Housing inventory boomed during the month of May even as high prices continued to break records, according to a report released by the Greater Boston Association of REALTORS.

“With the continued increase in new listings, it’s a positive sign for buyers struggling to
find their stride in the market,” said Sarah Gustafson.

The Mortgage Bankers Association said the post-Memorial Day increase came despite economic uncertainty and largely static interest rates. 

Plus, with a median build year of 1964, Massachusetts has the third-oldest median home age in the nation.

The Northeast and Midwest remained strong, while Florida, which saw a major runup in prices in recent years, continued to cool. 

The 6.3% month-over-month decline was the steepest the U.S. market has seen since September 2022. 

In Boston, home prices rose 4.72% year over year and 0.74% month over month in March. 

Nationally, home sales slid 1.4% year over year but increased 11.3% month over month, RE/MAX said. 

The association noted, however, that 90% of the responses to its survey tracking homebuilder sentiment were received before the announcement of a 90-day reprieve in U.S.-China tariffs. 

The most recent Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey shows homebuyer activity continued despite the economic uncertainty. 

Homes that are professionally staged not only attract more attention from potential buyers — they also sell faster and for more money, according to data from the National Association of Realtors’® 2025 Profile of Home Staging.  

Despite the deceleration, the company, formerly known as CoreLogic, expects prices to rise another 4.9% over the next year.

The National Association of REALTORS’® Pending Home Sales Index rose 6.9% in March, compared to economists’ expectations of a smaller 1% gain.

The pace of sales rose 7.4% compared to February, topping analyst estimates by a large margin.

The surprisingly large decline in the pace of housing starts comes as builder sentiment remains depressed by tariff worries and high prices. 

Home listings jumped 21.4% year over year in March according to a new report from the Massachusetts Association of REALTORS®.