What does a Title V Report Tell a Buyer When Buying a Home?

The short answer is: LOTS! A Title V report is a complete overview of a septic system by an expert in septic system as determined by the state of Massachusetts. These reports are very valuable, but generally buyers only look at the top line information. Did it pass or fail? Yes, that is clearly the most important information, but a savvy buyer of property is going to look deeper at this report to see what they can learn about this very important home system.

Key Takeaways from a Title 5 Report

Current Status of the Septic System

This is the pass or fail. There is also a "conditional-pass", whereby some work needs to be done, and then the system will be in compliance. Pass is good - it means the system is working and nothing needs to be done at the moment. Fail is bad - that generally means the system will need extensive repair or replacement, and ultimately it means that the house shouldn't have people using it.  A house is not much good without a working and safe septic system.

Age of the Septic System

The age of the system is often documented as well. Even a well-maintained system comes with no guarantees if it gets beyond the edge of it's life. Unlike many manufactured components, a septic system can (and often does) run well past it's "useful" life. But you should what risk profile you are taking on.

Type of Septic System

Not all systems are modern, tank-and-leechfield systems. There are systems with leech pits, tight tanks,

raised systems, pump tanks, and other less common configurations. You should know what you are buying, and make sure you understand it, just as you would your heating system or A/C systems.

Water flows

Have the water flows to the system been normal? High? Low? These systems are designed to process water safely - but they have limits. A system with low flows may funciton acceptably, but when high flows begin you could start having problems. This can happen when a house has been vacant for a long time, and a larger family moves in. All of a sudden, the system gets hit with a much higher flow rate, and it can't handle it.

How many people live in the house

This is a quick way to figure out the "load" the system might be under. Water flows are more accurate.

Ground Water Levels

Most inspectors try to determine - or re-state - reseach done on the ground-water levels in the area. Why is that important? Septic systems are about DRAINANGE, as much as anything else. The faster water drains away, the more load the system can handle. If the ground water level is very high - and your system fails - it could be hard (read:expensive) to put a new system in. Basically, if you have an old system, high ground water, and low loads - you might want to think very carefully about buying a home with this combination of factors! No one wants to have a system fail, but fail they do. A little research today can keep surprises at bay if it happens to you.

The Inspector

Who did the inspection is good to know if there are questions. You should call the inspector if you have them.

Where is the Septic System

You're going to need it pumped, and it can be hard to figure out where the tank is. Guess what? Every report contains a map showing where the tank is, and how to find it. This is important information!  If you can't show your pumper where it is, he's going to have to find it- and they probably won't do it for free!!

Things a Title 5 Report WON'T Tell You

The report is very useful, but there are things that you can not determine by looking at the Title V report.  Some of them are listed below.

The Future of Your Septic System

Any system can fail at anytime. There are no guarantees with any system, unfortunately. That's why assessing the health and risk of the system is so important.

Informaion about the Leech Field

The leech field can't be inspected easily, and isn't a requirement of the inspection. People who don't maintain

their systems properly can be clogging their leech field. (They do not, however, fill up with leeches.  I jest.). Even people who do everything right are often not protected from lint and hair build up in older systems. (Newer systems have multi-stage chambers and filters to help with this). At some point, if enough objects that won't dissolve get into your leechfield and collect, the septic system won't perform, and you'll have problems.

Regular Maintenance

Generally, the pump history that was performed by the previous owner(s) is not listed on the report. Hopefully, someday it will be. We'd all like better access to this information.  Sometimes it's at the Board of Health at the Town Hall, but it's not guaranteed to be accurate or even up-to-date.

How Much a New System will Cost

Virtually no one will price Septic systems with out a Septic Design, and a new Septic Design is not the purpose of a Title V report.  Looking at the size of the lot, the drainage, and the ground water level can give you indications of how difficult the design will be  - but that is a far cry from an accurate estimate.

Note: Matt Heisler is not an expert in septic systems, but he's read a report or two!

More Great Reads!

