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Real estate can be overwhelming. “Realty Bites” makes sense of the madness, offering the insight behind the headlines and the strategy behind the sale.
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December is the month when the market takes a breath. Not a pause exactly, more of a quiet inhale before January’s annual sprint. Rates have eased slightly, buyer showings have ticked up across Essex County, and sellers who planned to wait until spring are quietly testing the water. It is a month of mixed signals, yet it creates one clear truth. The people who move in December are serious. Last week proved that. More than one hundred visitors came through a listing in Andover and by the end of the weekend we were reviewing seven offers. Momentum does not disappear in December. It simply shows its hand. Which is why this issue turns its attention to early planning and the people who use this month to get ahead of Q1.
National narratives talk about cooling demand, local reality tells a more interesting story. Southern New Hampshire inventory tightened again in late November. Newburyport’s absorption rate nudged higher than the national trend. And Ipswich saw one of its busiest late autumn showing weeks in three years. December is never sleepy. It is simply selective.
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Realty Mini Bite | Winter and the reshaping of Newburyport
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There was a time when the Merrimack froze so firmly that townspeople crossed it with carts and horses. Winter changed how people moved and how the town worked.
It still does. December buyers are fewer but stronger, winter sellers are quieter but more intentional and the market shifts in ways that reward those who act while others wait. Cold months reveal real motivation. They separate the curious from the committed.
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Invitation Night
December 12th and 19th, 2025 (6 to 9 pm)
A festive local shopping tradition. Downtown Newburyport lights up with late night browsing, gallery strolls and that unmistakable small town December hum.
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Candlelight Stroll
Weekends: December 12th - 14th and Dec19th - 21st, 2025
(Arrivals at 4:30 or 5:30 pm)
Historic waterfront charm meets candle-lit magic in Portsmouth. Walk through decorated 18th- and 19th-century houses, hear carolers and costumed storytellers, sip cider and soak in New England winter history.
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Christmas Pageant
Saturday, December 20, 2025 at 5pm
A cherished Cape Ann tradition now in its eightieth year. The pageant begins in Dock Square and moves by torchlight up Main Street, with a live nativity re-creation at the Congregational Church. A beautifully old world way to slow down and feel the season gather around you.
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Essex County continues to move with more intent than the national story suggests. The typical home value sits near $639,000, up about three percent year over year, and the median sale price is roughly $674,000, more than ten percent higher than last year. Homes are still going pending in about twenty days, which means December buyers who act quickly can find opportunity, but hesitation remains costly.
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The Early Planners Are Already Moving
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December brings out buyers who prefer to be ready before everyone else. They are the early planners. They want clarity on budget, clarity on neighbourhoods and clarity on what they expect to compete with once January arrives. They are not driven by seasonal urgency. They are driven by the desire to start Q1 with intention rather than reaction.
Across Essex County and the Seacoast, these buyers are already touring homes, refining search criteria and speaking with lenders while others are still wrapping presents. They know that spring brings more choice but also more competition. December allows them to set the pace, not chase it. If you see a buyer in a quiet December showing, they are rarely browsing. They are preparing.
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Sellers Who Plan Early Shape The Market
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Early planning is not just a buyer advantage. Sellers who prepare now enter Q1 with a quieter runway and a clearer strategy. December allows you to handle the work that buyers notice but rarely articulate. Touch ups, staging, photography, pricing discussions and pre-market positioning all benefit from time rather than haste.
Across Essex County and the Seacoast, the homes that perform best in the first quarter are rarely the ones that rushed on in January. They are the ones that were readied in December while the market was still catching its breath. Early planners avoid the scramble. They set the tone, create first mover advantage and meet motivated buyers at exactly the right moment.
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Stories matter - it's the way memories are preserved and new ones created. And if you're ready for your next real estate chapter, I'd love to stand by your side and help you write it. Call, text or email - let's start the journey.
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Whether you're buying, selling, investing or just browsing - I’m here to help provide you with the insights to make sense of the data - and let’s together write your next real estate story.
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©2006-2024 Engel & Völkers® Americas, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Each Engel & Völkers real estate brokerage is independently owned and operated. Engel & Völkers fully supports the principles of the Fair Housing Act and is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All listing information is from sources deemed reliable. However, no representation is made as to the accuracy or completeness thereof and should be independently verified.
