What buying in Lawrence looks like right now
As of May 2026, the median sale price in Lawrence is $550,000, most homes close between $430,000 and $680,000, and listings are going under agreement in about 27 days, which makes Lawrence a seller's market. That is a slower pace than Methuen next door, but the good buildings still move fast.
The price you pay depends heavily on the property type. Condos tend to sit at the lower end, and the loft apartments in converted mills downtown, such as Stone Mill Lofts, are rentals rather than homes for sale. Single-family homes on Prospect Hill and in South Lawrence fall in the middle. Two-, three- and four-unit buildings, which are the backbone of the Lawrence market, usually land at the top of the range, and a renovated triple-decker with separate utilities can go above it. Start by browsing the current Lawrence listings with those tiers in mind.
Multi-family buying: the Lawrence specialty
In Tower Hill, many of the residential buildings have two to four units, and the same pattern repeats along Broadway, near the Spicket River and across South Lawrence. For many buyers this is the whole point of buying in Lawrence: live in one unit and let the rent from the others help carry the mortgage.
Before you write an offer on a multi-family, Liriano Realty pulls together the rent roll, the leases or tenant-at-will status for each unit, who pays for heat and electricity, and whether the property has any lead compliance letters on file. Those documents tell you what the building actually earns and what it will cost to run. A three-family with one owner-paid heating system for all units is a very different purchase from one with three separate boilers and three electric meters.
Also plan for the tenants who are already there. Showings must be coordinated with them, leases transfer with the building, and security deposits move to you at closing. It is the normal paperwork that comes with buying income property, and we handle it every week.
Financing that fits Lawrence housing
Owner-occupants can use FHA financing to buy a two- to four-unit building with a low down payment, and lenders may count a portion of the rent from the other units toward qualifying income, based on an appraisal of fair market rent.
MassHousing offers mortgage loans and down payment assistance for first-time buyers through its partner lenders, along with homebuyer education. Conventional loans work for single-family homes and condos and for investors who will not live in the building. We introduce you to a lender who closes in Lawrence regularly and get you a real pre-approval before you fall in love with a building.
Inspections and offers on older Lawrence homes
Most of Lawrence was built before 1940. A good inspector will spend time on the roof, the foundation, the wiring, the plumbing stacks, the boilers and the windows. Massachusetts lead paint rules apply to any home built before 1978, and if you plan to rent a unit you will need to follow the state's tenant lead law notification rules. Ask for any deleading or interim control letters up front.
In a seller's market, clean and realistic offers win. That means a pre-approval from a known lender, an inspection contingency with a short but fair window, and a closing date that works for the seller. On a multi-family, an offer that acknowledges the existing tenants and their leases reads as serious. Liriano Realty studies the last several sales on the street before we set your number, so you compete without overpaying.
Why Liriano Realty for a Lawrence purchase
Our office is at 240 Pleasant St Unit: 10, Methuen, MA 01844, minutes from Tower Hill, Prospect Hill and the Broadway corridor, and we work in English and Spanish at every step. Broker and owner Jefri Liriano and the team have helped many Lawrence buyers, from first-time buyers on a two-family to investors adding a fourth building.
We know the practical details that matter here: which streets sit closest to the McGovern Transportation Center for the Haverhill Line, how quickly you can reach I-495 from South Lawrence via Route 114 or Route 28, and what a downtown condo costs to carry compared with a triple-decker three blocks away.
Read the full Lawrence town guide for neighborhoods and commute details, or contact Liriano Realty and call (617) 685-1515 to start your search.