Published October 11, 2026 in Market Update

Greater Lowell has more listings, but buyers are still writing offers fast

By Patrick & Alana Scanlon

Real estate, Greater Lowell

Here is the one thing that matters most for sellers right now: more competition showed up, and buyers kept pace with it. The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 927 new listings across Greater Lowell in the three months ending August 31, 2026, up 17.5% from the same months of 2025. Pending sales hit 867, up 16.1%. Supply rose. Demand rose with it. That is not a weak market. But it is a more demanding one.

Rates make this more striking. CNBC reported the average 30-year fixed rate at 7.49% as of October 7, 2026. Realtor.com noted rates topped 7% for the first time since January 2025. Buyers kept going anyway.

What buyers are actually doing

Across most of Greater Lowell, homes are still selling above list price. Every ZIP code the Real Estate Data Aggregator tracked finished with a sale-to-list ratio above 100%. That means the average accepted offer came in over asking. More inventory gave buyers a few more options. It did not give them the upper hand on price.

Speed slowed a little in some areas. That is the honest part. Days on market ticked up in most ZIPs, and the share of homes going under contract within two weeks fell in several. Not every home sold fast. But the ones priced and prepared well still did.

How each area read

Greater Lowell covers a lot of ground. Billerica (01821), Chelmsford (01824), and Tewksbury (01876) behaved differently from the Lowell city ZIPs. Here is what the Real Estate Data Aggregator counted, ZIP by ZIP, for the three months ending August 31, 2026.

Where speed held up

Chelmsford (01824) saw 67.9% of homes go under contract within two weeks, per the Real Estate Data Aggregator. That was down just 1.8 points from a year ago. Nearly unchanged. Tewksbury (01876) held at 66.4% under contract in two weeks, and Tyngsborough (01879) hit 65.9%, actually up 12 points from 2025.

Where it got harder

The Lowell city ZIPs told a different story. In 01850, the Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 29 median days on market, up 10 days from 2025. Months of supply rose to 3.1, up 1.2 months. Homes sold fell 10.3%. The share going under contract in two weeks dropped 21.8 points to 45.7%. Prices dipped 16.5% to a median of $417,500. That is a real shift. It does not mean homes sat forever, but it means buyers there had more breathing room.

ZIP 01863, which covers North Chelmsford, saw homes for sale jump 141.7% year over year, per the Real Estate Data Aggregator. Months of supply rose 1.3 months to 2.4. The share under contract in two weeks fell 40.5 points to 46%. Median price dropped 16.2% to $480,000. More supply, softer pace. Still, sale-to-list held at 100.8%, so sellers were not giving homes away.

Where the market got stronger

Westford (01886) stood out. The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted only 1 month of supply, down 1.1 months from 2025. Pending sales rose 35.4%. The share under contract in two weeks rose 10.6 points to 56.8%. Homes for sale actually fell 40.8%. That is tighter than last year, not looser.

North Billerica (01862) had the biggest price gain in the area. Median sale price rose 25.8% to $729,750, per the Real Estate Data Aggregator. Homes for sale fell 55%. Only 1 month of supply remained. That ZIP moved fast and priced high.

The rate picture

CNBC reported the average 30-year fixed rate rose to 7.49% in the week ending October 7, 2026. That is the context for everything above. Buyers kept writing offers at those rates. Realtor.com noted that list prices fell 3.8% year over year across the Northeast region, and that price cuts hit their highest September readings since 2018. That was the national and regional backdrop. Greater Lowell's pending and sold numbers still rose.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency reported U.S. house prices rose 2.6% from July 2025 to July 2026. Month over month, prices rose 0.3% in July, seasonally adjusted. The national floor held. Greater Lowell mostly held with it, though individual ZIPs moved in both directions.

What this means if you are thinking about selling

More listings means your home has company. That is the honest read. A year ago, buyers had almost no choice. Now they have a few more options, and they know it. Days on market ticked up in most ZIPs. The share going under contract in two weeks fell in most areas.

But the market did not flip. Sale-to-list ratios stayed above 100% everywhere. Pending sales rose 16.1% across Greater Lowell. Buyers are still active. Pricing and condition matter more now than they did a year ago. That is not a warning. It is just the truth.