The Lamacchia Realty 25 Hottest Towns report is in! We look at every town in Massachusetts and take the Top 25 with the most growth in the number of sales when compared to last year. To make this list there has to be a minimum of 200 sales in 2021 including single families, condos, and multi-families. We also look at the median prices of each town.
8 out of 10 of this year’s towns are based in the eastern side of the state, which reflects a change in the narrative. For years, we’ve seen people moving out of the Boston area and surrounding towns for the suburbs, as those areas typically have larger homes on more land, and for less money. Especially when the pandemic first hit, people began leaving cities for the suburbs for more space. In last year’s report, over half of all the towns listed were coastal towns. It seems now though, that people are starting to head back into the city. Most COVID-19 restrictions have lifted, and the world is returning back to normal, allowing people to feel more comfortable moving to the area.
See below for the full breakdown:
East Boston topped the list with the number of homes sold increasing by 73.12% compared to 2020. Median price increased 8.26% to $655,000. East Boston was also the #4 hottest town in 2019.
Attractions/Things to Do in/near East Boston:
Brighton landed at the #2 spot with the number of homes sold up by 57.05% and a median price increase of 6.48% over 2020. The median price is $575,000.
Attractions/Things to Do in/near Brighton:
- Chestnut Hill Reservation
- Paradise Rock Club
- Brighton Farmers Market (Spring and Summers)
Roxbury ranked #3 in the list with a 55.22% increase in the number of homes sold compared to 2020. Median price increased by 11.35% to $667,000.
Attractions/Things to Do in/near Roxbury:
Chelsea came in at #4 on the list as the area saw a 55.17% increase in home sales over 2020, with median prices increasing 3.36% to $465,000.
Attractions/Things to Do in/near Chelsea:
One of only two Western MA cities to make the list, Holyoke had a 48.57% increase in home sales in 2021 compared to 2020. Median prices increased to $225,000, up 9.22%.
Attractions/Things to Do in/near Holyoke:
The only other Western MA city to make the top 10 was South Hadley. This city saw a 42.11% increase in the number of home sales with median prices increasing 12.77% over 2020 to $282,500.
Attractions/Things to Do in/near South Hadley:
Heading back on the Eastern side of the state, South Boston takes the #7 spot! The area saw a 41.55% increase in the number of home sales compared to 2020, with a 3.77% increase in median home prices increasing to $799,000.
Attractions/Things to Do in/near South Boston:
Medford ended up in the #8 spot with home sales increasing 41.15% in comparison to 2020. The area saw a 10.10% increase in median prices, to $725,000.
Attractions/Things to Do in/near Medford:
The state capital came in at #9 with a 39.92% increase in the number of home sales in 2021 compared to 2020. Boston was the only city in the top 10 to have seen a decrease in median price, down 10.77% to $889,000.
Attractions/Things to Do in/near Boston:
Coming in at #10 is Somerville with an increase of 38.53% in the number of home sales compared to 2020. Median price increased 2.86% to $900,000.
Here are the rest of the 2021 Hottest Towns in Massachusetts ranked 11-25 by % change in the number of home sales
