Published October 9, 2026 in Market Update

More homes are on the market in parts of Sea Coast, but demand still shows up fast

By Vladimir Babic

Real estate, Sea Coast

Here is the one thing that changes what you should do right now: more homes are competing for the same buyers. The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 39 homes for sale in ZIP 03840 during the three months ending August 31, 2026, up 69.6% from the same period a year before. That is the sharpest inventory jump in Sea Coast. At the same time, Realtor.com reported that active listings nationally topped 1.16 million homes. More supply means buyers have more to compare, and sellers have to earn the sale.

But here is what keeps this from being a buyer's market clean and simple. Even with more homes available, demand has not walked away. The Real Estate Data Aggregator found that 54.1% of homes in ZIP 03820 went under contract within two weeks of listing, for the three months ending August 31, 2026. In ZIP 03824, that share was 52.8%. In ZIP 03854, it was 66.7%. Buyers are still moving fast on the right homes.

Prices tell different stories in different ZIP codes

Not every part of Sea Coast moved in the same direction. The Real Estate Data Aggregator showed the median sale price in ZIP 03870 rose 39% year over year, to $1,326,500, for the three months ending August 31, 2026. ZIP 03904 was up 15%, to $710,000. But ZIP 03903 dipped 9.5%, to $731,000, and ZIP 03801 fell 7.3%, to $790,000. Prices going up in one ZIP and down in another is a reminder that the market is not one thing.

How long homes are sitting

Median days on market crept up in most ZIP codes. The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 50 median days on market in ZIP 03840, 13 days longer than a year before. ZIP 03801 came in at 44 days, 12 days longer. ZIP 03824 was 34 days, 15 days longer. The one exception: ZIP 03903 was 27 days, actually 14 days shorter than the year before. Homes are taking a little longer in most places, but not everywhere.

What the national picture adds

The national backdrop matters here. Freddie Mac put the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate at 7.40% as of October 8, 2026. Realtor.com reported that rates climbed above 7% for the first time since January 2025. That raises the monthly cost on any purchase. Realtor.com also found that 20.8% of listings nationally had a price cut in September, the highest share since October 2022. Sellers who price carefully from the start are in a better spot than those who start high and cut later.

Where supply is tightest and where it has grown

Months of supply tells you how long it would take to sell every home currently listed, at the current pace. The Real Estate Data Aggregator put ZIP 03840 at 7 months of supply for the three months ending August 31, 2026, up 4.6 months from a year before. That is the loosest market in Sea Coast. ZIP 03824 sat at just 1.6 months, and ZIP 03823 at 1.7 months. Those two are still very tight. Buyers in 03840 have more room to negotiate. Buyers in 03824 and 03823 do not.

Above list, at list, or below: what buyers actually paid

Sale-to-list ratios show how close buyers came to the asking price. The Real Estate Data Aggregator found that ZIP 03905 averaged 103.3% of list price, meaning homes there sold above asking on average. ZIP 03903 came in at 101.4%, and ZIP 03820 at 100.3%. ZIP 03870 was the softest at 97.8%, meaning sellers there gave up a little more ground. In ZIP 03903, 60% of homes sold above list price. In ZIP 03870, only 15.6% did.

A note on ZIP 03911

The Real Estate Data Aggregator has no counts for ZIP 03911. What we know about that part of Sea Coast comes from the national and regional picture described above, not from local home-by-home data.