The 20 most competitive housing markets in Massachusetts

Across much of the U.S., people are struggling to buy and sell homes. Homebuyers are scared off by high prices and economic uncertainty, while home sellers are staying put until they can earn more profit from the sale. Student loan debt is adding even more pressure on younger buyers. As such, houses are selling at a historically slow rate, especially in the Sun Belt—even as mortgage rates fall.

That's not the case everywhere, though. In today's market, understanding your local level of competition can help you make smarter decisions. It affects everything from how quickly homes sell to how much negotiating power buyers and sellers have.

Conditions vary widely across Massachusetts—but this list can help. Redfin Real Estate ranked the most competitive cities in Massachusetts based on their combined months of supply (lower is better), average sale to list ratio (higher is better), and median days on market (lower is better). All data is an average for the January-October 2025 period. To see the most competitive cities in the country, read this recent Redfin article.

#1. Melrose, Massachusetts
- Days on market: 13.31 days
- Sale to list ratio: 109.2%
- Months of supply: 0.86 months
- Share of homes sold above list price: 78.7%
- Share of homes that went off market in two weeks: 73.1%
- See homes for sale in Melrose on Redfin.com

#2. Arlington, Massachusetts
- Days on market: 14.05 days
- Sale to list ratio: 107.1%
- Months of supply: 1.08 months
- Share of homes sold above list price: 73.8%
- Share of homes that went off market in two weeks: 73.6%
- See homes for sale in Arlington on Redfin.com

#2. Reading, Massachusetts
- Days on market: 13.97 days
- Sale to list ratio: 105.2%
- Months of supply: 1.0 months
- Share of homes sold above list price: 69.0%
- Share of homes that went off market in two weeks: 76.5%
- See homes for sale in Reading on Redfin.com

#4. Malden, Massachusetts
- Days on market: 14.37 days
- Sale to list ratio: 104.6%
- Months of supply: 1.16 months
- Share of homes sold above list price: 71.6%
- Share of homes that went off market in two weeks: 75.9%
- See homes for sale in Malden on Redfin.com

#5. Wakefield, Massachusetts
- Days on market: 16.8 days
- Sale to list ratio: 104.9%
- Months of supply: 1.21 months
- Share of homes sold above list price: 75.3%
- Share of homes that went off market in two weeks: 75.1%
- See homes for sale in Wakefield on Redfin.com

#6. Beverly, Massachusetts
- Days on market: 18.4 days
- Sale to list ratio: 103.3%
- Months of supply: 1.17 months
- Share of homes sold above list price: 65.6%
- Share of homes that went off market in two weeks: 71.4%
- See homes for sale in Beverly on Redfin.com

#7. Danvers, Massachusetts
- Days on market: 18.85 days
- Sale to list ratio: 103.5%
- Months of supply: 1.19 months
- Share of homes sold above list price: 67.8%
- Share of homes that went off market in two weeks: 65.1%
- See homes for sale in Danvers on Redfin.com

#8. Norwood, Massachusetts
- Days on market: 19.14 days
- Sale to list ratio: 103.3%
- Months of supply: 1.19 months
- Share of homes sold above list price: 66.9%
- Share of homes that went off market in two weeks: 69.9%
- See homes for sale in Norwood on Redfin.com

#9. Medford, Massachusetts
- Days on market: 19.27 days
- Sale to list ratio: 103.9%
- Months of supply: 1.32 months
- Share of homes sold above list price: 63.3%
- Share of homes that went off market in two weeks: 62.8%
- See homes for sale in Medford on Redfin.com

#10. Peabody, Massachusetts
- Days on market: 20.6 days
- Sale to list ratio: 103.3%
- Months of supply: 1.1 months
- Share of homes sold above list price: 65.0%
- Share of homes that went off market in two weeks: 62.2%
- See homes for sale in Peabody on Redfin.com

#11. Woburn, Massachusetts
- Days on market: 18.49 days
- Sale to list ratio: 103.2%
- Months of supply: 1.39 months
- Share of homes sold above list price: 63.9%
- Share of homes that went off market in two weeks: 67.5%
- See homes for sale in Woburn on Redfin.com

#12. Franklin Town, Massachusetts
- Days on market: 19.41 days
- Sale to list ratio: 102.8%
- Months of supply: 1.18 months
- Share of homes sold above list price: 61.1%
- Share of homes that went off market in two weeks: 73.8%
- See homes for sale in Franklin Town on Redfin.com

#13. Methuen Town, Massachusetts
- Days on market: 19.07 days
- Sale to list ratio: 102.8%
- Months of supply: 1.45 months
- Share of homes sold above list price: 69.9%
- Share of homes that went off market in two weeks: 67.0%
- See homes for sale in Methuen Town on Redfin.com

#14. Framingham, Massachusetts
- Days on market: 18.15 days
- Sale to list ratio: 102.5%
- Months of supply: 1.5 months
- Share of homes sold above list price: 61.8%
- Share of homes that went off market in two weeks: 67.6%
- See homes for sale in Framingham on Redfin.com

#15. Waltham, Massachusetts
- Days on market: 20.63 days
- Sale to list ratio: 103.0%
- Months of supply: 1.51 months
- Share of homes sold above list price: 60.4%
- Share of homes that went off market in two weeks: 62.9%
- See homes for sale in Waltham on Redfin.com

#16. Lawrence, Massachusetts
- Days on market: 22.85 days
- Sale to list ratio: 102.7%
- Months of supply: 1.21 months
- Share of homes sold above list price: 69.6%
- Share of homes that went off market in two weeks: 62.3%
- See homes for sale in Lawrence on Redfin.com

#17. Watertown Town, Massachusetts
- Days on market: 19.95 days
- Sale to list ratio: 102.2%
- Months of supply: 1.42 months
- Share of homes sold above list price: 55.1%
- Share of homes that went off market in two weeks: 58.3%
- See homes for sale in Watertown Town on Redfin.com

#18. Weymouth Town, Massachusetts
- Days on market: 21.6 days
- Sale to list ratio: 102.1%
- Months of supply: 1.28 months
- Share of homes sold above list price: 64.1%
- Share of homes that went off market in two weeks: 61.8%
- See homes for sale in Weymouth Town on Redfin.com

#19. Lowell, Massachusetts
- Days on market: 20.16 days
- Sale to list ratio: 101.9%
- Months of supply: 1.37 months
- Share of homes sold above list price: 62.9%
- Share of homes that went off market in two weeks: 64.1%
- See homes for sale in Lowell on Redfin.com

#20. Burlington, Massachusetts
- Days on market: 20.83 days
- Sale to list ratio: 102.5%
- Months of supply: 1.52 months
- Share of homes sold above list price: 59.1%
- Share of homes that went off market in two weeks: 57.6%
- See homes for sale in Burlington on Redfin.com