Merrimack Valley Market Update: August 2026

The Merrimack Valley real estate market is still tilted toward sellers, and the clearest evidence is not the price, it is the speed and the spread. Across all six Massachusetts towns we track most closely, the median home sold above its asking price and went under agreement in roughly three weeks. Inventory remains thin enough that well-priced homes are still drawing competition.

Below is what closed between early May and early August 2026, pulled directly from MLS PIN, along with what it means depending on which side of the table you are on.

What homes are actually selling for right now

Median closed sale price and median days on market, by town:

• Andover: $1,110,000, 20 days, 136 sales
• North Andover: $825,000, 20 days, 93 sales
• Methuen: $570,000, 21 days, 119 sales
• Haverhill: $537,000, 20 days, 172 sales
• Lawrence: $498,000, 19 days, 38 sales
• Lowell: $463,500, 22 days, 168 sales

Two patterns stand out.

First, days on market is remarkably consistent. There is a roughly $650,000 spread between the median Andover sale and the median Lowell sale, and yet every one of these towns is turning over in 19 to 22 days at the median. Speed is not being driven by price point right now. It is being driven by low supply.

Second, the median sale closed over asking in every town. Sale-to-list ratios ranged from 100.6% in Lowell to 102.7% in North Andover. That is not a frenzy, but it does mean list price is functioning as a floor more often than a ceiling.

Town by town

Andover

Andover remains the highest price point in the Valley, with a median sale of $1,110,000 across 136 closings. Single-family homes specifically ran a median of $1,250,000, while condominiums came in around $555,000, so the blended median understates how expensive detached homes here really are. Sixty active listings and a 101.0% sale-to-list ratio suggest a market that is competitive but not chaotic. See what is currently for sale in Andover.

North Andover

North Andover posted a median sale of $825,000 with the strongest sale-to-list ratio in the group at 102.7%. The blended median is pulled down substantially by condominium activity: single-family sales ran a median of $1,137,500 across 54 closings, while 37 condo sales had a median near $390,000. If you are comparing North Andover to Andover, compare like property types or the numbers will mislead you.

Methuen

Methuen closed 119 sales at a median of $570,000 in 21 days, with a 101.2% sale-to-list ratio and 52 active listings. Single-family homes ran a median of $620,000 and condominiums about $416,000. Methuen continues to be the town where buyers priced out of Andover and North Andover look first, and the volume reflects that. More on homes for sale in Methuen.

Haverhill

Haverhill had the most closed sales of any town we track, 172 over the period, at a median of $537,000 and 20 days, with a 101.7% sale-to-list ratio. Single-family sales ran a median of $640,000 against a condominium median around $420,000. With 76 active listings, Haverhill offers more selection than most of its neighbors while still moving quickly. See homes for sale in Haverhill.

Lawrence

Lawrence recorded a median sale of $498,000 and the fastest median days on market in the group at 19 days. Two caveats matter here. The sample is smaller, 38 closed sales, so the median moves more easily than in higher-volume towns. And active inventory is extremely tight at 15 listings, the lowest of any town we track. Buyers targeting Lawrence should expect limited choice and be ready to move when something fits.

Lowell

Lowell is the most affordable entry point in the group at a $463,500 median, and it carries the deepest active inventory at 113 listings. It also had the lowest sale-to-list ratio at 100.6% and the longest median market time at 22 days, which together suggest slightly more negotiating room than elsewhere in the Valley. Single-family homes ran a median of $575,000 against a condominium median of $332,000, the widest gap of any town here.

Southern New Hampshire

Our live feed covers MLS PIN, which is Massachusetts. For the New Hampshire side, the most recent figures we have compiled are as of May 2026 and should be treated as directional rather than current:

• Salem: median around $575,000, about 27 days on market
• Nashua: median around $537,000, about 25 days on market
• Manchester: median around $425,000, about 24 days on market

The structural pull across the border has not changed: no state income tax on wages and no sales tax draw Massachusetts buyers north, particularly to Salem and Nashua for the commute. What that comparison usually misses is property tax. New Hampshire property tax rates are generally higher, and the right way to compare is total monthly cost, not headline price. Run both through our mortgage calculator before deciding a state is cheaper.

What this means if you are buying

Three weeks is not much time to make a decision on the largest purchase of your life, which is exactly the problem this market creates.

• Get fully pre-approved before you tour anything. Not pre-qualified. In a market where the median home sells above asking, an offer without solid financing behind it is at a real disadvantage.
• Know your ceiling before you write. Sale-to-list ratios above 100% mean list price is a starting point. Decide your maximum in advance so you are not deciding it emotionally on a Sunday night.
• Selection varies enormously by town. Lowell has 113 active listings; Lawrence has 15. If you are flexible across towns, you have far more leverage than you think.
• Compare like property types. As North Andover shows, a blended median can be off by hundreds of thousands from what a single-family home actually costs.

Start with what is actively on the market, then talk to us about strategy.

What this means if you are selling

The conditions are good, but they are not an excuse to skip the work.

• Pricing at market still matters. Homes are selling above asking because they are priced correctly and drawing multiple offers, not because buyers have stopped paying attention. Overpricing still produces a stale listing and a price cut.
• The first two weeks decide your outcome. With medians at 19 to 22 days, most of your serious activity arrives immediately. Photography, staging, and launch timing carry disproportionate weight.
• Your competition is thin, which is your advantage. Low active inventory in most of these towns means a well-prepared listing stands out more than it would in a normal market.

If you want to know what your home would actually bring right now, we will tell you based on what has closed on your street, not an algorithm. Request a free valuation or read how we market and sell homes here.

Frequently asked questions

Is now a good time to buy in the Merrimack Valley?

It depends far more on your situation than on the market. Prices are firm and competition is real, but waiting has its own cost while you continue to pay rent. If your income is stable and you plan to stay several years, the current market is workable, particularly with the down payment assistance available to first-time buyers here.

Why do median prices differ so much between towns?

Housing stock, not just location. Andover and North Andover have a higher share of larger single-family homes, while Lowell and Lawrence have far more condominiums and two to four family properties. That is why the blended median in North Andover, $825,000, sits so far below its single-family median of $1,137,500.

What does a sale-to-list ratio above 100% actually mean?

It means the typical home sold for more than its final asking price. At 101% on a $570,000 home, that is roughly $5,700 above list. It signals genuine competition, though it does not mean every home sells over asking. Overpriced listings still sit and still reduce.

How current is this data?

These figures come from MLS PIN closed sales between approximately May 8 and August 6, 2026, pulled on August 6, 2026, and cover residential property. New Hampshire figures are from our own compiled data as of May 2026 and are older. Market conditions change, so treat this as a snapshot rather than a guarantee.

Which town gives buyers the most negotiating room?

On these numbers, Lowell: the lowest sale-to-list ratio at 100.6%, the longest median market time at 22 days, and by far the deepest inventory at 113 active listings. That combination usually translates into more room to negotiate than in Lawrence or Methuen.

Get numbers for your specific street

Town-level medians are useful for orientation and almost useless for pricing a specific home. A three-bedroom on one side of Methuen and a three-bedroom on the other can be $80,000 apart for reasons no median captures.

If you want the real number for your home or for a home you are considering, get in touch. We will pull the comparable sales that actually apply, in English or Spanish, and walk you through what they mean.