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Reported by us | Fall River

Fall River homes take 10 days longer to sell as the number on the market climbs 20%

Redfin counted 390 homes for sale in the city at some point from July to September, up from 324 a year earlier. The median sale price slipped 2%, and mortgage rates rose past 7%.

By South Coast 360 staff | Published Oct. 18, 2026 | Last verified Oct. 18, 2026, 9:35 p.m. ET

FALL RIVER Homes in Fall River took longer to sell this summer, and more of them were on the market. The typical home that sold from July to September spent 38 days on the market, 10 days longer than in the same three months of 2025, according to Redfin, a national real estate brokerage. The median sale price slipped 2%, to $489,767 from $499,900.

Redfin counted 390 homes for sale in the city at some point during those three months, up 20% from 324 a year earlier, and 197 still for sale at the end of September, up from 140. Redfin reports town figures in three-month windows, here July to September 2026 against the same months of 2025. It counts only sales made through listing services, so private sales are not included.

A buyer this summer had more homes to choose from and, by Redfin's measures, a little less competition for them. An owner selling faced more competition and a longer wait.

A slower pace

The slowdown built through the summer. The median time on the market was 28 days in Redfin's three-month window ending in July, 31 days in the window ending in August and 38 in the one ending in September. Just 30.8% of homes came off the market within two weeks of being listed, down from 41.1%.

Owners put 222 homes up for sale during the period, up from 203, while sales held about even at 157, compared with 161. That works out to 3.8 months of supply, up from 2.7, by Redfin's measure. Homes that sold still went for 100.1% of their list price on average, about the same as a year ago, and 40.7% sold above asking, compared with 41.6%. The median price per square foot fell 4%, to $249.22.

Rates and the monthly payment

The average 30-year fixed rate was 7.40% in Freddie Mac's survey for the week of Oct. 15, up from 6.27% a year earlier. It rose six weeks in a row after Aug. 27, when it stood at 6.66%, then held steady.

On Fall River's median price, with 20% down, principal and interest at 7.40% come to about $2,713 a month, by our arithmetic. That is $295 more than the $2,418 the same loan would cost at last year's rate. Taxes and insurance are extra.

Bristol County's median sale price for September alone was $557,752, up 1.4% from a year earlier, according to Redfin. The county figure covers a single month, not three. Zillow's home value index, an estimate of a typical home's value rather than a measure of sales, put Fall River at $448,192 in September, up 2.1% over the year.

Taxes, zoning and rents

The average single-family tax bill in the city rose to $4,651 for fiscal 2026, up $236, or 5.3%, from $4,415 in fiscal 2025, state Department of Revenue figures show. That reflects an average single-family assessment of $405,164 and a residential rate of $11.48 per $1,000 of value. The statewide average bill was $8,113.

Census Bureau permit data put new homes authorized in Fall River from January to August at 40, all single-family. The city filed no monthly reports for those months, so the figure is a Census Bureau estimate, not a count of permits the city issued.

Under the state's MBTA Communities law, Fall River is a commuter rail community that must zone for at least 6,652 multifamily homes. The Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities listed it as compliant, with the required zoning adopted, as of Aug. 31.

Zillow's observed rent index for Fall River was $1,888 in September, up 2.4% from a year earlier. Renters make up nearly two-thirds of the city's households, according to Census Bureau American Community Survey estimates for 2020 to 2024, and 50.1% of them spend 30% or more of their income on rent. The survey's median rent was $1,155.

The largest sale on the Fall River Registry of Deeds' list of significant sales recorded from January to March was a commercial property at 400 Columbia St., at $5,710,500. The biggest multifamily sales on the list were a three-family at 72 Belmont St. for $1.2 million and a six-family at 49 Hamlet St. for $1.08 million.

Label: Reported by us, from public housing market data and records.

How we verified this

Every figure in this story comes from the public data sets linked above, read Oct. 18, 2026, and the monthly payment estimates are our own arithmetic on Redfin's median price and Freddie Mac's rates.

Corrections

No corrections to this story. If something here is wrong, tell us. Every correction is dated on the story and listed in our public log.

Sources (11)

  1. Redfin Data Center, city and county housing market data (updated Oct. 7, 2026)Fall River median sale price, sales, days on market, homes for sale, new homes for sale, months of supply, sale-to-list, share sold above list, share off market in two weeks and price per square foot for July to September 2026 and 2025, and the rolling windows ending July and August 2026; Bristol County median for September 2026. Read Oct. 18, 2026.
  2. Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey, week of Oct. 15, 202630-year fixed rate of 7.40%, year-earlier rate of 6.27% (Oct. 16, 2025) and weekly rates since Aug. 27. Read Oct. 18, 2026.
  3. Zillow Research data, Zillow Home Value Index and Zillow Observed Rent Index, September 2026Fall River home value index of $448,192 and rent index of $1,888, with year-over-year changes. Read Oct. 18, 2026.
  4. Massachusetts Department of Revenue, Division of Local Services, average single-family tax bill, fiscal 2026 (data current as of Oct. 18, 2026)Average single-family bill of $4,651 in fiscal 2026 and $4,415 in fiscal 2025, average single-family value of $405,164. Read Oct. 18, 2026.
  5. Massachusetts Department of Revenue, Division of Local Services, tax rates by class, fiscal 2026Residential rate of $11.48 and commercial and industrial rate of $23.58 per $1,000. Read Oct. 18, 2026.
  6. FY2026 statewide average single-family tax bill, Massachusetts Department of Revenue (published Feb. 19, 2026)Statewide average single-family bill of $8,113. Read Oct. 18, 2026.
  7. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey, Northeast places, year to date through August 2026Estimate of 40 single-family units authorized January to August 2026, with no monthly reports filed by the city (all imputed). Read Oct. 18, 2026.
  8. Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities, MBTA Communities compliance status sheet as of Aug. 31, 2026Fall River listed as compliant, zoning adopted. Read Oct. 18, 2026.
  9. Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities, MBTA Communities categories and capacity calculations (June 2025)Commuter rail category and minimum multifamily capacity of 6,652 units. Read Oct. 18, 2026.
  10. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020 to 2024 five-year estimates, summary fileOccupied and owner-occupied homes (renter share), median rent of $1,155 and the share of renters paying 30% or more of income on rent. Read Oct. 18, 2026.
  11. Fall River Registry of Deeds, significant sales list, first quarter 2026Addresses, property types and prices of the largest sales recorded January to March 2026. Read Oct. 18, 2026.

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