Belmont MA Median Home Price Hides a Split Housing Market: What Does the Latest Data Really Mean?
Key Takeaways
•The Short Answer: Redfin's townwide median sale price for the three months ending August 2026 was 3.3% below the same period last year. Zillow's average home value (as of Aug. 31, 2026) was up 1.5% from a year earlier. Belmont didn't get cheaper across the board.
•The Myth: "Median is down" means every Belmont home lost value.
•The Reality: A median reflects which homes happened to sell. Redfin shows townwide price per square foot at $650 for the three months ending August 2026, up 14.8% versus the same period last year.
•The Bottom Line: Price the neighborhood, not the town, before you tour this fall.
Does "Median Is Down" Mean Belmont Home Prices Are Falling?
Not exactly. A townwide median isn't a price tag stamped on every house — it's just the middle sale among whatever happened to close that month. Sell a few more smaller homes, and the median slips even as most properties hold steady. Belmont isn't one market. It's several, stitched together under a single zip code, and one townwide number can't tell you what your house is worth.
How Can Belmont Prices Rise and Fall at the Same Time?
Because Zillow and Redfin aren't measuring the same thing. Zillow estimates what every home is worth, sold or not. Redfin's median only counts homes that actually changed hands.
Zillow puts Belmont's average home value at $1,446,989 as of Aug. 31, 2026 — up 1.5% from a year earlier. Redfin's median sale price for the three months ending August 2026 sits at $1.4M, down 3.3% over that same stretch. Homes still average 3 offers and sell in 19 days, meaning buyer and seller typically have a signed purchase agreement less than three weeks after listing.
Belmont Market Snapshot: Prices Still High, Momentum Mixed
A mixed-unit hero card combining Zillow's average home value with Redfin's recent sale-price, days-on-market, and offer-count indicators.
Current pricing
Average Belmont, MA home value$1,446,989
1-year changeup 1.5% over the past year.
Sales market
Median sale price (3 months ending Aug 2026)$1.4M
Median sale price change vs same period last yeardown 3.3%
Average days on market (current)19 days
Average offers received3 offers
Source:Zillow; Redfin
The clearest clue hides in price per square foot. Redfin shows townwide price per square foot at $650 for those three months, up 14.8% year over year. Buyers may be purchasing smaller homes, not cheaper ones.
Redfin recorded 66 townwide sales in August 2026, versus 69 a year earlier — a sign of mild cooling, not a retreat.
Is Belmont Hill Suddenly a Bargain?
Be careful with that conclusion.
Redfin's Belmont Hill page puts the neighborhood median at $1.8M, down 9.99% from a year earlier, using August 2026 data that may not span the same three months as the townwide figure. Yet homes there took just 19 days to reach a signed purchase agreement, compared with 35 a year ago. Sales rose to 18, up from 13. Weak prices rarely travel with faster, more frequent sales.
Isn't the split just two data methods plus small-town noise?
Not entirely. Realtor.com's median asking prices track something else again — they depend on what's listed, not what sells. They range from $1,150,000 in Waverley Square to $2,349,500 in Belmont Hill, more than double. That gap is too wide to chalk up to a single quarter's sales.
Neighborhood Listing Prices: Belmont Hill Leads by a Wide Margin
Median listing price comparison across four Belmont neighborhoods from Realtor.com seller metrics.
| Series | Label | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Median Listing Price | Cushing Square | $1,212,000 |
| Median Listing Price | Belmont Center | $1,599,500 |
| Median Listing Price | Belmont Hill | $2,349,500 |
| Median Listing Price | Waverley Square | $1,150,000 |
To be fair, with only about 18 Belmont Hill sales against 66 townwide, Redfin's 9.99% figure could be partly noise. Still, neighborhood medians beat the town median because they compare like with like. Check recent comparable sales on your street before setting a price or making an offer.
Why is Belmont Hill's price per square foot lower?
Redfin shows $493 per square foot in Belmont Hill versus $650 townwide. Belmont Hill homes tend to run larger, and bigger houses typically cost less per square foot.
Is Belmont Hill an early warning for the town?
Competition has eased since June, when Redfin data cited by Allison Blank showed 7 offers per home and 17 days to a signed agreement. Today it's 3 offers and 19 days. Homes still move fast, though, and Zillow's average value remains up 1.5% year over year. That reads as cooling from very hot — not a slide.
How Should You Price a Belmont Home This October?
•Compare price per square foot only within the same neighborhood. Belmont Hill's $493 and the townwide $650 describe different kinds of housing.
•Don't expect a steep discount in Belmont Hill just because its median sits below last year's. Homes there still reach a signed agreement in 19 days.
•Check the zoning map. Allison Blank reports Belmont rezoned only two commercial areas under the state's MBTA Communities law. Ask the planning office which areas changed and what's now allowed near your target home.
•Consider an accessory dwelling unit, or ADU — a smaller, separate living space on the same property. In a May 1, 2026 Mass.gov release, Gov. Healey said, "We made ADUs legal by right across the state." "By right" generally means no special permit or neighbor approval required. Confirm local rules with the building department.
Condition, lot size, walkability, and school access all move value too, and assessed value — the town's tax estimate — isn't market value.
Bottom line: Belmont's median price won't tell you whether your target home is overpriced. The neighborhood will.
For numbers on your Belmont neighborhood or the block you're watching, ask for a neighborhood-level price review before your next move.
