From January through September 2026, Charlestown condo sellers received 100.1% of their original list price on average. That is the same figure as a year earlier, and it held through a year in which 187 condos came to market, up from 156 over the same months of 2025. Closed condo sales over those nine months came to 122, one fewer than in 2025.
So the neighborhood gained roughly a fifth more sellers, and the number of buyers who closed stayed where it was. In most markets that combination pushes prices down and gives buyers room. Charlestown's condo market started 2026 so thin that even this surge leaves it tighter than anywhere else in central Boston. In the neighborhood this fall, buyers with real leverage are more likely to be shopping single-family homes than condos.
Sellers arrived without a matching wave of buyers
The Massachusetts Association of Realtors' September 2026 report for Charlestown puts the year-to-date condo numbers side by side:
- New listings: 187, up 19.9% from 156
- Pending sales: 131, up 4.0% from 126
- Closed sales: 122, down 0.8% from 123
- Median sale price: $949,000, down 3.2% from $980,000
Plenty of neighborhoods had more sellers in 2026. Charlestown stands out because sales did not follow. Beacon Hill condo listings rose even faster, 40.7% year to date through September, and its closings rose 26.7% along with them. Across the City of Boston, condo listings rose 6.2% and closings slipped 1.8% over the same period. Charlestown's gap between new supply and completed sales is several times wider than the city's.
The modest dip in the median fits that gap. With more sellers than closings, some price pressure is expected. The 3.2% drop is small next to a nearly 20% rise in listings, though, and the reason is how little supply the neighborhood had to begin with.
A surge measured against a very low baseline
Months of supply estimates how long current inventory would take to sell at the recent sales pace. In September 2026, Charlestown had 35 condos for sale, up from 23 a year earlier, and its months of supply rose from 1.7 to 2.7. As a percentage, that is a sharp jump. Compared with the neighborhoods buyers usually weigh against Charlestown, it still leaves Charlestown with the thinnest condo supply of the group.
| Condo market, MAR data | Months of supply, Sept. 2026 | Inventory, Sept. 2026 | Share of original list price received, Jan.–Sept. 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charlestown | 2.7 | 35 | 100.1% |
| South Boston | 4.4 | 120 | 97.2% |
| Beacon Hill | 5.0 | 57 | 95.6% |
| City of Boston | 5.5 | 1,591 | 97.3% |
| South End / Bay Village | 5.9 | 156 | 97.2% |
| North End / West End | 6.3 | 40 | 96.4% |
| Back Bay | 6.9 | 170 | 95.9% |
Charlestown's figure is about half of South Boston's and well under half of Back Bay's. It is also the only market in the table where condo sellers, on average, have received their full original asking price so far this year. The listing surge made a very tight market somewhat less tight. It did not turn it into a buyer's market.
The fall jump came fast, and September absorbed much of it
The change happened over a few weeks. In August 2026, Charlestown had 19 condos for sale and 1.5 months of supply. One month later it had 35 condos for sale and 2.7 months of supply, after 33 new listings in September alone compared with 18 in September 2025.
Charlestown buyers kept pace with that wave in September more than the year-to-date totals would suggest. Pending condo sales for the month were 16, up from 10 a year earlier. Condos that closed in September spent 41 days on market, down from 61 the September before, and sold for 96.9% of their original list price, up from 95.6%. Charlestown's September condo sales were faster and closer to asking than a year ago.
The 96.9% figure for September is still well below the 100.1% year-to-date average. Fall listings are not commanding the full asking prices that spring listings did, and a buyer looking now will see more of that gap than a buyer in April would have. MAR also notes that its price figures do not account for seller concessions. Any closing-cost credits or repair credits a seller gave are not reflected in the percentage, so the effective discount on some fall sales may be a little larger than it looks.
Single-family homes are where the leverage has moved
Charlestown's single-family market is much smaller, and every figure here is based on a handful of sales. Even so, the September report shows a different pattern from the condo side.
