Timing is everything when selling a house in Massachusetts. But what factors truly matter in the Bay State’s dynamic real estate market?
We’ve crunched the numbers on seasonal trends and economic conditions to reveal the best (and worst) times to sell. In today’s unpredictable housing landscape, optimizing your sale is crucial—and we’re here to make it simple.
Ready to uncover the secrets of perfect timing for your Massachusetts home sale? Let’s get started and maximize your profits together.
Key Findings: Untapped Potential in Unexpected Places
- Undiscovered Opportunities in Top-Ranked Areas: We found that highly-rated locations like The Port in Cambridge and Arlington, Boston, show minimal online search activity, indicating untapped potential for savvy buyers.
- Affordable Options in Well-Rated Communities: Towns like Shrewsbury and Williamstown offer attractive median home prices of $512,000 and $420,000 respectively, yet remain under the radar for many budget-conscious buyers.
- High-Value Locations with Low Demand: Communities such as Westborough and West Newton present excellent opportunities for those willing to look beyond the most popular search results.
Our Study Methodology
To conduct this research, we compared the top 25 places to live in Massachusetts, as rated by Niche.com, with monthly search volume data from Ahrefs for home searches in these areas.
Our analysis focused on the popularity of online searches relative to population size, highlighting the best opportunities for purchasing homes in desirable locations with relatively low search demand.
Best Places to Live: Search Volume vs. Population Size
| # | Best place to live according to niche.com = Area | Search Volume | Median Price $k (according to niche.com) | Population Size | Search vol per capita = popularity online relative to population size of that area |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brookline | 220 | 1,181,200 | 62698 | 0.35 |
| 2 | Cambridgeport | 10 | 997,151 | 13671 | 0.07 |
| 3 | Cambridge | 190 | 997,600 | 117.962 | 0.16 |
| 4 | Mid-Cambridge | 0 | 1,085,182 | 15300 | 0.00 |
| 5 | East Cambridge | 0 | 927,649 | 13279 | 0.00 |
| 6 | Wellington Harrington | 0 | 947,566 | 7745 | 0.00 |
| 7 | Agassiz | 10 | 1,398,615 | 8893 | 0.11 |
| 8 | Riverside | 1700 | 1,196,843 | 11930 | 14.25 |
| 9 | Peabody | 300 | 1,048,014 | 13088 | 2.29 |
| 10 | The Port | 0 | 874,426 | 6970 | 0.00 |
| 11 | Newton | 50 | 1,136,200 | 88453 | 0.06 |
| 12 | Lexington | 80 | 1,085,000 | 34221 | 0.23 |
| 13 | Belmont | 80 | 1,060,600 | 26997 | 0.30 |
| 14 | Newtonville | 10 | 1,095,719 | 5342 | 0.19 |
| 15 | Shrewsbury | 150 | 512,000 | 38734 | 0.39 |
| 16 | Wayland | 10 | 862,700 | 13821 | 0.07 |
| 17 | Sharon | 10 | 665,000 | 18473 | 0.05 |
| 18 | Williamstown | 50 | 419,800 | 7630 | 0.66 |
| 19 | Westborough | 70 | 601,900 | 21360 | 0.33 |
| 20 | West Newton | 10 | 1,247,205 | 17149 | 0.06 |
| 21 | Hopkins | 300 | 704,600 | 18748 | 1.6 |
| 22 | North Cambridge | 0 | 1,021,005 | 21361 | 0.00 |
| 23 | Arlington | 80 | 839,200 | 45906 | 0.17 |
| 24 | West Cambridge | 0 | 1,651,724 | 9351 | 0.00 |
| 25 | Oak Hill Park | 0 | 810,000 | 1126 | 0.00 |
Note: The higher the number in the “search volume per capita” column, the higher the existing interest in the area, indicating less ‘hidden gem’ potential.
Hidden Gems: Where Opportunity Meets Value
Based on our analysis, we’ve identified several areas that offer the best combination of desirability, affordability, and low online search activity:
1. The Port, Cambridge
- Ranked #10 by Niche.com
- Median home price: $874,000
- Despite its high rating, the small population size and lack of online searches make it an under-the-radar option.
2. Shrewsbury, Worcester County
- Ranked #15 by Niche.com
- Median home price: $512,000
- Moderate population with low search activity for homes.
3. Williamstown
- Ranked #18 by Niche.com
- Median home price: $420,000
- Small population with only 50 searches in the last month, indicating a quiet market.
4. Westborough, Worcester County
- Ranked #19 by Niche.com
- Median home price: $601,000
- Healthy population size but minimal online searches for homes.
5. West Newton, Newton
- Ranked #20 by Niche.com
- Median home price: $1,065,425
- Rated as the #2 best neighborhood in Newton, yet only 10 searches in the past month for purchases.
6. Arlington, Boston
- Ranked #23 by Niche.com
- Median home price: $839,000
- Search popularity is only 0.17% per capita, indicating significant opportunities.
Cost Insights
Our analysis revealed some interesting patterns in home prices across different rankings:
- Top 10 Places to Live: Average home price of $1,065,425
- Top 5 Places to Live: Average home price of $1,037,756
- Bottom 10 (Ranks 15-25): Median home price of $839,558
Areas with high search volumes online, such as Riverside, Peabody, and Hopkinton, have less hidden potential due to their popularity.
In contrast, hidden gems have low online search interest and offer low median purchase costs. The ideal hidden gem features a low search rate, low cost, and a high ranking on Niche’s “Best Places to Live in Massachusetts.” Shrewsbury and Williamstown exemplify these criteria, making them top hidden gem candidates.
This perspective highlights the value of seeking out areas with low interest but high living standards.
