Massachusetts foreclosures and housing market

How foreclosure works in Massachusetts, which counties lean to buyers or sellers, and how many homes are for sale right now.

How's the market in Massachusetts?

A strong seller's market.

Listings spent about 44 days on the market, and 22% had a price cut in October 2026.

Market figures: Realtor.com® Economic Research, October 2026. Free weekly email. Unsubscribe anytime.

Distressed properties in Massachusetts

Pre-foreclosures, auctions, bank-owned and HUD homes from county notices, with the street area instead of the house number.

Representative photo

We are not tracking properties in Massachusetts yet

Our property list covers a handful of counties so far. Leave your email for the free weekly brief, and we will note that you want property alerts for Massachusetts.

The closest place we track is Florida, with 1 property.

The Massachusetts market in October 2026

Our score compares how many listings went under contract with how many were for sale, ranked against every US county. Low scores lean to buyers, high scores to sellers.

Massachusetts market score

88Strong seller's market

Buyer's marketUS: 61Seller's market

Homes for sale: 15,118; US: 1,179,101
Typical days on market: 44; US: 66
Listings with a price cut: 22%; US: 21%
Homes for sale vs pre-pandemic: −21%; US: −7%; October 2026 vs the October average for 2017 to 2019.

Market score by county

Check any county

Leans to buyersLeans to sellers

Gray counties had too few listings to score. Tap a county for its full answer.

Most buyer-friendly counties

Lowest scores among counties with 50+ homes for sale.

Most seller-friendly counties

Highest scores among counties with 50+ homes for sale.

Source: Realtor.com® Economic Research, October 2026 county data. County days on market are medians. State and US figures weight each county by its homes for sale. Price-cut share is the share of listings with a price reduction.

Non-judicial

How foreclosure works in Massachusetts

Most Massachusetts foreclosures are non-judicial.

Main steps and notices: Owner-occupied homes of up to four units get a 90-day right to cure notice, available once in five years.
The lender mails a notice of intent to foreclose and of deficiency at least 21 days before the sale.
The sale is published once a week for three weeks, the first at least 21 days before, and sent by registered mail at least 14 days before.
Catching up before the sale: The 90-day right to cure applies to owner-occupied homes of up to four units.
After the sale: There is no right to redeem after the sale.
Before any of this starts: Under federal rules, a mortgage servicer generally can't make the first notice or filing for foreclosure until the borrower is more than 120 days behind.
Governing law: Massachusetts General Laws ch. 244, § 1 et seq.

Sources

General information, not legal advice.

Laws change and each case differs. Anyone facing foreclosure should talk with a local attorney or a HUD-approved housing counselor.

Go deeper

Massachusetts questions

Is foreclosure in Massachusetts judicial or non-judicial?

Most Massachusetts foreclosures are non-judicial.

Can a homeowner get the home back after a foreclosure sale in Massachusetts?

There is no right to redeem after the sale.

Can a borrower in Massachusetts catch up on the loan before the sale?

The 90-day right to cure applies to owner-occupied homes of up to four units.

Is Massachusetts a buyer's or seller's market right now?

A strong seller's market. Massachusetts scores 88 out of 100 on our market scale, where low scores lean to buyers. Listings spent about 44 days on the market, and 22% had a price cut in October 2026. Source: Realtor.com® Economic Research.

How far behind does a borrower have to be before foreclosure starts?

Under federal rules, a mortgage servicer generally can't make the first notice or filing for foreclosure until the borrower is more than 120 days behind. Source: Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.