The Inflation Report Dropped This Morning. I'm Choosing to Focus on This Instead.

Amidst financial updates, embrace the arrival of spring on the South Shore. Enjoy the blossoming scenery.

I'm writing this on a Friday morning that feels different from the ones we've had all winter.

Yesterday I was out with colleagues touring properties in Hingham and Cohasset. The whole office was in the field. Buyers were engaged. Sellers were energized. The kind of conversations that only happen when a market is genuinely waking up were happening in driveways and living rooms across the South Shore.

Spring is here. And the numbers are starting to back it up.

Rates just got their first break in weeks

The 30-year fixed mortgage rate dropped to 6.37% this week — down from 6.46% the week prior — marking the first decline since the U.S. entered the conflict with Iran in late February. Nine basis points isn't a seismic shift, but after weeks of watching rates tick upward, buyers and sellers alike noticed.

The drop followed a two-week ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran, brokered with help from Pakistan and framed by the White House as a step toward broader negotiations. Freddie Mac chief economist Sam Khater called the move "a positive development for prospective homebuyers" that could spark a more favorable spring homebuying season than last year.

The honest caveat: economists are describing the ceasefire's relief on rates as potentially a temporary pause rather than a true turning point, with more volatility likely ahead. Anyone telling you rates are headed straight down from here is getting ahead of the data.

On that inflation report...

The March CPI report dropped at 8:30 this morning, coming in at 3.3% annually — up from 2.4% in February. Wall Street's initial reaction was cautiously positive. While 3.3% is elevated, it came in better than the most pessimistic forecasts, which had some economists bracing for readings as high as 3.7% given the energy price spike driven by the Iran conflict.

That's not a victory lap — but "better than feared" is a reasonable place to land on a Friday morning. And the Massachusetts market isn't waiting for perfect conditions either way.

Which is exactly where my head is at.

What I'm seeing on the ground

Yesterday's tours through Hingham and Cohasset told me more than any data point. Well-prepared homes are drawing real attention. Buyers who've been on the sidelines for months are showing up with intention. And the conversations I'm having with sellers are shifting from "maybe someday" to "what would it actually take to get ready?"

That energy is real. I felt it in every showing this week.

This weekend I'll be doing what I do every spring — scoping open houses, staying close to inventory for the buyers I'm working with, and keeping track of what's actually moving and what isn't across the state. If you want a trusted set of eyes on something, reach out.

For anyone thinking about selling

Realtor.com's annual Best Time to Sell report identified the week of April 12–18 as the single best window to list a home in 2026 — a "Goldilocks" balance of higher prices, strong buyer demand, and faster market pace, based on seasonal trends going back to 2018.

Homes listed during that week historically receive 16.7% more views than an average week, sell approximately 17% faster, and see roughly 18.9% fewer price reductions. That window opens Sunday.

If "I wonder what my home is worth" has been floating around in your head, this is a reasonable week to find out. No pressure — just information.

A little more inventory breathing room across Massachusetts

Statewide, active listings have grown to about 10,600 — roughly 6% more homes for sale than at the same point last year. That's not a flood of supply, but it's the most breathing room buyers have had in a while. More choices mean less frenzy and a better shot at finding the right home rather than just the available one.

Worth noting: the typical single-family home in Massachusetts now runs $595,000 – $636,800 statewide — though that number varies enormously by community. In many South Shore towns it's significantly higher. Either way, years of price appreciation have quietly built real equity for homeowners across the Commonwealth, and many haven't fully accounted for what that means for their financial picture.

Happy spring, Massachusetts. Let's go find your home.

Real estate professional featured in a promotional banner for David Cutler Real Estate, part of William Raveis. Contact information is prominently displayed with a backdrop of suburban homes.