• Quick reference guide for buyers and sellers
• Current Massachusetts Smoke Detector Laws Explained. Read -before - you go to the hardware store.
• How do I calculate true mortgage closing costs?
• What are the types of foundations we find in housing, and what should I know about them?
• Which is better, 2x4 or 2x6 home construction?
• How do I know if my septic system is failing?
• What is a mortgage commitment letter and why is it important?

About Matt Heisler

Matt Heisler is a real-estate professional and owner of this website. He has been selling homes in MA for buyers and sellers for over 20 years. He is an expert in foreclosure purchases, short-sale purchases, short-sale sales, buy and hold investing, fix and flip investing, and of course traditional residential home sales. He is happy to take questions as they pertain to real estate on Title V, Radon, Termites, Sump Pumps, Roofs, Foundations, Wells, Septic Systems, Cash-Flow, Staging, and a host of other housing issues. As a Vanderbilt University alumnus, he is proud to serve his local community.

*All information is posted in good faith and is assumed to be reliable, but may rely on third party information sources.

Homes For Sale in Charlton Market Report

Charlton looks to me like the first real spring report. Charlton has been an interesting town to watch, because it's a Worcester suburb - more a function of Worcester's market than Boston - and has plenty of land for new construction. In fact, 27 of the 60 houses for sale are new construction houses in Charlton. That's a lot! With so many builders competing for your attention, we have the same effect we see in Northbridge.

Can’t see the chart? You can find it Here .

That effect is a softer HSI, and more of a competitive market where neither the buyers or sellers are in charge. Sellers will find that the market for their homes is very good - as long as they aren't competing directly with new construction. With rates headed up, buyers may be leery of long wait time for new construction ( I would be). It's a big purchase to wait around and see what rates are going to do!

Nevertheless, this report is in direct contrast to the Boylston one. Boylston had demand increasing, where here we have sales transaction volume slowing - a lot - as the late summer sales fall out of the data set. Prices are down, and market time is up. All negative factors.  Is the overall market more like Boylston or Charlton? More reports will tell the tape, but with more sellers coming on-line, buyers will need to stay aggressive or we will see a leveling of the market across the board. I think we will see that anyway - last year is not normal - as the market finds more of an equilibrium.

The one real positive in this report is that the properties that are on the market have a list $/sq foot of $165 - far above the current pace of $133. That reflects serious optimism on the part of sellers, and if homes continue to sell - even at a less frenetic pace - the market will show higher prices.

Charlton Recent Houses For Sale and Sold Market Statistics - Raw MLS Data

• Charlton ‘s “Home Seller Index” (HSI):76 Last Report: 93
• There are 60 homes listed as For Sale.

  A flurry of new construction in Charlton is affecting prices for all home sellers.

• There have been 68 houses sold in the last 6 months, and 32 homes sold in the last 3 months in Charlton.
• The Average number of Days on Market was 153 days for just SOLD homes.
• There is an Average Market Time of 169 days of the homes For Sale (currently for sale).
• The amount that was paid in Dollars per Square Foot averaged $133 (vs. $142)
• There was an Average Sold Price of $265,821 for sold homes.
• Charlton, MA, has 2 (vs. 1 in the last report) properties advertised as lender owned or foreclosure (typically foreclosure) .
• Charlton has 1 (Vs. 1) properties advertised as a short-sale is going to be needed by lender.

*All statistics are for Single Family Houses and based on data in MLS. Matt’s HSI is proprietary. (That means you won’t find it anywhere else. Take that, Case-Schilling!).

More Great Reads!

• Quick reference guide for buyers and sellers
• Thinking of a new kitchen? Here are some popular styles to consider.
• An easy way to save money? LED light bulbs.
• What are the types of foundations we find in housing, and what should I know about them?
• Which is better, 2x4 or 2x6 home construction?
• How do I know if my septic system is failing?
• What is a mortgage commitment letter and why is it important?

About Matt Heisler

Matt Heisler is a real-estate professional and owner of this website. He has been selling homes in MA for buyers and sellers for over 20 years. He is an expert in foreclosure purchases, short-sale purchases, short-sale sales, buy and hold investing, fix and flip investing, and of course traditional residential home sales. He is happy to take questions as they pertain to real estate on Title V, Radon, Termites, Sump Pumps, Roofs, Foundations, Wells, Septic Systems, Cash-Flow, Staging, and a host of other housing issues. As a Vanderbilt University alumnus, he is proud to serve his local community.

