Photo: Terageorge · CC BY-SA 3.0251 homes sold in Reading in the last year, at a typical $865K
About one sale in 4 is a condo. Below: what each kind of home sells for, what your budget buys, the best months to buy, how hard you’ll have to bid, and a shortcut to every site where Reading homes are listed.
Every place Reading homes are listed, in one stop
We don’t copy listings: the agents’ sites have the photos and the latest price changes. Set what you want once and we open each site already filtered to Reading.
For sale
Rent
New, land & open houses
Links open the listing sites; TownRatings isn’t paid for them and doesn’t rank one above another. Rentals and government-owned homes come from sources outside the MLS.
16% of Reading’s sales are condos, at $430K less than a house
183 houses and 40 condos sold in the year to May 2026. Houses sell faster and draw more bidding wars.
typical sale · 183 sold in 12 months
- Per square foot
- $475MA $368
- Days to sell
- 16
- Sold over asking
- 65%
- Listings with a price cut
- 25%
typical sale · 40 sold in 12 months
- Per square foot
- $487MA $562
- Days to sell
- 32
- Sold over asking
- 40%
- Listings with a price cut
- 31%
Multi-family (2–4 units): 3 sold, typical $938K
Townhouses: 25 sold, typical $723K
Too few sales in 12 months for reliable figures.
Fewer homes sell than before 2022, at 1.8 times the 2016 price
251 sales in the last year, against 398 in 2021 and a low of 235 in 2023. The typical sale went from $480K in 2016 to $865K.
Source: Redfin Data Center, MLS sales. Typical price and $/sq ft are the monthly medians, weighted by sales.
What $850K buys in Reading
Check a listing against what Reading homes sold for
Against the town’s median price per square foot over the last 12 months. A rough check: condition, lot and location within town move a price more than this can see.
Bidding wars in Reading are more common than before the pandemic, but a quarter fewer homes come up for sale
We read every month of Reading’s home sales since 2012 so you don’t have to. Each figure covers 12 months, because a single month in a town is too few sales to mean much. Latest: the year to May 2026, 251 sales.
If you’re buying in Reading
- Shop in March. It brings about 39 new listings a month, close to the busiest month, with fewer bidding wars (50% over asking).
- Less room to haggle. Only 21% of listings cut their price, against 28% before the pandemic.
- Expect to bid over asking. Buyers paid 103.5% of the list price on average; 60% paid over.
- Move fast on good ones. Two thirds of homes are under contract within two weeks.
Spring brings the homes; summer brings the bidding wars
May has the most new listings (about 44 a month), but June is the most competitive: 67% of June sales close over asking. March offers nearly as much choice with fewer homes bid up (50%). January has the least competition (40%) but only about 24 new listings.
Averages for each calendar month, 2015 on.
Calmer than the 2021 frenzy, and hotter than Massachusetts
| Reading now | 2017–19 | 2021 peak | MA now | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sold over askingShare of sales that closed above the list price | 60% | 50% | 70% | 45% |
| Gone within two weeksShare of homes under contract within 14 days | 70% | 59% | 68% | 49% |
| Listings with a price cutShare of homes for sale that cut their price | 21% | 28% | 17% | 25% |
| Price paid vs. askingAverage sale price ÷ list price | 103.5% | 101% | 103.8% | 100.4% |
| Days to sellMedian days from listing to contract | 17 | 14 | 18 | 27 |
31 homes for sale on a typical day
That’s 28% fewer than in 2017–19 and well under 2012’s 126.
1 in 5 listings has cut its price
21% in the last year, against 28% in 2017–19 and 25% across Massachusetts.
Since 2019, houses are up 50%, condos 26%
A house typically sold for $934K in the last year (183 sales), a condo for $504K (40).
Median sale price, weighted by sales each month. Years with fewer than 4 sales of a type are left out.
Reading ranks 16th of 206 busy Massachusetts markets for bidding wars
Share of sales over asking in the last year, among towns with 60 or more sales. Reading is one of the state’s hottest markets.
Source: Redfin Data Center, city market tracker, January 2012 to May 2026 (MLS sales, not seasonally adjusted). Ratios are weighted by homes sold; price cuts by homes for sale.
Owning the typical Reading home costs about $5,343 a month
Price: Reading’s typical sale, last 12 months. Property tax at Reading’s 1.2% (median bill ÷ median value, Census ACS); insurance at 0.35% of price a year. Before PMI, HOA dues, upkeep and the tax deduction. Whether Reading is affordable on local pay is on Cost of living.
Six things worth knowing
New listings in May
The month with the most choice. December has the fewest, about 10.
Best time to buyProperty tax, a year
Of a home’s value: the median bill over the median home value. On a $865K home, about $9,970 a year.
Taxes vs. neighborsSchools
The schools grade for Reading, from test results, graduation and how much students grow.
Schools in ReadingCheck the flood map
Flood insurance isn’t in a standard policy, and lenders require it in FEMA flood zones. Check the address before you make an offer.
Natural hazardsLook up any property
Assessed value, lot size and every past sale of a home you’re eyeing are public, at the town or county assessor and the registry of deeds.
North Reading, Lynnfield, Wilmington, Woburn, Stoneham and Burlington sell for less a square foot
The busier markets within 25 miles of Reading, by what sold. Prices, taxes and how far a paycheck goes next door are on Cost of living.
| Sold | Typical sale | $/sq ft | Over asking | Days to sell | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Woburn | 336 | $748K | $440 | 51% | 23 |
| Reading | 251 | $865K | $474 | 60% | 17 |
| Stoneham | 223 | $717K | $440 | 61% | 20 |
| North Reading | 187 | $752K | $434 | 49% | 21 |
| Burlington | 179 | $868K | $419 | 54% | 22 |
| Wilmington | 176 | $733K | $424 | 53% | 21 |
| Lynnfield | 68 | $1.1M | $407 | 53% | 22 |
Redfin Data Center, June 2025 to May 2026. Towns with fewer than 20 sales are left out, and Redfin doesn’t report every town separately.
Post your home to Reading, free
Selling it yourself, renting out an apartment or looking for a roommate? Post it to Reading. People who follow the town see it, and so do people comparing Reading with their own town. No commission, no listing fee.
Questions about buying a home in Reading
What do homes sell for in Reading, MA?
251 homes sold in the year to May 2026 at a typical $865K, $474 a square foot. Houses sold for about $934K, condos for about $504K.
Is Reading a buyer’s or seller’s market?
A seller’s market: 44 homes were for sale in May 2026 and 32 sold, about 1.4 months of supply. Buyers paid 103.5% of asking on average, and 21% of listings cut their price.
When is the best time to buy in Reading?
May brings the most new listings. The sales history shows which months have fewer bidding wars.
How much are property taxes in Reading?
About 1.2% of a home’s value a year. On a $865K home that’s near $9,970.
Where can I see homes for sale in Reading?
Zillow, Redfin, Realtor.com and Homes.com all carry Reading’s MLS listings; the search links above open each one filtered to Reading.
Sales, prices, days on market and listings: Redfin Data Center (MLS, monthly, not seasonally adjusted). Property tax rate: Census American Community Survey. Two-bedroom rent: HUD Fair Market Rent. Typical home value: Zillow Home Value Index. Schools grade: TownRatings (how grades work).