SOUTH SHORE | 2025 MARKET SNAPSHOT

The South Shore housing market in 2025 was defined by high-value demand paired with selective urgency. Across 27 closed sales, the average sold price reached $369,071, while the median landed at $330,000, confirming a market where premium transactions meaningfully pulled the average upward without redefining the “typical” sale.

The most telling statistic of the year is the divergence between median days on market (29) and average days on market (91.5). This reflects a market where some homes sold quickly—often within the first few weeks—while others lingered for months. Buyers were decisive when value was clear, but increasingly patient when pricing, condition, or setting didn’t justify immediate action.

Nearly half of all sales (48%) closed with cash, rivaling conventional financing at 44%. This level of cash participation is a defining feature of the South Shore market and points to a buyer pool less sensitive to interest rates and more focused on long-term value, lifestyle, and asset quality.

Waterfront homes, however, behaved differently. On a price-per-square-foot basis, waterfront properties commanded an average premium of over $107/SF and a median premium of $87/SF compared to non-waterfront homes. Median sold prices nearly doubled non-waterfront levels.

But that premium came with longer timelines. Waterfront homes posted a median DOM of 87.5, versus just 16 days for non-waterfront properties. Buyers were willing to pay substantially more, but only after careful evaluation of shoreline quality, condition, maintenance expectations, and long-term ownership costs.

The South Shore market in 2025 rewarded precision over optimism. Homes that aligned price, presentation, and location with buyer expectations moved efficiently. Everything else entered a slower, more negotiated lane.

For sellers, the lesson is clear: pricing is not a suggestion—it’s a strategy. For buyers, 2025 reaffirmed that patience, especially in a cash-heavy market, remains a powerful advantage.

ASHLAND | 2025 MARKET SNAPSHOT

OVERALL PRICING	Average Sold Price	$207,789
	Median Sold Price	$180,500
MARKET SPEED	Average Days on Market (DOM)	45
	Median Days on Market (DOM)	15
	Sold in 7 Days or Less	38.7%
	Sold in 90+ Days	17.9%
	Sold in 180+ Days	4.7%
PAYMENT METHOD	Conventional	54 (50.9%)
	Cash	33 (31.1%)
	VA/DVA	7 (6.6%)
	FHA	4 (3.8%)
	Other	4 (3.8%)
	USDA	3 (2.2%)
	Land Contract	1 (.9%)
PRICE DISTRIBUTION	Under $100,000	19 (17.9%)
	$100,000–$150,000	12 (11.3%)
	$150,000–$250,000	45 (42.5%)
	$250,000–$400,000	21 (19.8%)
	Over $400,000	9 (8.5%)

Ashland’s 2025 sold data tells a story of a market that’s both healthy and selective—one where the “right” listings moved quickly while the rest proved that buyers had the confidence to wait. Across 106 closed sales, the average sold price landed at $207,789, but the median was $180,500, signaling that a handful of higher-end closings lifted the average while the market’s center of gravity remained solidly below $200K.

The single most revealing statistic of the year is the split between median days on market (15) and average days on market (45). Nearly 39% of homes sold in a week or less, yet nearly 18% of sales took 90 days or longer to sell. When a home’s price and presentation matched buyer expectations, it sold quickly. But if a home missed the mark—on pricing, condition, layout, or buyer-perceived risk—buyers didn’t chase it; they waited.

The 2025 Ashland market rewarded precision. Sellers who treated pricing as a strategy (not a wish) captured momentum; everyone else negotiated with time.

Conventional financing led the year at 50.9%, but cash comprised 31.1% of closings. That cash share is a defining feature: it tends to show up when buyers are either (a) affluent second-home/retirement buyers, (b) investors, or (c) people trading equity from another sale.

When nearly one in three deals is cash, “clean terms” becomes a competitive weapon—especially for homes that are well-located, move-in ready, or scarce.

The modal price band was $150,000–$250,000 (42.5%); another 19.8% of sales occurred in $250k–$400,000 band. Only 8.5% closed above $400,000—those sales help explain why.

If 2025 reveals anything, it’s that Ashland buyers behave like informed shoppers. They’ll move fast when a listing is compelling, but they won’t overpay simply because a home is available.

BAYFIELD | 2025 MARKET SNAPSHOT

OVERALL PRICING	Average Sale Price	$399,678
	Median Sale Price	$285,000
MARKET SPEED	Average DOM	81
	Median DOM	21
METHOD OF PAYMENT	Conventional	18 (54%)
	Cash	14 (40%)
	Other	1 (2.9%)
	FHA	1 (2.9%)
PRICE DISTRIBUTION	Under $200,000	3
	$201,000-$300,000	10
	$301,000-$400,000	6
	$401,000-$500,000	11
	Above $501,000	6

In 2025, demand was hottest between $250,000 and $400,000; cooled sharply above $400,000; and became discretionary above $500,000. Waterfront properties commanded exceptional price premiums but consistently required longer marketing timelines.

The “typical” sale moved fast and held price while a smaller set of listings sat long enough to distort the averages. That tension shows up immediately in the Days on Market (DOM) stats. The median days on market was just 21, meaning half of properties sold in about three weeks. But the average DOM ballooned to 80.7, a classic sign of a market where most homes are liquid, but the misses (typically price) can linger for months.

On pricing, the market looked remarkably “tight to list.” The median sold-to-list ratio was 100%, and even the average came in at 97.7%. In plain terms: buyers negotiated selectively, but they didn’t broadly “reset” pricing across the board. Sellers who were aligned with the market tended to get paid.

Over half of homes sold through conventional loans (51.4%), but cash still accounted for 40% of all closings. That’s not background noise; cash matters in Bayfield. Practically, it means: speed and certainty matter (cash wins ties), homes that show well and are priced right can still trigger fast, decisive outcomes, and sellers may be more willing to accept slightly different terms when closing is clean.

Volume peaked in late spring and summer (May–August), accounting for 54% of all 2025 sales. The market clearly thinned after Labor Day. April marked the first sustained move above $400K. August–October stayed elevated despite falling volume. Year-end softness reflects small sample size, not a systemic price collapse.

Quarterly takeaways:

• Q2 was the market’s engine: highest volume, strong prices, healthy speed.

• Q3 held price despite slower momentum, a sign of buyer conviction.

• Q4 effectively froze—pricing stayed uneven, but liquidity vanished.

Waterfront properties remained their own pricing tier in 2025. Waterfront homes posted +$42.69/SF on average and a median of +$79.32/SF. That premium is embedded in waterfront sales; it’s not a one-off sale. 2025 demonstrated what’s been increasingly the case around the peninsula: buyers will pay for scarcity. Waterfront behaved less like a commodity and more like a luxury niche, where patience was rewarded with price rather than speed.

Ultimately, 2025 reads like a two-speed market: Properly-positioned listings (condition, location, pricing) sold quickly and near list, yet inventory of poorly positioned homes accumulated over time, pushing the average DOM up and creating the impression of a slower market than most sellers actually experienced.