While home prices might be moderating in other parts of the country, the median price of a single-family house in New Hampshire rose to $550,000 in August, the second highest price point this current year.
That price is just $3,000 more than the $547,000 recorded in July, but it is $47,500 more than January’s $502,500. The highest median price in 2025 was $569,450, recorded in June and the most ever recorded in the state.
“It is still very much a seller’s market across the state,” said Susan Cole, president of the New Hampshire Association of Realtors (NHAR), reacting to the association’s data for August.
The median price of a single-family house in New Hampshire rose to $550,000 in August, the second highest price point this current year.
High demand and scant inventory make for a seller’s market, which tends to drive up prices, particularly in certain locations in the Granite State.
“It’s also important to note that not all parts of the state are experiencing the same housing market,” said Cole, owner/broker of Susan Cole Realty in Lebanon. “For instance, over the summer months, Grafton, Carroll, Cheshire and Merrimack counties saw relatively significant price increases, while Belknap and Strafford counties clearly saw prices cool off. Even within each county, the housing market can vary from town to town.”
Certain metro markets in the country are seeing year-over-year declines in home prices —particularly Austin, Texas (-4.47%), Dallas, Texas (-2.55%), Oakland, California (-1.81%), San Antonio, Texas (-1.03%), Tampa, Florida (-4.20%) and West Palm Beach, Florida (-1.59%).
Nationally, according to Newsweek, prices are still rising, but at a slower rate in more than a decade. The median sale price of the typical U.S. home in July was up 2.9 percent from a year earlier, the lowest rate since Redfin began collecting data in 2012, according to Newsweek.
Cole said she is hearing reports that sellers in some parts of the state are adjusting their asking prices downward.
“Some sellers are overshooting on pricing and then need to adjust their expectations, especially in the higher-end market,” Cole said. “There are indications that prices are stabilizing. Last winter, single-family median prices were still increasing by 10%, but over the past several months, we’ve seen increases of 3% to 4%. The rate of housing price increases is decelerating, and whether that trend continues will depend on economic conditions and whether inventory increases.”
In August, housing advocates celebrated Gov. Kelly Ayotte’s signing of several bills aimed at helping create some much-needed inventory.
According to Housing Action NH Director Nick Taylor, the new laws will help increase accessible and attainable housing options for the workforce, young families, seniors seeking to age in place, and people with disabilities.
“Thanks to continued bipartisan collaboration at the State House, it will now be easier for Granite Staters across New Hampshire to create attainable homes on their own property, revitalize aging strip malls and office buildings, cut through burdensome red tape, and streamline the approval process,” Taylor said. “While our work is not done, these laws represent common-sense steps that make meaningful progress toward addressing our housing shortage.”
Among the bills signed by Ayotte:
“Tackling our housing crisis is critical to keeping New Hampshire the best state in the nation for economic opportunity,” Ayotte said in a statement. “From streamlining our state permitting process, to cutting unnecessary red tape, to expanding opportunities for new housing construction, and more, we made important strides this year.
“I thank the legislators, advocates, and private sector partners who worked to bring these bills to my desk, and I look forward to continuing to work together to bring more housing to our state for our young people, our seniors, and for all of New Hampshire,” Ayotte said.
Some of these new laws are seen as a usurpation of local control.
In the town of Newington, for example, with its relatively expensive residential community wholly separated from its commercial zone by the Spaulding Turnpike (Route 16), there was discussion among selectmen, residents, and state Rep. David Meuse (D-Portsmouth) about HB 631.
Board of Selectmen Chair Chris Wayss told Meuse, according to meeting minutes from an Aug. 4 meeting, that the bill removes local control of zoning and, in fact, conflicts with state law (RSA 674:17) that outlines the legally mandated purposes for which a municipality may adopt zoning ordinances.
Residents expressed concern that commercial-to-residential conversions will negatively impact education and police and fire protection in town.
While saying the bill may need some modification, the law’s intent is important as a means to address the housing issue in the state. He specifically pointed to young people who can’t afford housing in New Hampshire and are moving out of the state, according to the minutes.
Newington is located in the Seacoast region, where the median price for a house in August was $855,000, according to data from the Seacoast Board of Realtors.
Based on her assessment of NHAR statistics, Cole noted closed sales increased 5% this summer compared to the summer of 2024, and the number of homes for sale were at their highest level since 2020.
“However, we are still a long way from a balanced, healthy real estate market,” she said. “There are 2.4 months of housing supply in the state, whereas a balanced market is about 6 months of supply. New Hampshire hasn’t seen six months of supply since 2016, indicating that the demand for housing in our state is as strong as ever.”
Here is the progression of single-family home median prices so far this year:
January $502,500
February $512,50
March $525,000
April $530,000
May $540,000
June $569,450
July $457,000
August $550,000
Here, by county, are the median prices for a single-family home in August:
Belknap $502,000
Carroll $570,000
Cheshire $377,500
Coos $275,000
Grafton $441,500
Hillsborough $586,000
Merrimack $527,500
Rockingham $689,000
Strafford $520,000
Sullivan $410,000
Entire state $550,000
Here are the median prices for a residential townhouse/condominium in each county for August:
Belknap $520,000
Carroll $334,500
Cheshire $320,000
Coos No sales recorded
Grafton $351,500
Hillsborough $375,000
Merrimack $335,251
Rockingham $530,000
Strafford $532,375
Sullivan $417,000
Entire state $415,000
Tackling housing needs with local action is the focus of the annual Housing and Economy Conference that New Hampshire Housing will hold on Oct. 16 at the Grappone Conference Center in Concord.
One conference panel will look at approaches some local communities are using to enable housing development and build community support, showing what’s possible when towns make housing a priority.
Another panel will showcase local housing projects as examples of what can be done “when vision, persistence, and collaboration come together,” according to the conference program.
While home prices might be moderating in other parts of the country, the median price of a single-family house in New Hampshire rose to $550,000 in August, the second highest price point this current year. That price is just $3,000 more than the $547,000 recorded in July, but it is $47,500 more than January’s $502,500. The highest median price in 2025 was $569,450, recorded in June and the most ever recorded in the state.
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