ARMSTRONG FIELD REAL ESTATE BLOG

North Shore Winter Housing Market: What Essex County's Q3 2026 Numbers Mean for You Essex County, MA · Market Update · November 2026 Quick Answer Essex County's market stayed firm through the third quarter of 2026. The single-family median held at $775,000 and condo sales climbed, even with the 30-y

SELLER GUIDE · NORTH SHORE, MASSACHUSETTS How to Prepare Your Home for Sale: A Step-by-Step Guide for North Shore Sellers From the day you first think about selling to the day you go live on MLS PIN: repairs, Massachusetts requirements, paint, cleaning, staging, and launch. 6–12 mo. Ideal time to st

Selling a Home in Massachusetts? Your Smoke & CO Certificate Guide North Shore, MA · Massachusetts Law Explainer · October 2026 Quick Answer Every Massachusetts home sale requires a Certificate of Compliance from the local fire department confirming the home has approved smoke and carbon monoxide al

Buying Your First Home in Peabody, MA: A 2026/2027 Guide Peabody, MA · First-Time Buyer Guide · October 2026 Quick Answer Peabody homes are selling quickly and close to or above asking. Redfin reports a September 2026 median sale price of $693,770, with a median of 20 days on market. First-time buye

Buyer Guide · Massachusetts · Single-Family Homes The Massachusetts Home Buyer Due Diligence Checklist What to check, when to check it, and who to call before you buy a single-family home on the North Shore By Jim Armstrong · Armstrong Field Group · Aluxety Real Estate 10 days Minimum lead inspectio

Selling a Home in Beverly, MA This Fall or Winter: A Practical Seller's Guide Beverly, MA · Seller Guide · October 2026 Quick Answer Yes, you can sell well in Beverly this fall or winter. Redfin's August 2026 data shows Beverly homes selling in a median of 21 days at about 104% of list price. With 3

North Shore Condo Guide · October 2026 The 2026 Condo Lending Changes: What North Shore Condo Owners and Buyers Need to Know Selling a condo in 2026? Your association's budget may matter as much as your kitchen. By Jim Armstrong, Broker · Armstrong Field Group at Aluxety Real Estate · Beverly, MA A

Buyer Guide · Relocation · Massachusetts Real Estate Offer to Purchase vs. Purchase and Sale: How Buying a Home Actually Works in Massachusetts If you're moving here from California, forget what you know about escrow. Massachusetts uses a two-step contract process, small up-front deposits, and attor

Seller & Buyer Guide · Massachusetts Law Do Massachusetts Sellers Have to Disclose Problems? Massachusetts doesn't require a seller disclosure form. That doesn't mean sellers can stay quiet. By Jim Armstrong · Armstrong Field Group · Aluxety Real Estate · Beverly, MA NoneState-mandated seller condit

North Shore Seller Guide · Taxes & Home Sales · Updated October 2026 Is the Capital Gains Tax on Home Sales Going Away? Short answer: not yet. Here's what's actually law, what's only a proposal, and why long-time North Shore homeowners should pay closer attention than almost anyone. 1997Year the cur

North Shore Real Estate Market Update: October 2026 Mortgage rates at 7.40%, home prices in Newburyport, Gloucester and Middleton, and what November's Question 7 could mean for local housing By Jim Armstrong, Associate Broker · Armstrong Field Group at Aluxety Real Estate · October 13, 2026 Quick An

Living in Salem, MA: A Local Guide to Neighborhoods, Commute and Homes Salem, MA · Town Guide · October 2026 Quick Answer Salem, MA is a coastal city of about 45,000 people roughly 16 miles north of Boston, about 30 minutes from North Station by commuter rail. Its housing runs from 18th- and 19th-ce

Selling a Home in Beverly, MA This Fall: Pricing, Prep & What the Numbers Say Beverly, MA · Seller Guide · October 2026 Quick Answer Fall can still be a good time to sell in Beverly, but the ground has shifted. The 30-year mortgage rate averaged 7.28% on October 1, 2026, and Essex County had about 2

Market Insights · National Housing Data · By Jim Armstrong, Broker 50 Years of U.S. Home Sales and Mortgage Rates: Why Today's Slow Market Isn't a Crash Every year from 1976 to 2025, how mortgage rates shaped each cycle, and what the long view means for buyers and sellers on Boston's North Shore. If

Buying Your First Home in Peabody, MA: Costs, Programs & How to Win the Offer Peabody, MA · First-Time Buyer Guide · October 2026 Quick Answer Peabody's median sale price was $693,641 in August 2026, according to Redfin, and about two-thirds of homes sold above list price. With 30-year mortgage rate

North Shore Equestrian Properties · Buyer & Seller Guide Buying or Selling a Horse Property on Massachusetts' North Shore Zoning, Chapter 61A, barns, pasture, and pricing: what's different when the property comes with a paddock 5 acresMinimum for Chapter 61A agricultural tax classification 120 daysT

North Shore Seller Strategy · October 2026 Selling Your North Shore Home When Mortgage Rates Are Above 7% What actually changes for sellers in Beverly, Salem, Danvers and across Essex County, and what to do about it 7.28%30-yr fixed average, Freddie Mac, Oct 1, 2026 6.34%Same average one year ago +$

Salem, Massachusetts · 1626–2026 The History of Salem, MA: 400 Years on the North Shore From a fishing outpost at Naumkeag to the richest port in America, the story behind the city many of us are lucky to call home. Derby Wharf Light Station, at the end of the half-mile wharf that once served Salem'

North Shore, MA · Landlord Resources What North Shore Landlords Need to Know About Rental Income, Deductions, and Recordkeeping A plain-English walk-through of what counts as income, what you can deduct, and the records that will save you a headache at tax time — plus where the rules get specific en

Salem, MA · Buyer & Seller Guide · October 2026 Buying or Selling a Home in Salem During Haunted Happenings A million visitors, weekend road closures, and a Saturday Halloween. Here's how to keep a Salem real estate deal on track in October, and why this month isn't all bad news.   by Jim Armstrong