*All information is posted in good faith and is assumed to be reliable, but may rely on third party information sources.

Homes For Sale in Boylston Market Report

Continuing with our look at the quieter northern towns, we take a peek at Boylston, and the results are a bit of a surprise.

Can’t see the chart? You can find it Here .

What we see is that the HSI is telling us that Boylston is heating up - not cooling down - as other towns are. Sure, it was starting from a lower base (95), but the trend is interesting. It looks like slightly lower prices may have done the trick, as sales have kept up despite the unattractive weather we've been having. Sales continue to outpace listings, and that is generally bullish for prices, especially at these levels.  Home sellers with ready to move in houses should be pushing the limits in Boylston!

The question becomes: Are there more buyers that are just waiting for the spring influx in inventory? Are there new buyers that haven't even ventured out yet? These are questions that the report can't tell us - but an HSI of 120 indicates that is probably the case. With just 15 homes on the market at the moment, there's little to choose from - even motivated buyers maybe forced to wait.

Boylston Recent Houses For Sale and Sold Market Statistics - Raw MLS Data

• Boylston‘s “Home Seller Index” (HSI): 122 Last Report: 95
• There are 15 homes listed as For Sale.
• There have been 40 houses sold in the last 6 months, and 24 homes sold in the last 3 months in 

  Home Sellers sharped their pencils in Boylston, and home buyers responded by writing offers.

  Boylston.
• The Average number of Days on Market was 162 days for just SOLD homes.
• There is an Average Market Time of 185 days of the homes For Sale (currently for sale).
• The amount that was paid in Dollars per Square Foot averaged $165 (vs. $170 )
• There was an Average Sold Price of $435,565 for sold homes.
• Boylston ,MA, has 0 properties advertised as lender owned or foreclosure (typically foreclosure) .
• Boylston has 1 properties advertised as a short-sale is going to be needed by lender.

*All statistics are for Single Family Houses and based on data in MLS. Matt’s HSI is proprietary. (That means you won’t find it anywhere else. Take that, Case-Schilling!).

More Great Reads!

• Quick reference guide for buyers and sellers
• Thinking of a new kitchen? Here are some popular styles to consider.
• An easy way to save money? LED light bulbs.
• What are the types of foundations we find in housing, and what should I know about them?
• Which is better, 2x4 or 2x6 home construction?
• How do I know if my septic system is failing?
• What is a mortgage commitment letter and why is it important?

About Matt Heisler

Matt Heisler is a real-estate professional and owner of this website. He has been selling homes in MA for buyers and sellers for over 20 years. He is an expert in foreclosure purchases, short-sale purchases, short-sale sales, buy and hold investing, fix and flip investing, and of course traditional residential home sales. He is happy to take questions as they pertain to real estate on Title V, Radon, Termites, Sump Pumps, Roofs, Foundations, Wells, Septic Systems, Cash-Flow, Staging, and a host of other housing issues. As a Vanderbilt University alumnus, he is proud to serve his local community.

Do Good Things Today! Matt Heisler

*All information is posted in good faith and is assumed to be reliable, but may rely on third party information sources.

Homes For Sale in Berlin Market Report

Although a town with limited inventory, we take a look at Berlin today. Berlin has one new home on the market - the green shoots of spring perhaps - and sales have stayed steady.

Can’t see the chart? You can find it Here .

It's definitely worth noting that the active listings are very new - with just an average of 60+ days on the market. No selling pressure on these folks, they'll likely wait out the spring.

It's such a small town, I'm not going to wax on about the drop in prices - really not enough data in the mix to comment from report to report. No bank impacted inventory here - the last foreclosure and short-sales closed in the last reporting period.

Berlin Recent Houses For Sale and Sold Market Statistics - Raw MLS Data

• Berlin‘s “Home Seller Index” (HSI): 134 Last Report: 151
• There are7 homes listed as For Sale.

