We buy houses in Boston, MA
We buy houses in Boston, MA for cash, in any condition. You pay no agent commissions and make no repairs before you sell. We buy with our own money, so we can commit to a closing date. Market figures below cover August 2026 and were last refreshed on September 17, 2026.
The typical home in Boston, MA is worth around $734,000, above the national typical value of $369,000. That value is up about 2.1% over the past year. It is a market-wide figure. A house that needs major work sits well below it, and a renovated one sits above.
The Boston market right now
- Typical home value
- $734,000
- Days to go under contract
- 29 days
- Listings cutting their price
- 22.9%
- Compared to nationally
- 99% higher
- Homes for sale
- 12,631
- New listings a month
- 4,770
- Months of supply
- 2.7
- Sales closing below asking
- 34.9%
+2.1% over the past year
About the same as a year ago
+1.7% vs. a year ago
National typical value is $369,000
+13% vs. a year ago
+10% vs. a year ago
Tight market, limited buyer choice
Nationally 50.0%
Boston, MA housing figures for August 2026, except the share closing below asking, which Zillow publishes a month behind and covers July 2026. Last refreshed September 17, 2026. Source: Zillow Research. Months of supply is calculated here as for-sale inventory divided by the monthly sales count. These are market-wide figures, not a valuation of any individual property.
What the Boston numbers mean for your sale
Houses here go under contract in about 29 days on average. That is quick, since the national figure is closer to 53 days. At this pace, a house in good shape with a sensible price usually sells the normal way without much trouble. So if your house shows well and you have no deadline, listing it in Boston will likely net you more than a cash sale. We would rather tell you that than talk you out of it.
About 22.9% of listings in Boston have cut their asking price, below the national share of 26.4%. Few price cuts suggests sellers here price close to what the market will pay, and get it. That is a fair setting for listing a house in good shape.
If timing is your main question, see how long it takes to sell a house in Boston. It goes stage by stage, including what a normal sale adds after the house goes under contract.
If the real question is whether you can afford to keep it, see what it costs to own a home in Boston. That includes what owners with no mortgage left still pay.
When selling for cash still makes sense in a fast market
Boston moves quickly enough that a house in good shape does not need us. We are still the better answer when the house cannot be shown well. That means major repairs you will not pay for, a tenant in place, an inherited house full of belongings, or a probate timeline. It also means a deadline that a 30-to-60-day mortgage approval cannot meet. Speed and certainty are what we sell. In a market this quick, only buy them if you really need them.
How the sale runs, from first call to closing, is on how it works. The side-by-side with listing through an agent, including the row where listing wins, is on cash offer vs realtor.
Deed stamps on a Boston sale
Massachusetts calls its transfer tax the deeds excise. Outside Barnstable County, the Department of Revenue sets the rate at $2.28 for every $500 of price or fraction of $500. That works out to $4.56 per $1,000.
The excise is paid by the person who makes or signs the deed, which on a sale is you. You pay it with stamps sold by the registries of deeds.
Boston deeds are recorded at the Suffolk County Registry of Deeds, 24 New Chardon Street. On a $600,000 sale, the stamps come to $2,736. No excise is due when the stated consideration (the price on the deed) is under $100.
The registry's online excise calculator uses the same $2.28 per $500 figure if you want to run your own price.
Sources: Massachusetts Department of Revenue: Directive 95-4, Enforcement of the Deeds Excise; Massachusetts General Laws: Chapter 64D, Section 1; Suffolk County Registry of Deeds: Excise Tax Calculator.
The Boston Fire Department smoke and CO certificate
State law requires a seller to equip a home with approved smoke detectors when it is sold or transferred. The head of the local fire department enforces it.
The Boston Fire Department says most homeowners need their smoke and carbon monoxide alarms inspected before they can sell. A separate law requires a carbon monoxide certificate, no matter the building's age or number of units.
This step can decide your closing date. The department asks sellers to apply through its Fire Prevention Portal as soon as the purchase and sale agreement is signed. It requires at least 10 business days of notice. It also states plainly that there is no guarantee the inspection will be scheduled before your closing.
Payment is due before an appointment is assigned, and rescheduling needs 48 hours of notice. The department does not do afternoon inspections in Allston, Brighton, or East Boston.
Sources: City of Boston Fire Prevention: Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detector Inspections; Massachusetts General Laws: Chapter 148, Section 26F.
Lead paint notice for older Boston homes
If the home was built before 1978, state and federal rules require you to give the buyer the Property Transfer Lead Paint Notification. You must do this before signing a purchase and sale agreement.
You also pass along any of these you have:
- lead inspection reports
- risk assessments
- Letters of Compliance
- Letters of Interim Control.
Also tell the buyer anything you know about lead in the home. If a child under 6 will live there, the notice says the owner must have it deleaded or brought into interim control within 90 days of taking title. You and the buyer both sign its certification page.
This comes up often in Boston because so much of the housing is old. The city says its triple-deckers went up from the 1880s through the 1930s.
Sources: Mass.gov Department of Public Health: Property Transfer Lead Paint Notification; Massachusetts General Laws: Chapter 111, Section 197A; City of Boston Housing Innovation Lab: Co-Creating the Future-Decker.
Boston's tax rate and the residential exemption
Boston's fiscal year runs from July 1 to June 30. The city taxes homes and businesses at different rates. For fiscal year 2026, the residential rate is $12.40 per $1,000 of assessed value. The rate for commercial, industrial, and personal property is $26.96.
Each year's rate appears on the third quarter bill, which the city usually issues in late December.
If the property is your primary residence, you may qualify for the residential exemption. The Assessing Department says it saved qualified homeowners up to $4,353.74 in the last fiscal year. It applies to one property only.
The first two quarterly bills of a fiscal year are estimates based on the prior year's value and rate. So check which bills are actual when you compare payoff numbers.
Sources: City of Boston Assessing: How We Tax Your Property; City of Boston Assessing: Residential Exemption.
Local facts checked September 2026. Rates and rules change; a real estate attorney or the office named above can confirm them for your property.
Markets near Boston
We buy across this whole region, including the towns between these metros.
Selling a house in Boston
- How much are deed stamps when I sell a house in Boston?
- Outside Barnstable County, Massachusetts charges $2.28 for every $500 of the sale price, or $4.56 per $1,000. The person who signs the deed pays it. So on a $600,000 Boston sale, the seller's stamps come to $2,736.
- How early should I book the smoke detector inspection in Boston?
- Apply as soon as the purchase and sale agreement is signed. The Boston Fire Department needs at least 10 business days of notice. It also says there is no guarantee the inspection will happen before the closing date.
- What is Boston's residential property tax rate?
- For fiscal year 2026, Boston's residential rate is $12.40 per $1,000 of assessed value. Owners who live in the home may also qualify for the residential exemption. It saved qualified homeowners up to $4,353.74 last fiscal year.
Tell us what you need for your Boston house
Two minutes to ask, no obligation, and no fee whatever you decide. If we are not the right answer, we will say so.
Sabrina usually picks up. (615) 576-8827