Newton Condo & Single-Family Data, January 1 to August 1, 2026 vs. 2025

Condos and single-family homes in Newton are telling two very different stories right now, even though they’re happening in the same city, in the same eight months. One market is booming in volume while prices soften. The other is quietly holding its ground with fewer sales. Here’s what’s really going on in each.

Condos Find a New Middle

Condo sales jumped 24% year to date. So why did the median sale price drop by more than $100,000?

The answer is not falling values; it’s a shift in what’s selling:

• The $800,000 to $900,000 bracket nearly tripled: 8 sales in 2025 to 23 in 2026.
• The $1.5 million to $2.0 million bracket grew sharply too: 36 sales to 51.
• The $2.0 million to $2.5 million bracket collapsed: 16 sales down to just 6.

No single condo lost value. The mix simply shifted toward the middle tiers this year.

Single-family’s Quiet Strength

Single-family sales dropped 4.5% year to date. That sounds like softening demand. It isn’t.

Most quality-of-market signals held steady or edged in the seller’s favor this year, even as the number of transactions fell:

• Homes are selling a bit faster: average days on market dropped from 41 to 39.
• The sale-to-list ratio ticked up slightly, to 102%.
• Average price held essentially flat, and the $1.0 million to $1.5 million bracket actually grew (62 to 67 sales).
• One shift worth noting: the $1.5 million to $2.0 million bracket cooled somewhat, 80 sales down to 65, a smaller version of the pullback we saw at the top of the condo market.

This looks more like a supply story than a demand story. Fewer single-family homes are coming to market, but the ones that do are still selling at a steady pace and holding their value. For sellers weighing whether to list, the data doesn’t suggest urgency to discount.

The Bottom Line

Put side by side, the picture is clear: condos are where the action, and the opportunity for buyers, is happening. Single-family remains the tighter, more seller-favorable corner of the market.

One thing worth keeping in mind: this data covers an eight-month window, January through August, which includes the slower summer months when activity typically eases across the board. A few more months of data will help confirm whether these patterns hold.

Where you should focus depends entirely on which market you’re shopping in, and right now those two markets could not be more different.

• Condo buyers have real leverage for the first time in a while. A sale to list ratio under 100%, combined with a big jump in inventory in the middle price tiers, means more room to negotiate than a year ago.
• Single-family buyers should not expect the same relief. Homes are moving faster and selling closer to (or above) asking than they were last year. Well-priced single-family listings will still draw competition.

If you’ve been waiting for an opening, the condo market is giving you one right now. I’m happy to walk you through which buildings and price points are seeing the most movement.

The strategy for sellers now depends heavily on property type.

• Condo sellers, especially above $1.5 million, need to price with the current mix in mind. Buyer activity has concentrated in the middle tiers, so a top of market listing needs a sharper, more deliberate strategy to stand out.
• Single-family sellers are still in a strong position. Faster sales, a better sale to list ratio, and flat to rising prices all point in your favor, even with fewer transactions overall.

I track both markets closely and I’m always happy to give you a clear, no-pressure read on where your property fits into this picture.

Note: Figures reflect closed sales in Newton, MA from January 1 to August 1 of each year. Source: MLS Property Information Network, Inc. Total Sold Market Statistics reports. Data gathered from third parties, including seller and public records; accuracy is not guaranteed.