The Berkshires’ 2025 housing market has kicked off with a slight increase in home sales and the highest dollar volume since the pandemic-driven peak in 2022.
“The dollar volume surged 16 percent to just under $103 million — a strong signal that not only are more homes selling, but at higher price points, as well,” said Sandra J. Carroll, CEO of the Berkshire County Board of Realtors.
Inventory levels are slightly higher than they have been since before the pandemic, but remain at a historic low, according to the 2025 first quarter market watch report compiled by Berkshire County Board of Realtors.
Meanwhile, average home prices are continuing their ascent this quarter. The county-wide median sale price for single-family homes rose 7 percent to $345,000, with Northern Berkshire County seeing the largest growth in number of sales and median home prices.
“We still have a lack of inventory, but I do think that there seems to be more movement in the market, more people buying up and more people downsizing,” said Corey Bishop, owner of Bishop West Real Estate.
The countywide rise in transactions and dollar volume during the first quarter was driven by the Northern Berkshire market, the report said. From January through March, residential sales in Northern Berkshire County rose by 15 percent compared to this time last year. The total dollar volume from those sales hit $26.49 million, up 42 percent from last year and surpassing pandemic-era peaks.
Sales were particularly high in Cheshire, Lanesborough, Adams and Williamstown. In Williamstown, the number of residential sales rose by 183 percent and dollar volume soared by 294 percent, compared to this time last year.
The median sale price for single-family homes in Williamstown rose in tandem, hitting $685,000, a 79 percent increase from last year.
Bishop, who works in North and Central County, said he has watched the Northern Berkshire market become more popular over the past few years as the arts and theater scene there has grown.
Home prices also tend to be cheaper in North County. During the first quarter, the median home price was $315,000 in North County, compared to $325,000 and $564,000 in Central and South County, respectively.
“Based on what we have for inventory, I think that people are looking in a wider range of areas now,” said Bishop. “I think a lot of this is inventory driven.”
Residential markets in Central and South County saw a more modest increase during the first quarter. Residential sales rose by 7 percent in Central County and 3 percent in South County, and median sale prices increased by 6 and 5 percent, respectively.
In Central County, the residential markets in Becket and Otis rebounded after struggling in the first quarter of 2024. Pittsfield and Dalton saw growing home sales, while sales in Lee fell, compared to this time last year.
The residential market in Great Barrington rose in both the number of sales and total dollar volume compared to the first quarter of 2024.
Other segments of the market saw a mixed first quarter. Condominium sales rose slightly county-wide, but total dollar volume dropped 12 percent. Multifamily sales declined sharply after a hot market in 2024, except in Southern Berkshire where the number of sales held steady and value rose by 42 percent.
While sales and dollar volume dropped, the median sale price of multifamily homes rose across the board, demonstrating that there is still demand for these properties, Bishop said.
“Why the sales were down in this quarter is a really good question because I get inquiries all the time on multi-family properties,” said Bishop. “I don’t know if it’s because it was winter and investors were sitting back. I don’t know if the [hesitancy] was coming out of the change in administration on the national level.”
Looking ahead into the second quarter, Bishop said he expects to see interest rates struggle throughout the year, potentially creating barriers for would-be homebuyers and investors.
“If interest rates stay where they’re at, really what it’s doing for residential homebuyers is taking away some of their buying power,” said Bishop.
