Norfolk County Is Up 4.6%. So Why Are Stoughton and Canton Down?
Last week I wrote about Plymouth County, where prices jumped 6.5% and the market ran hotter than anywhere else in Greater Boston. Norfolk County's August numbers from Redfin tell a more interesting story, especially if you live in one of the South Shore towns I work in every day.
At the county level, everything looks strong. But look town by town and you'll see something that might surprise you: several of the commuter towns went down.
So what's going on? And should you be worried if you own a home in one of them?
The Big Picture: Norfolk Is Still a Seller's Market
Here's what Norfolk County looked like in August:
Median sale price: $787,365, up 4.6% from last year (more than double the national gain of about 2%)
Days to go under contract: 23, compared to 50 nationally
Sold above asking: about 46% of homes
Months of supply: 1.9, about half the national level
Inventory rose sharply. Active listings were up 19% and new listings up 21%. But buyers absorbed most of it. Pending sales held steady, and only about 16% of listings needed a price cut, the lowest rate of the four Greater Boston counties Redfin tracks.
By almost any measure, this is a healthy market.
So Why Did Stoughton Drop 9.5%?
This is the number that will get people talking, so let's look at it honestly.
Stoughton's median sale price fell 9.5% to $564,626. On its face, that sounds like a market in trouble. Now look at the rest of Stoughton's numbers:
62.5% of homes sold above asking
21 days on market
1.4 months of supply, tighter than the county as a whole
That isn't a weak market. That's one of the most competitive towns on the list.
So how can prices fall while buyers are still bidding over asking? A median is simply the middle sale in a given window. In a town with about 95 sales over three months, a stretch with more condos, smaller homes, or fixer-uppers can pull the median down, even while individual homes are selling for more than sellers asked.
In other words, a median price can move for reasons that have nothing to do with what your house is worth.
Stoughton Is More Than a Median
This past Saturday I played in the Stoughton Lions Club charity golf tournament at Cedar Hill Golf Course, a fundraiser that brings the community together for a good cause.
Days like that are a good reminder of what the data leaves out. A median sale price won't tell you about the people who give up a Saturday to raise money for their neighbors. But that sense of community is a big part of why buyers keep competing for homes in Stoughton, even in a month when the headline number dips.
Where the Market Actually Shifted
Not every dip is just math, though. A few towns are showing a real change in the balance between buyers and sellers.
Part of the reason is rates. Redfin's economists point to inflation and a strong economy keeping mortgage rates elevated, which has made buyers more careful about where and how much they spend.
Canton (down 5.7% to $707,032) had 134 new listings against 92 sales, with 2.2 months of supply. More homes are coming on than are selling, so buyers there have more choice than they did a year ago.
Quincy (down 4.3%) has the most inventory in the county, with 461 active listings and 2.5 months of supply.
Randolph (down 3.6%) and Dedham (down 5.9%) also softened, though more than half of homes in both towns still sold above asking.
These aren't collapses. They're markets moving from "frenzy" toward "balanced," and that's good news for buyers who have been waiting on the sidelines.
Where the Gains Came From
If the commuter towns cooled, what pushed the county median up? The western and southwestern suburbs:
Sharon: up 9.7%
Franklin: up 8.3%, with 68% of homes selling above asking
Norwood: up 7.7%
Medfield: up 7.7%, with just half a month of supply
And a South Shore bright spot: Weymouth rose 3.1%, with only 1.2 months of supply and nearly 58% of homes selling over asking.
Norfolk County Town by Town
Rolling three months, June–August 2026
Town | Median Price | YoY | % Sold Above List | Months of Supply |
Stoughton | $564,626 | -9.5% | 62.5% | 1.4 |
Randolph | $579,616 | -3.6% | 53.2% | 1.7 |
Weymouth | $649,570 | +3.1% | 57.8% | 1.2 |
Quincy | $669,557 | -4.3% | 48.7% | 2.5 |
Canton | $707,032 | -5.7% | 55.6% | 2.2 |
Braintree | $722,022 | -0.4% | 51.9% | 2.0 |
Franklin | $744,507 | +8.3% | 68.3% | 1.3 |
Norwood | $753,876 | +7.7% | 63.3% | 1.4 |
Dedham | $754,501 | -5.9% | 57.9% | 1.5 |
Medway | $761,996 | +1.9% | 69.7% | 1.1 |
Norfolk | $847,439 | +5.0% | 61.2% | 1.5 |
Sharon | $914,395 | +9.7% | 47.0% | 2.3 |
Milton | $1,026,820 | +1.4% | 50.1% | 1.8 |
Medfield | $1,184,216 | +7.7% | 53.4% | 0.5 |
Brookline | $1,260,416 | 0.0% | 32.6% | 2.9 |
Needham | $1,698,876 | +0.1% | 37.4% | 1.6 |
Wellesley | $2,238,519 | +1.2% | 42.5% | 1.2 |
What This Means for You
If you're thinking about selling in Stoughton, Canton, or Randolph, don't let a headline number set your price, whether it's up or down. The better questions are: What did homes like yours actually sell for in the last 60 to 90 days? How many are competing with yours right now? With inventory up nearly 20% countywide, pricing it right from day one matters more than it did a year ago.
If you're buying, this may be the most interesting fall in a while. Towns like Stoughton, Randolph, and Canton offer entry points under $750,000, and in places like Canton and Quincy you have more options and a bit more room to negotiate than you've had in years. Starter homes countywide saw above-asking sales drop from about 58% to 50%.
If you're not planning to move at all, it's still worth knowing where your home stands. Equity is one of the biggest financial assets most families have, and it's easier to make good decisions when you know the real number.
If you'd like to know how your specific home fits into these numbers, I'm happy to pull the recent sales on your street, no strings attached.
Let's Talk About It
I live in Avon, which is too small to show up in Redfin's town table (they only list towns with 50+ sales). So I'm curious:
Stoughton, Canton, and Randolph neighbors, does this match what you're seeing on your street? And Avon friends, where do you think we'd land on this list?
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