  Yes, Berlin is rural, but not THAT rural. It's nice!

• There have been 18 houses sold in the last 6 months, and 10 homes sold in the last 3 months in Berlin.
• The Average number of Days on Market was 195 days for just SOLD homes.
• There is an Average Market Time of 68 days of the homes For Sale (currently for sale).
• The amount that was paid in Dollars per Square Foot averaged $154 (vs. $159)
• There was an Average Sold Price of $372,664 for sold homes.
• Berlin, MA, has 0 properties advertised as lender owned or foreclosure (typically foreclosure) .
• Berlin has 0 properties advertised as a short-sale is going to be needed by lender.

*All statistics are for Single Family Houses and based on data in MLS. Matt’s HSI is proprietary. (That means you won’t find it anywhere else. Take that, Case-Schilling!).

More Great Reads!

• Quick reference guide for buyers and sellers
• Thinking of a new kitchen? Here are some popular styles to consider.
• An easy way to save money? LED light bulbs.
• What are the types of foundations we find in housing, and what should I know about them?
• Which is better, 2x4 or 2x6 home construction?
• How do I know if my septic system is failing?
• What is a mortgage commitment letter and why is it important?

About Matt Heisler

Matt Heisler is a real-estate professional and owner of this website. He has been selling homes in MA for buyers and sellers for over 20 years. He is an expert in foreclosure purchases, short-sale purchases, short-sale sales, buy and hold investing, fix and flip investing, and of course traditional residential home sales. He is happy to take questions as they pertain to real estate on Title V, Radon, Termites, Sump Pumps, Roofs, Foundations, Wells, Septic Systems, Cash-Flow, Staging, and a host of other housing issues. As a Vanderbilt University alumnus, he is proud to serve his local community.

Do Good Things Today! Matt Heisler

*All information is posted in good faith and is assumed to be reliable, but may rely on third party information sources.

Homes For Sale in Ashland Market Report

The lack of inventory is finally starting to hit the Home Selling Index. This isn't unexpected, but what we will be following is how the prices respond to the decrease in home sale transaction volume.

Here's the chart:

Can’t see the chart? You can find it Here .

We can see that the HSI has taken a pretty sharp fall. With the sales data from July and August falling out of this report, to me the number that really stands out is the drop in sales volume from 90 to 77 over a six month period. That number is going to continue to fall, as there wasn't enough houses on the market last fall/early this year. So the question will be: How far will it fall? And what will that do to the buyer mentality?

We've documented already here that the buyers are being far more cautious this year than they were last year. Will that result in lower prices? Longer sales times? Too early to tell - I'll wait till I see what happens in April - but it's going to be an interesting dynamic playing out. If you judge by this report, the buyers are clearly regaining leverage. That is especially apparent in the drop in prices - which was pretty unexpected by me - that resulted from this report to the last.

But before we conclude that the buyers are in truly in charge, we need to slow down a little. First, the spring inventory is coming on. Even a small rise in the number of houses for sale is going to have a big impact on the HSI because it's stratospheric. Also, it's worth noting that what sellers are asking for prices in Ashland is $219/sq foot - meaning even if everyone does a 10% price reduction to get sold, $/sq foot will go up 7% this spring. Sellers are very optimistic about prices - and that will need to change if the buyers are to regain a measure of control.

Ashland Recent Houses For Sale and Sold Market Statistics - Raw MLS Data

• Ashland‘s “Home Seller Index” (HSI): 136 Last Report: 196
• There are 27 homes listed as For Sale.

  With little inventory, inexperience home buyers are taking on risk when evaluating properties.

• There have been 77 houses sold in the last 6 months, and 36 homes sold in the last 3 months in Ashland.
• The Average number of Days on Market was 88 days for just SOLD homes.
• There is an Average Market Time of 121 days of the homes For Sale (currently for sale).
• The amount that was paid in Dollars per Square Foot averaged $185 (vs. $197 )
• There was an Average Sold Price of $367,767 for sold homes.
• Ashland, MA, has 1 properties (vs. 2) advertised as lender owned or foreclosure (typically foreclosure) .
• Ashland has 0 properties (vs. 1 in the last report) advertised as a short-sale is going to be needed by lender.

