Welcome to Monday Market Insyghts, our weekly look at the towns we serve southwest of Boston: Millis, Medfield, Medway, Franklin, Bellingham, Walpole, Norfolk, Ashland and Holliston. Each week we put one community in the spotlight and track the numbers across all nine, so you can see how your town compares. This week's spotlight: Franklin, where the Town Council is weighing whether to change how property taxes are split between homes and businesses, and a four-story mixed-use proposal is testing the limits of downtown zoning.
Nine-Town Market Snapshot
Homes for sale now
Single-family homes listed for sale on MLS PIN as of November 2, 2026. Counts include homes that are under contract or coming soon.
| Town | Homes listed | Avg. list price | Avg. $/sq ft | Price range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Millis | 17 | $901,000 | $349 | $540K - $1.70M |
| Medfield | 18 | $1,035,000 | $423 | $550K - $1.70M |
| Medway | 28 | $741,000 | $331 | $450K - $1.25M |
| Franklin | 31 | $871,000 | $354 | $400K - $2.15M |
| Bellingham | 30 | $609,000 | $345 | $349K - $1.20M |
| Walpole | 25 | $1,021,000 | $405 | $575K - $2.00M |
| Norfolk | 16 | $1,119,000 | $377 | $360K - $2.70M |
| Ashland | 22 | $781,000 | $352 | $400K - $2.00M |
| Holliston | 32 | $928,000 | $340 | $495K - $2.38M |
Figures are rounded and change daily. Averages reflect asking prices, not sale prices.
Recent sales: last three months
Single-family homes that closed between August 3 and November 2, 2026.
| Town | Sales | Median sale price | Avg. sale-to-list | Sold at or above asking | Median days on market |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Millis | 14 | $602,500 | 97.9% | 43% | 24 |
| Medfield | 20 | $1,152,500 | 100.3% | 45% | 22 |
| Medway | 32 | $771,500 | 101.0% | 59% | 31 |
| Franklin | 57 | $780,000 | 101.5% | 67% | 19 |
| Bellingham | 35 | $560,000 | 101.9% | 86% | 20 |
| Walpole | 59 | $800,000 | 101.8% | 64% | 20 |
| Norfolk | 38 | $932,000 | 101.1% | 71% | 22 |
| Ashland | 22 | $734,000 | 102.4% | 73% | 13 |
| Holliston | 31 | $800,000 | 99.5% | 58% | 22 |
Source: MLS PIN closed sales. Medians in towns with fewer sales can move noticeably with just a few transactions.
What stands out
- Franklin and Walpole are the busiest markets. Walpole recorded 59 single-family sales over the last three months and Franklin 57, well ahead of the next-busiest town, Norfolk, at 38. Together they account for more than a third of the 308 sales across our nine towns.
- Bellingham remains the most competitive. 86% of Bellingham sales closed at or above asking, the highest share of any of our towns, at a median price of $560,000. Ashland homes sold fastest, with a median of just 13 days on market, and buyers there paid the most relative to list price, an average of 102.4%.
- Inventory ticked back up. There are 219 single-family homes for sale across all nine towns combined, up from 213 last week. Medway jumped from 23 to 28 listings and Bellingham from 27 to 30, while Ashland's average asking price fell from about $852,000 to $781,000.
- Where buyers have more room. In Millis and Medfield, fewer than half of recent sales closed at or above asking, and Millis averaged 97.9% of list price on just 14 sales. Medway homes took the longest to sell, a median of 31 days.
Spotlight: Franklin
Franklin is consistently one of the deepest markets in our area. Over the last three months it recorded 57 single-family sales, second only to Walpole, and it has 31 homes for sale today, up from 30 last week. That depth gives buyers more choice than almost anywhere else in our coverage area: today's listings run from about $400,000 to $2.15 million, with an average asking price of about $871,000.
On price, Franklin sits in the accessible middle of the region. Its median sale of $780,000 was $8,500 above Medway and $20,000 below Walpole and Holliston, and well below Norfolk ($932,000) and Medfield ($1,152,500). Ten of Franklin's 57 sales closed at $1 million or more. Asking prices average about $354 per square foot, below Norfolk ($377), Walpole ($405) and Medfield ($423).
