CT home sales rose in a majority of towns but declined or stayed stagnant in others. here's where.
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By Alexander Soule | Published on July 22, 2025
Home sales were up in just over 90 Connecticut cities and towns in the first six months of 2025 compared to a year earlier, according to Berkshire Hathaway HomesServices New England Properties, versus 70 locales with declines from a year earlier and the rest at break-even.
The Berkshire Hathaway data points to what remains a strong real estate market for Connecticut sellers — and one that continues to frustrate many buyers who are in the position of having to overpay to beat out others, or to beat the streets anew to find another house fitting their needs.
Things could be swinging slightly toward buyers, a trend that has been more pronounced in other parts of the United States according to Zillow. U.S. listings were at their highest level in May since November 2019 on the eve of the COVID-19 pandemic, Zillow reported on Thursday.
This year, Connecticut home sellers averaged a 2.6% premium over their final asking prices for sales that closed between January and July, down from a 3.1% boost from a year earlier according to Berkshire Hathaway.
"It's not turning into a buyers market anywhere — but some are stronger sellers' markets than others, let me put it that way," said Paul Breunich, CEO of William Pitt Sotheby's based in Stamford. "Priced properly, there are multiple buyers who are looking at limited supply."
Inventory is rising far more slowly in Connecticut, Zillow data shows, including in the Bridgeport-Stamford corridor where Zillow counted less than 2,300 listings as of June. That was up only slightly from the totals 12 and 24 months earlier, and represented less than half the total in June 2020 as listings were pouring onto the market from sellers grabbing the opportunity to cash out and move.
Stamford remains the busiest city in Connecticut for real estate sales, with nearly 535 transactions in the first half of the year for an 11% increase from a year earlier. Buyer competition remains intense there, with William Pitt Sotheby's reporting a 6% increase in prices there as calculated on a price-per-square-foot basis.
Among the 20 cities and towns with at least 200 sales transactions in the first half, Milford led for momentum with a 22% increase in sales from a year ago, slightly ahead of Southington's 21% gain and with Waterbury next with a 12% increase in sales.
Connecticut real estate data by municipality
A majority of Connecticut towns saw home sales increase in the first six months of 2025 compared to a year earlier, in what remains a challenging market for many buyers according to brokers.
Milford has been a big draw in the past few years due to its water proximity, town appeal and affordability compared to Long Island Sound communities from Fairfield to Greenwich, said Susan Vanech, a founding agent in the Westport office of Compass, who represented the buyers of a newly built house on Dunbar Road in Milford which sold this week for $1.4 million.
"People are seeing that you don't need to be an hour or less outside (New York City) and more," Vanech said. "We are seeing a lot of 'right-sizers' or empty-nesters who are getting the lifestyle they already had — or want — at more attainable price points."
Among Connecticut's mid-size markets with at least 50 sales in the first half, Burlington and Canton saw sales jump at least 50% in the Berkshire Hathaway tables. Several towns were in the next echelon of boom markets, with sales up at least a quarter: Darien, Montville, Norfolk, Plainfield, Southbury, Stonington, Wethersfield, Windsor and Woodbury.
Among smaller towns statewide with less than 50 sales, transactions jumped the most in Bridgewater, Colebrook, North Canaan, Roxbury, Union, Voluntown and Willington.
But home sales are down in other locales, including Greenwich which saw a 4% decline in the first half, with a parallel drop in new listings. West Hartford sales are off 11% from a year ago, with Enfield down 20% and Waterford 28%, according to Berkshire Hathaway.
In those towns and many others across Connecticut, the prices buyers are paying for the median-priced home are 10% or more what buyers paid a year earlier, illustrating the continuing challenge faced by house hunters in 2025.
"With inflation easing and market stability improving, we could see moderate softening in the months ahead," said Brenda Maher, president of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices New England Properties, in commentary accompanying her firm's first-half report. "Buyers must remain well-prepared and agile in this competitive environment."