*All statistics are for Single Family Houses and based on data in MLS. Matt’s HSI is proprietary. (That means you won’t find it anywhere else. Take that, Case-Schilling!).

More Great Reads!

• Quick reference guide for buyers and sellers
• Thinking of a new kitchen? Here are some popular styles to consider.
• An easy way to save money? LED light bulbs.
• What are the types of foundations we find in housing, and what should I know about them?
• Which is better, 2x4 or 2x6 home construction?
• How do I know if my septic system is failing?
• What is a mortgage commitment letter and why is it important?

About Matt Heisler

Matt Heisler is a real-estate professional and owner of this website. He has been selling homes in MA for buyers and sellers for over 20 years. He is an expert in foreclosure purchases, short-sale purchases, short-sale sales, buy and hold investing, fix and flip investing, and of course traditional residential home sales. He is happy to take questions as they pertain to real estate on Title V, Radon, Termites, Sump Pumps, Roofs, Foundations, Wells, Septic Systems, Cash-Flow, Staging, and a host of other housing issues. As a Vanderbilt University alumnus, he is proud to serve his local community.

Do Good Things Today! Matt Heisler

*All information is posted in good faith and is assumed to be reliable, but may rely on third party information sources.

Sudbury Tempers Flare as 40B project supports and detractors take sides (4/2014)

Massachusetts 40B zoning is often a heavy handed tool that developers use in town that lack affordable housing as measured by the state. The Metrowest Daily News has a story about the controversial changes at The Residences at Johnson Farm, a 40B development. The filed application is on-line at the link!

Sudbury Celebrates 375 years of Incorporation   (3/2014)

Sudbury native David Alderman has designed an official logo and souvenir as Sudbury brings in birthday number 375.  What? You can't wait till 400?  You can read more about where to get the souvenirs here.

Diane Patrick to Speak on Healthy Relationships in Sudbury  (3/2014)

Mrs. Patrick will be making welcoming remarks at a summit aimed at High School Leaders in the local area.  Admission is open to the public and free.

Here are the Open Houses the weekend of March 15th, 2014

Homes For Sale in Worcester Market Report

I always enjoy doing Worcester because of the predictive aspect of it. First of all, there's LOTS of data, which helps to increase confidence that whatever is happening there is truly the trend, not just a clue as to what the trend is. Also, you could say many of the towns that I cover go the way Worcester goes. If prices are going up in Worcester, in means prices are likely going to go up further east in response to that. If they are going down, sooner or later it will affect pricing further east. OK, enough preamble:

Can’t see the chart? You can find it Here .

Holy falling transactions Batman. We've dropped 20% from the peak. That's a bigger drop than we've seen elsewhere, and it indicates to me that demand is softening. But is it? As we've noted elsewhere, if there are only X houses on the market, you can't sell 3x for very long - you just start to run out. Let's look at some other data to see what is happening.

Here's prices. HMMM. Prices have fallen a little bit too. This is something that we've seen in other markets, and we usually see a softening in the fall prices, and that's probably what's coming through the data here. But is that indicative that things are cooling off? The HSI is down, but it's still above 100. A couple more data points I want to check.

First, I want to look at the amount of time that Active Home Sellers have been selling. If the Days On Market is long, that means they can't get sold. At 127, we see that we have actually fallen from the previous reading of 149. Also, I looked at the prices that are being asked on a $/sq foot basis. It's at $132, well above the last trend, and shows that not only have the sellers not been waiting around very long, they are also pretty optimistic that the buyers will come up in price.

Only time will tell if they are right, but at this juncture, I don't see a lot of reason to think that the drop in transaction volume is meaningful at this time. Maybe if we see DOM lengthen to 150 plus, that will be an indicator that sellers will have to cut prices, but it's too early to be sure of that just yet. Heck, even if they did cut prices 10%, that still would result in an increase in the $/sq foot number in the next report - so we have plenty of optimism here things are going to go up, not down. Last note, lender owned real estate is down a bit, getting closer to the 11 units we saw less than a year ago.