Year to date through September 2026, single-family new listings reached 57, up 32.6%, and closings reached 32, up 18.5%. The median sale price was $2,050,000, up 26.2%. More buyers did close on houses this year, though fewer than the added listings.
September is where the friction appeared. There were 16 single-family homes for sale, double the 8 a year earlier, and months of supply rose to 4.0 from 2.5. The month's one closed sale went for a median of $2,300,000. It took 116 days to sell and received 88.5% of its original list price. MAR's report warns that one month of activity "can sometimes look extreme due to small sample size," and one sale is about as small as a sample can be. August, with three closings, showed 32 days on market and 98.3% of original list price.
Inventory gives a steadier read than a single sale. Four months of supply is higher than the City of Boston's single-family figure of 3.3 for September. On houses, Charlestown has gone from scarcer than the city average to more plentiful within a year. On condos, it is still much scarcer than the city. The two halves of the neighborhood's market are moving in different directions.
Rates climbed just as the listings arrived
Many of these sellers listed into a market that got more expensive for buyers within weeks. The Boston Globe reported in early October that the 30-year fixed rate had fallen below 6% earlier in 2026 for the first time in four years, which drew some sellers back into the market. It then rose to 7.28% by the start of October. In the same Globe article, Massachusetts Association of Realtors CEO Theresa Hatton said, "You have a lot of people who maybe could've bought six months ago at 6 percent who are now realizing they'd have to pay $1,000 more a month on the same house."
Since then, Freddie Mac's weekly survey shows rates peaking and starting to ease:
- September 24: 7.03%
- October 1: 7.28%
- October 8 and 15: 7.40%
- October 22: 7.32%
- October 29: 7.24%
- November 5: 7.18%
The September Charlestown figures mostly reflect contracts signed before the mid-October peak. October closings, which MAR has not yet released, will be the first to show how Charlestown buyers responded to rates above 7.3%. The Globe's reporting covers why sellers returned across Greater Boston. It does not explain why Charlestown's single-family listings rose so much faster than the city's, which grew only 1.9% year to date.
What this means once an offer is on the table
For buyers and sellers deciding this fall, the September data comes down to a few practical points:
- Charlestown condo buyers have more choice than in spring, but not much more leverage. With 2.7 months of supply and September sales closing faster than a year ago, a well-priced condo still sells. The extra room is in the gap between 96.9% of original list price this fall and 100.1% for the year, and in credits that never show up in the reported sale price.
- Charlestown condo sellers face more competition than their spring neighbors did. Thirty-five active listings is almost twice August's count. Pricing to the year-to-date median ignores that a fall listing is competing against more units for the same number of buyers.
- Single-family buyers have the most room to negotiate. With sixteen houses for sale and four months of supply, buyers are working with more inventory than the neighborhood has had in a year. Asking about how long a house has been on the market and whether its price has changed is more useful in this segment than in any other part of Charlestown right now.
- Single-family sellers should treat the year-to-date numbers as spring numbers. The 100.5% of original list price and 39-day year-to-date pace come mostly from a market with half the current inventory.
FAQ
Are Charlestown condo prices falling? Slightly, so far. The year-to-date median through September 2026 was $949,000, down 3.2% from the same period of 2025. The September median of $810,000 was essentially flat with September 2025. Monthly medians in a market this size move with whichever units happen to close.
How does Charlestown compare with South Boston for condo buyers? In September 2026, South Boston had 120 condos for sale and 4.4 months of supply. Charlestown had 35 condos for sale and 2.7 months of supply. South Boston's year-to-date condo closings were down 14.0%. Buyers will see more choice in South Boston and a faster-moving market in Charlestown.
When will October numbers be available? MAR has published October pending sales statewide. The latest closed-sales data, including the neighborhood reports used here, covers September 2026.
Both halves of Charlestown's market are changing this fall, and they are changing in different directions. If you are deciding whether to list a condo before winter or comparing a Charlestown house with options elsewhere in Boston, Tracy Shea and our family team can go through how the latest sales on your street and in your building compare with these neighborhood numbers. Schedule a Consultation, and we will give you our candid read before you set a price or make an offer.
