What’s the Central Massachusetts real estate market like in December 2025? The biggest change month over month in as far as this newsletter goes isn’t immediately financial, but it’s the home inspection law that went into effect in October 2025, whereby sellers can no longer have knowledge relating to a buyer potentially waiving their home inspection. You know from my past opinions on this, I wasn’t a fan. But now I’m seeing more home inspections happening, and buyers having a little more negotiating room for repairs and price reductions.
Since my team frequently works with buyers who are also sellers, these sellers do seem to like the law much better when they are on the buying side. I’ve had a few buyer clients purchasing in Central Massachusetts, coming out of Florida and they have an entirely different home inspection expectation. This is because in Florida, the buyer’s home inspection results trigger scenarios where the seller is expected to make identified structural and safety repairs that equal up to 2% of the purchase price.
What does this mean? I was working with a buyer who was also selling in The Villages in Florida and potentially purchasing a condo in Uxbridge. I say potentially purchasing because he didn’t actually purchase it. When his inspection report for the Uxbridge condo came back with 17 recommendations that were made by the home inspector, the buyer instructed me to send the entire list to the seller for repairs. That caught me by surprise, but that’s what he was dealing with on the sale of his home in Florida–the expectation that the seller makes a LOT of repairs. The seller of the condo in Uxbridge was willing to make several repairs and issue a credit for some of the remaining items, but they basically told the buyer to pound sand on minimal items. This is all to say the law is new, but it could be worse. Myself, I like the leveling of the playing field.
Here’s my other deep thought on the Central Massachusetts real estate market in December 2025. An unfortunate consequence of the past few years is that now more frequently than ever, sellers are suggesting unreasonable listing prices, and not taking the current market into consideration. Most buyers have an awareness of pricing in this market, and most buyers purchase with a mortgage – – which means their lender will hire an appraiser to validate the purchase price, using sold comparables in the area. Note to sellers: buyers RECOGNIZE an overpriced house, and that’s why some houses continue to sit there, not selling. My goal is to net the absolute best combination of price and terms for my clients, and I’ll work relentlessly to get that for every single client I work with. OF COURSE I want to sell your house for the most I possibly can, but starting high so ‘we can always go down’ is a terrible strategy. Maybe in a different market, but not here in Central Massachusetts at the end of 2025.
Also, BUYERS and SELLERS continue to move throughout and beyond Central Massachusetts. Pictured above is the summer-ready back yard at 13 Sawin Drive in Westminster, for which I was the listing agent. This home sold right before Thanksgiving, for $870,000. It was listed on 10/15/2025 and was sold and had a new family moved in and enjoying it, on 11/21/2025.
If you, or anyone you know, are moving to (or from) Central Massachusetts, I’m here to deliver an exceptional experience. My team combines strong communication, proven strategies and deep local expertise to guide throughout the home selling and buying process. If you’re considering the purchase or sale of residential real estate, you owe it to yourself to have a confidential conversation with me.
Jennifer Shenk, Real Estate Broker
Keller Williams Realty North Central
107 Main Street, Westminster
Call/Text: 978 870 9260
Email: jennifershenk@kw.com