Worcester Houses For Sale and Sold Market Statistics - Raw MLS Data

• Worcester‘s “Home Seller Index” (HSI): 108 Last Report: 118
• There are 279 homes listed as For Sale.
• There have been 560 houses sold in the last 6 months, and 302 homes sold in the last 3 months in Worcester.
• The Average number of Days on Market was 114 days for just SOLD homes.
• There is an Average Market Time of 127 days of the homes For Sale (currently for sale).
• The amount that was paid in Dollars per Square Foot averaged $119 (vs. $122 )
• There was an Average Sold Price of $180,108 for sold homes.
• Worcester, MA, has 19 properties (vs. 23 in the last report) advertised as lender owned or foreclosure (typically foreclosure) .
• Worcester has 30 properties (vs. 27) advertised as a short-sale is going to be needed by lender.

*All statistics are for Single Family Houses and based on data in MLS. Matt’s HSI is proprietary. (That means you won’t find it anywhere else. Take that, Case-Schilling!).

More Great Reads!

• Quick reference guide for buyers and sellers
• Thinking of a new kitchen? Here are some popular styles to consider.
• An easy way to save money? LED light bulbs.
• What are the types of foundations we find in housing, and what should I know about them?
• Which is better, 2x4 or 2x6 home construction?
• How do I know if my septic system is failing?
• What is a mortgage commitment letter and why is it important?

About Matt Heisler

Matt Heisler is a real-estate professional and owner of this website. He has been selling homes in MA for buyers and sellers for over 20 years. He is an expert in foreclosure purchases, short-sale purchases, short-sale sales, buy and hold investing, fix and flip investing, and of course traditional residential home sales. He is happy to take questions as they pertain to real estate on Title V, Radon, Termites, Sump Pumps, Roofs, Foundations, Wells, Septic Systems, Cash-Flow, Staging, and a host of other housing issues. As a Vanderbilt University alumnus, he is proud to serve his local community.

Do Good Things Today! Matt Heisler

*All information is posted in good faith and is assumed to be reliable, but may rely on third party information sources.

Homes For Sale in Westborough Market Report

A quick look at Westborough and we see that the HSI has come down a bit - but not too much - as the number of homes on the market continues to fall. What is interesting is that prices

remain pretty stable. As noted in my price increases report, Westborough hasn't seen the prices move like we have seen elsewhere in Metrowest.  I think that's because the tax rate jumped a couple of years ago, but that is likely a temporary issue, as an improving economy will restock the commercial tax base coffers.

Can’t see the chart? You can find it Here .

That's strange to me because the HSI has been above a hundred for almost a year, and I have a hard time believing things will stay this way in Westborough as the pressure shows little signs of letting up.

I guess we'll see soon enough. Unlike the last report in Upton, the number of homes for sale in Westborough is still falling, but that should reverse - at least a little bit - in the next couple of months.

Westborough Houses For Sale and Sold Market Statistics - Raw MLS Data

• Westborough‘s “Home Seller Index” (HSI): 154 Last Report: 171
• There are 27 homes listed as For Sale.

  Here's an idea: Home buyers should check out Westborough - if the tax rate falls, instant equity could be your reward.

• There have been 99 houses sold in the last 6 months, and 46 homes sold in the last 3 months in Westborough.
• The Average number of Days on Market was 103 days for just SOLD homes.
• There is an Average Market Time of 93 days of the homes For Sale (currently for sale).
• The amount that was paid in Dollars per Square Foot averaged $189 (vs. $190)
• There was an Average Sold Price of $418,813 for sold homes.
• Westborough, MA, has 0 properties (vs. 2) advertised as lender owned or foreclosure (typically foreclosure) .
• Westborough has 1 properties (vs. 2) advertised as a short-sale is going to be needed by lender.

*All statistics are for Single Family Houses and based on data in MLS. Matt’s HSI is proprietary. (That means you won’t find it anywhere else. Take that, Case-Schilling!).

More Great Reads!

