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Buying, Selling, Vermont Market UpdatesPublished June 3, 2026
May 2026 Vermont Housing Market Update: Surging Inventory, Rising Demand, and What the Numbers Really Tell Us
May 2026 Vermont Housing Market Update: Surging Inventory, Rising Demand, and What the Numbers Really Tell Us
May brought some of the strongest buyer activity we’ve seen all year, with nearly 400 homes under contract. New listings jumped from April, and the market moved faster overall with median days on market down to just 10 days. At the same time, average pricing softened year over year, and we saw more evidence of buyers comparing options and negotiating, with a high number of price changes and homes coming back on the market.Here is what May's numbers tell us:
Buyer Activity: Contracts Jumped Fast
- Closed Sales: 256 (Down 2.29% YoY, up 5.35% MoM)
- Total Under Contract: 398 (Up 15.36% YoY, up 51.33% MoM)
New Listings and Competition: More Options, More Comparison Shopping
- New Listings: 537 (Down 1.10% YoY, up 30.34% MoM)
Days on Market: Faster Than April, Still Selective
- Average Days on Market: 42 days (Up 13.51% YoY, down 27.59% MoM)
- Median Days on Market: 10 days (Up 11.11% YoY, down 50.00% MoM)
Bottom line: Price it right, present it well, and May's market moves quickly. A 10-day median leaves very little room for buyers to sleep on a good listing.
Pricing and Negotiation: Prices Look Softer, but Homes Are Still Selling Close to Ask
This is the section to read carefully.- Average Sold Price: $532,565 (Down 7.04% YoY, down 9.19% MoM)
- Median Sold Price: $470,500 (Down 2.99% YoY, up 4.56% MoM)
- Average List-to-Sale Ratio: 99.59% (May ’25: 98.98%)
- Median List-to-Sale Ratio: 100.13% (May ’25: 99.49%)
- Total Volume: $136.3M (Down 9.17% YoY)
What's actually happening is a mix shift. Luxury sales dropped sharply: 15 homes over $1M this May versus 22 last May (down 31.8%). Fewer high-end closings pull the average down even when the core market remains competitive. The median, which is less sensitive to shifts from big-ticket sales, only dipped about 3% and actually rose month-over-month.
Bottom line: This is not a broad price correction. Buyers are still paying at or above asking on the homes they want and that feel like a clear value. The average only looks softer largely because fewer luxury sales closed this month.
What the Behind-the-Scenes Numbers Are Telling Us
| Metric | Value | What it suggests |
|---|---|---|
| Price Changes | 253 | Sellers are recalibrating as buyers hold the line on value. |
| Back on Market | 48 | More deals are getting tested during contingencies, and some aren’t making it to closing. |
| Expired or Terminated Listings | 83 | Listings that missed the mark struggled to get traction. |
Bottom line: 253 price changes in a month with a 10-day median tells you everything. Buyers are moving quickly on value, and pushing back hard when pricing doesn’t match condition, location, or overall feel. Even in a busy spring market, homes that don't meet buyer expectations struggle and get passed by.
Luxury Snapshot: Fewer Closings, but the Right Homes Still Moved
- Units Sold Over $1M: 15 (Down 31.82% YoY, down 6.25% MoM)
- Highest Sale: $2,645,000 (97.96% of list)
- May ’25 Top Sale: $2,520,000 (90.00% of list)
Bottom line: Luxury is selective, not absent. High-end buyers are engaging seriously when the right property shows up at the right price.
TL;DR: May 2026 in Six Quick Takeaways
- Contracts surged: 398 homes under contract, up 15.4% YoY and 51% MoM. The strongest number YTD.
- New listings jumped: 537 new listings hit the market, up 30% MoM.
- Homes moved faster than April: median DOM dropped to 10 days.
- List-to-sale ratios are strong: Median crossed above 100%. Homes are selling at or above asking on average.
- Average price looks softer YoY, but it’s a mix shift: fewer luxury closings pulled down the average.
- Pricing discipline still matters: 253 price changes and 83 expirations in peak spring season says it plainly.
What This Means for Buyers and Sellers
For sellers: Demand is there, but buyers have more options and less urgency. Move-in-ready homes that are priced correctly are still moving fast. If value isn’t obvious, buyers are negotiating or moving on. The 253 price changes are the clearest reminder that “testing” a price can backfire. Pricing and presentation need to be dialed in from day one.For buyers: You have more leverage than you’ve had in a while, but this isn’t a slow market for the best homes. Strong listings are still moving quickly. Come prepared, know your priorities, and be ready to act when the right home shows up. The good news is that strategy matters more than panic.
Looking Ahead
May confirmed that spring demand is fully engaged heading into summer. With contract activity surging, we should expect stronger closings in June and July. The pricing story will be worth watching. If luxury volume rebounds, average prices will follow. If the mix stays weighted toward mid-range sales, year-over-year comparisons may continue to look softer than the market feels on the ground.The fundamentals are clear. Pricing and preparation are still the variables that determine outcomes. Everything else is timing.
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The market data used in this update is from single-family homes and condos in Chittenden, Franklin, Lamoille and Washington Counties.
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