Real estate activity in the Lakes Region

When you search the real estate sales activity in New Hampshire and in the Lakes Region, it looks like NH has continued to rely on in-migration from other states, especially from Massachusetts, to grow its population.

We all know the covid pandemic triggered NH’s in-migration. It arrived in early 2020 and started a work-from-home population shift. It was reported that 10,000 people moved to our state in 2021 and 11,500 in 2022. It then dropped off a bit to 8,000 in 2023; 9,000 in 2024; and 8,500 in 2025. We even saw many households here in the Lakes Region relocate to their second homes full-time. Basically, the U.S. Census Bureau showed an influx of 55,000 people from Massachusetts who moved to New Hampshire from 2018 to 2024. We also saw a much smaller in-migration from Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Vermont.

We all can see the challenges New Hampshire faces because our population is concentrated so heavily on those aged 55 and older. The state’s challenge is to attract and retain younger workers to help our workforce and overall economy. Rising costs and limited housing available in the Lakes Region and in New Hampshire overall are key concerns in order to attract younger workers.

As we approach the second quarter of the year, let’s take a look at our local real estate market and see how we performed so far this year compared to the same period in 2025…

Lakes Region home sales data

Jan.-April 17, 2026 vs. Jan.-April 17, 2025

Single family homes

If you take the 25 towns and cities comprising the Lakes Region during the period Jan. 1-April 17, 2026, including waterfront, there were 234 single-family home sales with $169.7 million total sales volume. The median sales price was $513,750. The median days on the market was 34. The lowest sales price was $165,000 in Belmont. The highest was $6.6 million in Gilford.

When you compare the above closed sales for the same period in 2025, there were 269 sales with a total volume of $178.7 million. The median sales price was $479,000; median days on market was 26. The lowest sales price was $132,500 in Bristol. The highest was $5.5 million. 

… So basically, the numbers tell me that total unit sales for single-family homes were down 13%, and total sales volume was down 5%. The median sales price was up 7.25%, and the median days on the market was up 30.8%.

Condo sales

For the 25 towns and cities during the same time period, there were 64 condo sales with $32.8 million in sales volume. The median sales price was $464,500. Median days on the market was 36. The lowest price was $1,250 Sanbornton and the highest price was $1.5 million in Gilford.

When you compare the above closed sales for the same period in 2025, there were 73 condo sales with $33.7 million in sales volume. The median sales price was $405,000. The median days on the market was 15. The lowest price was $24,000 in Gilford and the highest is $1.4 million in Alton.

…So, condo unit sales went down 12.3% this year as of April 17. The total sales volume dropped 2.7%, the median sales price went up 14.7%, and the median days on market went up 140%.

Lake Winnipesaukee: Sales

There were 12 single-family home sales on Lake Winnipesaukee with $32.9 million in volume. The median sales price was $2.2 million. Median days on the market was 72. The lowest price was $875,000 and the highest was $6.6 million in Gilford.

Comparing the above to the same period in 2025, there were 14 sales with $35.3 million in volume. The median sales price is $2.1 million and the median days on the market is 65. The lowest price is $725,000 and the highest is $5.5 million in Moultonborough.

… Winnipesaukee sales were down 14.3% in unit sales, total sales volume dropped 8.7%, the median sales price increased 3.1%, and median days on market increased 10.8%.

Winnipesaukee: For sale

As of April 17, there were 32 Winnipesaukee waterfront homes for sale listed in the Lakes Region at a median asking price of $3.7 million, which is quite higher than the median sales prices for 2025 and 2026. The lowest price is $725,000. The highest is $15.9 million with 64 days on the market.

Single family homes for sale as of April 17 

There are 308 single family homes listed at a median price of $699,900, which is much higher than the median sales prices in 2025-26 above. Median days on the market is 33.

Condo sales for Sale as of April 17 

There are 105 condos for sale at a median listing price of $479,900 and the median days on market is 105.

So based on the above sales, this information should provide some insight as to how the Lakes Region real estate market might look like as we proceed into the summer and fall months. For those economists out there, it should be an interesting year. There's a strong interest in our Lakes Region communities. Migration, semi-retirement, and vacation home sales have fueled our marketplace. The Lakes Region will continue to be a strong magnet attracting many families and individuals who love our popular Lakes Region.

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This article was written by Frank Roche. Frank is the president of Roche Realty Group, located in Meredith, and can be reached at 603-279-7046. Data was compiled from PrimeMLS and is subject to change. Visit rocherealty.com to learn more about the Lakes Region and its real estate market.