• Quick reference guide for buyers and sellers
• Thinking of a new kitchen? Here are some popular styles to consider.
• An easy way to save money? LED light bulbs.
• What are the types of foundations we find in housing, and what should I know about them?
• Which is better, 2x4 or 2x6 home construction?
• How do I know if my septic system is failing?
• What is a mortgage commitment letter and why is it important?

About Matt Heisler

Matt Heisler is a real-estate professional and owner of this website. He has been selling homes in MA for buyers and sellers for over 20 years. He is an expert in foreclosure purchases, short-sale purchases, short-sale sales, buy and hold investing, fix and flip investing, and of course traditional residential home sales. He is happy to take questions as they pertain to real estate on Title V, Radon, Termites, Sump Pumps, Roofs, Foundations, Wells, Septic Systems, Cash-Flow, Staging, and a host of other housing issues. As a Vanderbilt University alumnus, he is proud to serve his local community.

Do Good Things Today! Matt Heisler

*All information is posted in good faith and is assumed to be reliable, but may rely on third party information sources.

Homes For Sale in Upton Market Report

Upton has an interesting report as we head in to March. The real estate market in Upton shows a trifecta of trends that have really slammed the HSI down. Let's see.

Can’t see the chart? You can find it Here .

That sharp drop for the red line is the HSI going from 171 to 97. We also see the number of homes for sale going up (we haven't seen that much) and the number of transactions falling sharply (which we have seen in many of the reports). Does this mean that the Upton real estate market is losing steam?

Not so fast - maybe not. Prices have moved sharply higher. A delayed result from the demand spike or a true indicator of the Upton market? Probably a little of both. Upton is right on the edge of where we saw significant price pressures last year. House prices moved up pretty quickly, and we're really seeing no change in that. This report maybe the first indication that prices have moved to a point where things are leveling out a bit in Upton.

I've been saying for sometime that these HSI's need to come back down to earth, and with out the homes on the market in Upton to buy, that is what has happened.  Are things really softening?  Too soon to say, but I think what we have is things are normalizing.

Upton Houses For Sale and Sold Market Statistics - Raw MLS Data

• Upton‘s “Home Seller Index” (HSI): 97 Last Report: 171
• There are 22 homes listed as For Sale.

  Things are still looking pretty snowy out there - perhaps warmer weather this weekend?

• There have been 41 houses sold in the last 6 months, and 18 homes sold in the last 3 months in Upton.
• The Average number of Days on Market was 99 days for just SOLD homes.
• There is an Average Market Time of 132 days of the homes For Sale (currently for sale).
• The amount that was paid in Dollars per Square Foot averaged $174 (vs. $168)
• There was an Average Sold Price of $420,612 for sold homes.
• Upton, MA, has 0 properties (vs. 0 in the last report) advertised as lender owned or foreclosure (typically foreclosure) .
• Upton has 1 properties (vs. 0) advertised as a short-sale is going to be needed by lender.

*All statistics are for Single Family Houses and based on data in MLS. Matt’s HSI is proprietary. (That means you won’t find it anywhere else. Take that, Case-Schilling!).

More Great Reads!

• Quick reference guide for buyers and sellers
• Thinking of a new kitchen? Here are some popular styles to consider.
• An easy way to save money? LED light bulbs.
• What are the types of foundations we find in housing, and what should I know about them?
• Which is better, 2x4 or 2x6 home construction?
• How do I know if my septic system is failing?
• What is a mortgage commitment letter and why is it important?

About Matt Heisler

Matt Heisler is a real-estate professional and owner of this website. He has been selling homes in MA for buyers and sellers for over 20 years. He is an expert in foreclosure purchases, short-sale purchases, short-sale sales, buy and hold investing, fix and flip investing, and of course traditional residential home sales. He is happy to take questions as they pertain to real estate on Title V, Radon, Termites, Sump Pumps, Roofs, Foundations, Wells, Septic Systems, Cash-Flow, Staging, and a host of other housing issues. As a Vanderbilt University alumnus, he is proud to serve his local community.

Do Good Things Today! Matt Heisler

*All information is posted in good faith and is assumed to be reliable, but may rely on third party information sources.