency reported that U.S. house prices rose 2.6% from July 2025 to July 2026, so Newburyport moved differently from the national trend. A lower median here does not mean every home lost value. It can reflect which homes sold during this period.

Well-priced homes are not sitting around

Here is what makes this market interesting. The Real Estate Data Aggregator found that 46.6% of Newburyport homes went under contract within two weeks of listing. That share is up 0.1 points from a year ago. Nearly half of homes sold that fast even as inventory climbed. The average sale came in at 100.7% of list price, up 0.8 points from last year. And 42.1% of homes sold above list price, up 4.8 points.

The median days on market was 23 days, just 3 days longer than a year ago. That is a small change. The market is not dragging. It is sorting. The right home at the right price still moves.

Rates are part of the picture

Freddie Mac put the average 30-year fixed rate at 7.28% as of October 1, 2026. The 15-year averaged 6.60%. Realtor.com noted that mortgage rates climbed above 7% for the first time since January 2025. That affects what buyers can afford. It also affects how sellers need to think about pricing. Nationally, Realtor.com reported that price cuts hit 20.8% of listings in September, the highest since October 2022. Newburyport's 100.7% sale-to-list ratio says the homes that sold here were priced well.

What this means for sellers

More inventory means buyers compare more carefully. The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 73 pending sales in 01950, up 2.8% from a year ago. Demand is still there. But with 90 new listings coming to market, sellers who price right and prepare their home well are the ones going under contract in two weeks. The ones who do not are sitting longer.

One more thing worth saying: these numbers cover all of ZIP 01950. One street can read very differently from the whole ZIP code. A home near the waterfront, on a quieter side street, or in a particular school zone may have its own story inside these numbers.