Demand is strong and homes move quickly. Franklin's median of 19 days on market is the second-fastest of our nine towns, behind only Ashland, and 67% of sales closed at or above asking, with an average sale at 101.5% of list price. Still, 19 of the 57 sales closed below list price, so buyers have some room to negotiate on homes priced ahead of the market.
The big stories that affect Franklin home values
Single or split tax rate? The Town Council is deciding. Franklin has long used a single tax rate, meaning homes and businesses pay the same rate per $1,000 of value. The Town Council has made evaluating the tax rate a central goal for 2026-27 and is holding three workshops on whether to move to a split rate, which would shift more of the tax burden onto commercial, industrial and personal property. A split rate does not raise more total revenue; it changes who pays what share. The first workshop on October 14 opened with a research report from three Franklin High School students who interned in Town Administration this summer. The second was held October 28 in the Franklin High School auditorium, the third is scheduled for November 18, and the annual tax classification hearing, where the decision is made, is planned for December 2. For homeowners, this is the meeting to watch: a split rate would lower the residential share of the levy, while business owners would see the opposite.
Depot Plaza would add a four-story building to Main Street. The Planning Board is reviewing a mixed-use redevelopment of 9 and 13-15 Main Street in the Downtown Commercial district, filed by Fourzol, LLC of Franklin. According to the Franklin Observer, the proposal calls for 57 apartments where the current bylaw would allow 19 on a parcel of this size, a fourth story where zoning limits buildings to three, and 46 parking spaces. The Franklin Downtown Partnership, which represents downtown merchants and property owners, has raised concerns about parking, scale and a reduction in storefronts from seven to three, while its survey found general support for redeveloping the site. The board continues its hearing Monday, November 2 at 7:00 PM, with the developer presenting renderings comparing the building's height to others on Main Street. The outcome will set a precedent for how much density downtown Franklin takes on.
Sewer work on Beaver Street. As part of the Beaver Street Interceptor sewer project, Beaver Street between Route 140 and Grove Street is closed to through traffic Monday, November 2 through Friday, November 6, from 7:00 AM to 4:00 PM, while the contractor installs sewer main near 275 Beaver Street. Businesses and the Recycling Center remain reachable by detour from Route 140 or Grove Street.
A balanced budget without an override, and MBTA Communities compliance. The Town Council approved the FY27 operating and capital budgets in June. According to the FY27 budget announcement, the approved budget "does not include any proposals for an override, tax increase or other new rate increases to balance the budget." Franklin also appears on the state's list of communities in compliance with the MBTA Communities law as of October 26, 2026, which keeps the town eligible for state grant programs tied to the law. One more signal worth noting: the Franklin Observer reports that several recent Planning Board, Design Review and Zoning Board meetings were canceled because new development proposals have slowed, which points to limited new housing supply in the near term.
Our take for buyers and sellers
Sellers: Two out of three recent Franklin sales closed at or above asking, with a median of just 19 days on market, so well-priced homes are still drawing strong offers. But Franklin also has the second-largest selection of homes for sale in our nine-town area, so you are competing with more listings than sellers in Norfolk or Millis. Price to recent comparable sales from day one, present the home well, and expect the strongest response in the first few weeks.
Buyers: Franklin gives you more choice than most nearby towns, from the $400,000s to new construction above $1.5 million, and about one in three recent sales closed below list price, so there is room to negotiate on the right home. Keep an eye on the December 2 tax classification hearing when you budget for property taxes, and on the Depot Plaza decision for what it could mean for downtown.
Wondering what your Franklin home is worth today?
Text CMA to 508-686-0940 for a free Comparative Market Analysis, or send us a message. Browse current listings on our Franklin homes for sale page.
Know a Franklin business or non-profit that deserves the spotlight? Nominate it for an upcoming episode of The American Dream TV.
Sources: MLS PIN closed sales, August 3 - November 2, 2026; MLS PIN active listings via realinsyghts.com (November 2, 2026); Franklin Matters, Town Administrator memo on Tax Rate Workshop #1; Franklin Matters, student intern report, October 19, 2026; Franklin Observer, October 28, 2026; Franklin Matters, Depot Plaza public hearing notice; Franklin Observer, September 28, 2026; Franklin Observer, November 1, 2026; Franklin Observer, November 2, 2026; Franklin Matters, FY27 budget approval; Mass. EOHLC MBTA Communities compliance.