Quick answer · Selling
List your house if you can wait about six weeks for a buyer: in September 2026 Massachusetts single-family homes sold for a median $670,000, at 98.5% of their original asking price, after 40 days on the market, according to the Massachusetts Association of REALTORS®. A cash offer makes sense when speed, certainty or skipping repairs is worth more to you than the difference in price, so get a market value first and compare what you’d net from each. Either way, a Massachusetts seller pays the deeds excise ($4.56 per $1,000 of the price outside Barnstable County), gets a smoke and carbon monoxide certificate from the fire department, and has any septic system inspected under Title 5.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Check the official sources linked here and talk to an attorney or tax adviser about your own sale. Last checked: November 3, 2026.
Those are statewide figures for September 2026 from the Massachusetts Association of REALTORS®. On November 3, 2026 our site listed 17,007 Massachusetts homes for sale; the median asking price was $729,900 for a single-family home and $599,950 for a condo. Each town page shows its own current prices.
Source
| Cash offer from an investor or buying company | Listing with an agent on the open market | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Set by one buyer, who has to leave room to profit | Set by competition among every buyer who sees the MLS listing |
| Speed | As fast as the buyer’s schedule | 40 days on market for single-family homes (September 2026), plus time to close |
| Certainty | No mortgage contingency | A buyer’s financing and inspection contingencies can fall through |
| Repairs and showings | Often “as is”, with few or no showings | Preparation and showings; repairs are negotiable |
| What you pay | Any fees in the buyer’s contract, which you should read | A commission you negotiate in the listing agreement |
A listing agreement is negotiable: how long it runs, how the home is marketed, and the commission. The state’s consumer guide suggests advertising the home as widely as possible and having an attorney review the agreement before you sign.
Official sources
| Cost | What it is | On a $700,000 sale |
|---|---|---|
| Deeds excise (tax stamps) | $2.28 per $500 of the price, paid by the person who signs the deed: the seller. Barnstable County has its own rate. | $3,192 |
| Commission | Whatever you agree in the listing agreement; it’s negotiable | Each 1% is $7,000 |
| Smoke and CO certificate | Inspection fee charged by your local fire department | Ask your fire department |
| Title 5 inspection | Only if the home has a septic system | Ask an approved inspector |
| Attorney | Prepares and reviews the purchase and sale agreement | Ask for a quote |
| Mortgage payoff | Your loan balance, paid from the sale proceeds at closing | Depends on your loan |
Official sources
You need a certificate of compliance from the local fire department showing your smoke and CO alarms meet the requirements for a sale. Call to schedule the inspection as soon as you have a closing date. Battery smoke alarms more than 10 years old must be replaced with photoelectric alarms that have 10-year sealed batteries and a hush feature.
Official sources:
If the home has a septic system, it must be inspected within two years before the sale (or within six months after, if weather prevents it). An inspection is good for two years, or three if the system has been pumped every year. The owner arranges it unless buyer and seller agree otherwise in writing, and the buyer gets a copy of the report.
Official sources:
Before a buyer signs a purchase and sale agreement, you and your agent must give them the Property Transfer Lead Paint Notification, copies of any lead inspection reports or letters of compliance, and anything you know about lead in the home, and both sign its certification page. The notice tells the buyer that if a child under 6 will live there, the owner must delead the home or bring it under interim control within 90 days of taking title.
Official sources:
Official sources
Official sources
Benjamin Realty is a family-run brokerage in Brookline that has helped people sell homes across Greater Boston for over 30 years. Our home pages show each address’s assessor records, price history and nearby listings, which is where a market value starts. Talk to us before you accept any offer, and we’ll go through comparable homes with you.
If you can wait, listing puts the home in front of every buyer on the market: in September 2026 Massachusetts single-family homes sold at 98.5% of their original asking price after 40 days on market. A cash offer is worth it when speed, certainty or selling as-is matters more than price; compare the net from each.
The seller: the excise is paid by the person who signs the deed. Outside Barnstable County it is $2.28 per $500 of the price, about $4.56 per $1,000.
In September 2026, single-family homes in Massachusetts spent 40 days on the market, according to the Massachusetts Association of REALTORS®. Closing then follows on the dates set in the purchase and sale agreement.
Yes. You need a certificate of compliance from the local fire department showing your smoke and carbon monoxide alarms meet the requirements for a sale; schedule the inspection once you have a closing date.
No. The commission is one of the terms of the listing agreement you negotiate with the broker, along with how long the listing lasts and how the home is advertised.
Often not on a main home: up to $250,000 of gain ($500,000 on a joint return) is excluded from federal income if you owned and lived there two of the last five years. Massachusetts taxes other long-term gains at 5%. Ask a tax adviser about your sale.
Call or email and a Benjamin Realty agent will get back to you.
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