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Real estate can be overwhelming. “Realty Bites” makes sense of the madness, offering the insight behind the headlines and the strategy behind the sale.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
December is the month when the market takes a breath. Not a pause exactly, more of a quiet inhale before January’s annual sprint. Rates have eased slightly, buyer showings have ticked up across Essex County, and sellers who planned to wait until spring are quietly testing the water. It is a month of mixed signals, yet it creates one clear truth. The people who move in December are serious. Last week proved that. More than one hundred visitors came through a listing in Andover and by the end of the weekend we were reviewing seven offers. Momentum does not disappear in December. It simply shows its hand. Which is why this issue turns its attention to early planning and the people who use this month to get ahead of Q1.
National narratives talk about cooling demand, local reality tells a more interesting story. Southern New Hampshire inventory tightened again in late November. Newburyport’s absorption rate nudged higher than the national trend. And Ipswich saw one of its busiest late autumn showing weeks in three years. December is never sleepy. It is simply selective.
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
Realty Mini Bite | Winter and the reshaping of Newburyport
|
|
|
|
There was a time when the Merrimack froze so firmly that townspeople crossed it with carts and horses. Winter changed how people moved and how the town worked.
It still does. December buyers are fewer but stronger, winter sellers are quieter but more intentional and the market shifts in ways that reward those who act while others wait. Cold months reveal real motivation. They separate the curious from the committed.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Invitation Night
December 12th and 19th, 2025
(6 to 9 pm)
A festive local shopping tradition. Downtown Newburyport lights up with late night browsing, gallery strolls and that unmistakable small town December hum.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Candlelight Stroll
Weekends: December 12th - 14th and Dec19th - 21st, 2025
(Arrivals at 4:30 or 5:30 pm)
Historic waterfront charm meets candle-lit magic in Portsmouth. Walk through decorated 18th- and 19th-century houses, hear carolers and costumed storytellers, sip cider and soak in New England winter history.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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|
|
|
|
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|
|
|
|
|
Christmas Pageant
Saturday, December 20, 2025 at 5pm
A cherished Cape Ann tradition now in its eightieth year. The pageant begins in Dock Square and moves by torchlight up Main Street, with a live nativity re-creation at the Congregational Church. A beautifully old world way to slow down and feel the season gather around you.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
Essex County continues to move with more intent than the national story suggests. The typical home value sits near $639,000, up about three percent year over year, and the median sale price is roughly $674,000, more than ten percent higher than last year. Homes are still going pending in about twenty days, which means December buyers who act quickly can find opportunity, but hesitation remains costly.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
The Early Planners Are Already Moving
|
|
|
|
December brings out buyers who prefer to be ready before everyone else. They are the early planners. They want clarity on budget, clarity on neighbourhoods and clarity on what they expect to compete with once January arrives. They are not driven by seasonal urgency. They are driven by the desire to start Q1 with intention rather than reaction.
Across Essex County and the Seacoast, these buyers are already touring homes, refining search criteria and speaking with lenders while others are still wrapping presents. They know that spring brings more choice but also more competition. December allows them to set the pace, not chase it. If you see a buyer in a quiet December showing, they are rarely browsing. They are preparing.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
Sellers Who Plan Early
Shape The Market
|
|
|
|
Early planning is not just a buyer advantage. Sellers who prepare now enter Q1 with a quieter runway and a clearer strategy. December allows you to handle the work that buyers notice but rarely articulate. Touch ups, staging, photography, pricing discussions and pre-market positioning all benefit from time rather than haste.
Across Essex County and the Seacoast, the homes that perform best in the first quarter are rarely the ones that rushed on in January. They are the ones that were readied in December while the market was still catching its breath. Early planners avoid the scramble. They set the tone, create first mover advantage and meet motivated buyers at exactly the right moment.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Stories matter - it's the way memories are preserved and new ones created. And if you're ready for your next real estate chapter, I'd love to stand by your side and help you write it. Call, text or email - let's start the journey.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
Whether you're buying, selling, investing or just browsing - I’m here to help provide you with the insights to make sense of the data - and let’s together write your next real estate story.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
©2006-2024 Engel & Völkers® Americas, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Each Engel & Völkers real estate brokerage is independently owned and operated. Engel & Völkers fully supports the principles of the Fair Housing Act and is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All listing information is from sources deemed reliable. However, no representation is made as to the accuracy or completeness thereof and should be independently verified.
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