CCIAOR Releases Third Quarter Residential Market Report

(West Yarmouth, MA) – The Cape Cod and Islands Association of REALTORS® (CCIAOR) released its third quarter residential report for 2026. The data includes all single-family homes and condominiums in the Cape Cod Multiple Listing Service for Barnstable County. Sharing market data provides accurate and timely information about the residential real estate market on Cape Cod for real estate professionals, community stakeholders and the general public.

“Overall, the residential market remains healthy with modest increases in sales and prices, even as inventory stays low. As buyers become more selective, sellers must price their properties realistically to succeed,” said Stephen Seaver, President of the Board of Directors for CCIAOR. “Because pricing and transaction trends vary greatly by town, partnering with a knowledgeable local professional is more important than ever.”

"Our members continue to report strong demand for starter homes despite limited inventory. However, it’s encouraging that mid-size property sales took the lead in market activity this past quarter," added Betsy Hanson, Chief Executive Officer of CCIAOR. "By offering real-time data through our multiple listing service, CCIAOR helps gauge the overall health of the Cape’s economy."

Residential Listing Data

Preliminary CCIAOR data show new listings rose 5.5% to 1407 from 1334 in 2025, led by 2-bedroom (398) and 3-bedroom (561) properties. Single-family listings totaled 1050 and condominiums 309, both up approximately 5.8%. The $600,000–$799,000 sales price range had the highest number of new listings this quarter at 323 properties but showed a 6.1% decrease in listings year over year. New listings rose 29.8% in the $800,000–$999,000 range and 37.7% in the $2 million–$3 million range.

New contracts totaled 1035 this quarter, down 5.4% from 1,094 in Q3 2025. Contracts declined for 1- through 4-bedroom properties, with the largest drop for 4-bedrooms (12%) and the smallest for 1-bedrooms (3.6%). By price, contracts rose 11.7% in the $800,000–$999,999 range and increased year over year for properties priced at $1.4 million or more.

Sales Price Data

For the third quarter of 2026, the number of sales increased 3% over 2025 with 1,046 properties sold. The overall median sales price increased 5.4% to $775,000, up from $735,000 in Q3 for 2025. Broken down by specific category, the median price for single family home was $850,000, a 6.3% increase, but median condominium prices decreased by 6.8% to 480,000, and this resulted in single-family home sales outpacing condominium sales by a total of 822 to 213. For Q3, 2026 the average sale price increased to $1,105,524 from $1,067,945 in 2025, a 3.5% increase.

When it comes to price per square foot, only properties that were over 4000 square feet decreased in value. For that category, there was an 8.4% decrease to $563 sq.ft., and as a result, the median sale price decreased 11.4% to $2.925,000. The largest increase per square foot was in the 0-999 range, rising 9.1% to $650 sq.ft., even though the median sales price was down 3.3% at $476,5000. The 1000-1999 range had the highest market activity for the quarter (470 sales), and its square footage cost increased by 4.2% to $480 as well as its median sales price increased by 2.3% to $680,000.

Days on Market

The Median Days on Market (DOM) for Q3 2026 was 20, down five days from 2025. The average DOM for Q3 2026 was 40, a seven-day decrease over the previous year. Properties priced at $3 million or more had the highest DOM number at 48, while those properties priced between $600,000 to $799,999 had the shortest number of days at 18.

Barnstable County Sales by Region

Upper Cape - Although this region had a 3.6% decrease in sales from Q3 2025, it had the second highest number of sales on the Cape with 345. It had the highest sales volume at $365,451,557, a 4.8% increase year over year. The median price is $791,000, which is an 8.4% increase over 2025. The DOM decreased to 19 days.

Mid Cape - This region had the highest number of sales with 378, which was an increase of 12.5% over Q3 2025. It almost tied for the highest sales volume, coming in at a close second at $363,405,226. The median price of $660,000 stayed flat year over year and the DOM decreased to 19 days.

Lower Cape - This region saw a 5.3% decrease in sales for the third quarter with 198. The median price is $895,000, a 11.9% decrease over Q3 2025, and its total sales volume decreased 12.1% to $256,809,930. The region’s DOM decreased to 12 days.

Outer Cape - The median price is $985,000, a 7.1% increase over 2025. This region increased sales by 10.6% to 125, creating a $170,710,950 total sales volume, a 21.7% increase over last year. However, the DOM increased to 35 days, making it the highest on Cape Cod.

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*Data released reflects all single-family homes and condominiums in the Cape Cod & Islands Multiple Listing Service for Barnstable County.

*For media interviews, contact Leslie Sandberg, Government & Media Affairs Director, at lsandberg@cciaor.com.