Published October 11, 2026 in Market Update

South Shore sales rose even with rates above 7%

By Chris DiToro

Real estate, South Shore

Rates are high. Buyers are still showing up. That is the short version of what the South Shore did this summer.

CNBC reported the average 30-year fixed rate hit 7.49% in early October 2026. Realtor.com put rates above 7% for September 2026. Those numbers shape what buyers can afford and how long they take to decide. Yet the Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 484 homes sold across the South Shore in the three months ending August 31, 2026. That is up 7.8% from the same three months in 2025.

More sales happened even as inventory shrank. The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 479 homes for sale across the South Shore in that same period. That is down 10.1% from a year earlier. Fewer choices, but buyers kept buying.

Pending sales dipped a little, down 2.6% from a year ago. That is worth watching. It means the pipeline into the next quarter is slightly thinner. But it is not a sharp drop, and closed sales are still climbing.

Each ZIP code tells its own story

The South Shore covers five ZIP codes, and they did not all move the same way. Here is what the Real Estate Data Aggregator counted for the three months ending August 31, 2026.

Where prices moved up, and where they dipped

Four of the five ZIP codes saw median prices rise from a year ago. The Real Estate Data Aggregator put ZIP 10312 up 5.9%, to $799,500. ZIP 10306 rose 5.4%, to $775,000. ZIP 10307 gained 1.6%, reaching $967,500, the highest median on the South Shore. ZIP 10308 edged up 1.7%, to $760,000.

ZIP 10309 is the one that dipped. The Real Estate Data Aggregator put the median there at $786,750, down 6.7% from a year ago. Sales in 10309 jumped 29.4%, so more homes moved, but at lower prices. That can happen when more of the homes that sell sit at the lower end of the range.

How fast homes are selling

ZIP 10308 was the quickest. The Real Estate Data Aggregator put the median days on market there at 28 days, seven days shorter than a year ago. ZIPs 10306 and 10307 both sat at 33 days, both shorter than a year ago.

ZIP 10309 took the longest. The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted a median of 47 days there, nine days longer than a year ago. ZIP 10312 came in at 39 days, six days longer than a year ago. So speed improved in some spots and slowed in others. The South Shore is not one uniform market.

Are homes selling above asking?

Nearly 1 in 3 homes sold above list price in three of the five ZIP codes. The Real Estate Data Aggregator put that share at 32.9% in ZIP 10308, 29.6% in ZIP 10309, and 29.3% in ZIP 10306. ZIP 10307 came in at 29%, and ZIP 10312 at 28.5%.

Sale-to-list ratios were tight across the board. ZIP 10308 led at 99.4%. ZIP 10312 was at 99%. ZIP 10307 came in at 98.9%. That means sellers are getting close to what they ask, even with rates above 7%.

What higher rates mean for this market

CNBC reported that purchase mortgage applications fell 15% for the week compared with the same week a year ago. That is a real sign that borrowing costs are slowing some buyers down nationally.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency reported that U.S. house prices rose 2.6% from July 2025 to July 2026, and 0.3% from the previous month in July, seasonally adjusted. Prices are still moving up nationally, just more slowly.

On the South Shore, the picture is similar. Sales rose, prices held or gained in most ZIP codes, and inventory stayed lean. Buyers are adjusting their budgets and still making moves.

One thing to keep in mind: homes below Hylan Boulevard, on the water side, typically require flood insurance. That is a real ownership cost on top of a mortgage at today's rates. It belongs in any budget conversation for those areas.

These are South Shore-wide numbers as of October 11, 2026. One street can read very differently from the ZIP code around it.