Despite a pandemic plaguing the county for the majority of the year, more single-family homes were sold last year in Massachusetts than in any other year since 2004. It was a record-setting year for real estate in the Commonwealth and right here in The Berkshires as well.

WWLP spoke with The Warren Group, a real estate firm based out of Peabody, who said there were 61,469 single-family home sales in 2020, a 3.9 percent increase over the sales total of 2019. In addition to the increase in sales, the median sale price for those homes climbed as well, gaining 11.4 percent from 2019.  The median sale price for a home at the end of 2020? $455,000.

The hot market in the Commonwealth continued right through the end of the year and sky-high December sales helped to boost the 2020 totals. December 2020 saw 6,410 single-family home sales in Massachusetts, the most ever recorded for the month and up 28.6 percent from December 2019. December marked the sixth consecutive month with a median sale price greater than $450,000, according to the agency.

While COVID-19 has been devastating to many industries, the shift towards remote work helped to spur folks moving away from cities like Boston and New York and towards areas in Massachusetts like Cape Cod and the Berkshires.

Gov. Charlie Baker last week signed an economic development bill that included a housing production measure anchored to local zoning changes, and another initiative designed to boost housing near MBTA stations.

Enter your number to get our free mobile app

 

The 100 Best Places to Live on the East Coast

 

More From WSBS 860AM