We just completed our analysis of Boston area properties for the month of May. People often talk about how real estate fluctuates seasonally, with the summer being the hotter (no pun intended) time for the market. While it probably comes as no surprise that fewer people want to walk around to open houses in January, you might be surprised to learn that prices in May were 10.8% higher than they were in April.

Highlights:

Cambridge (02139, around Central Square) remains one of the most competitive places to buy. Along with Arlington (02476), the average amount that buyers paid over asking was a whopping 11%. We’ve seen this with our buyers interested in that area. If you’re trying to buy near Central Square, forget about the asking price as a real starting point.

Newton properties sell faster than leftovers go bad. For the second month in a row, a Newton zip code (02459, Newton Upper Falls) has the shortest time on market at just 5 days.

Most sales in a zip code was in Jamaica Plain at 58. South Boston (02127) was a close second at 56.

See our whole analysis for May 2018 here. If you’re getting ready to buy, get in touch.