Is an East Falmouth Home Priced for the Year-Round Owner or the Summer Visitor? Reading Realtor.com, Redfin, Zillow and the Seasonal Count

What do the East Falmouth price sources say, and where do they differ?

The sources agree on a level near $800,000. Realtor.com's sold median is $813,750, Redfin's town median is $794,025 and Zillow's index for East Falmouth is $724,272. Realtor.com's sold median is 2.5% above Redfin's, and Zillow's index is 11.0% below Realtor.com's sold median, computed here. The Census owner value of $558,600, plus or minus $24,510, is 31.4% below the Realtor.com sold median, computed here, and is 5.6 times the Census median household income of $100,497.

The directions differ. Redfin's median is up 7.3%, which implies about $740,005 a year earlier. Realtor.com's sold median is down 0.69%, which implies about $819,404 a year earlier, and up 31.25% in three years, which implies about $620,000. Zillow's index is up 0.8%, which implies about $718,524. The three sources do not share a period, a geography or a method, and Redfin's page covers all of Falmouth, which includes many homes that are not in the postal area.

The listing median is close to the sold median. Realtor.com's $822,000 listing median is 1.0% above its $813,750 sold median, computed here, and is down 3.15% in a year, which implies about $848,735 a year earlier. Per-foot prices are $495 on Realtor.com, up 2.13%, which implies about $485, and $466 on Redfin for the town, up 7.9%, which implies about $432. A tight gap between listing and sold prices suggests that houses are being priced near what they bring, which is an inference.

Time on market is a place where the sources differ most. Realtor.com's median of 55 days is up 25.53%, which implies about 44 days a year earlier, and up 43.90% in three years, which implies about 38. Redfin's town median is 33 days, the same as a year earlier, and its average pending time is around 26 days. Zillow's page shows around 8 days to pending, which does not match either one, and it is a four-month-old figure. This brief does not rely on the Zillow time.

The practical conclusion for an owner is that a typical East Falmouth house sells for about $800,000, within a band of perhaps 10%, and that a sale takes one to two months. The exact price of one house depends on its size, its condition and its position relative to water, and a published median does not know any of those.

A short list of closed sales is the best check on all of this. Pick houses of a similar size and age, in a similar position relative to the water and the main roads, sold in the last several months, and note the price, the days on market and how far the price fell from the first ask. In a place where one street can be worth far more than the next because of a view or a deeded beach right, five or six sales of true neighbors tell an owner more than any median does.

Sources as cited. Ratios and year-earlier values in this section are computed from the published figures and percentages.

How tight is supply in East Falmouth, and how fast do homes sell?

Supply has fallen over the year. Realtor.com shows 78 active listings, down 26.50%, which implies about 106 a year earlier, and down 9.47% in three years, which implies about 86. Redfin counted 204 sales in Falmouth in May, about 68 a month on a three-month basis, though that is a town figure and the listings are a postal-area figure, so the ratio of about 1.1 months of supply, computed here, is only a rough guide and an inference.

Redfin rates Falmouth somewhat competitive, with a score of 66 out of 100. Some homes get multiple offers. The average home sells about 2% below list and goes pending in around 26 days, and hot homes sell around the list price in around 10 days. Of homes sold, 19.6% went above list and 25.1% had price drops. On a $794,025 sale, 2% is about $15,881, computed here.

Realtor.com shows a sale-to-list ratio of 100% for the postal area and calls the market hot, a seller's market, and balanced in different places. Its own median of 55 days on market, up 25.53%, does not describe a hot market, and the labels disagree with one another. The numbers are a better guide than the labels.

The rental figures are small and should be read with care. Realtor.com shows 5 rental properties, down 35.71%, which implies about 8 a year earlier, and a median rent of $3,800, up 20.63%, which implies about $3,150. The Census median rent is $1,626, but its margin of error is $678, so it is a wide estimate, and the comparison between the two is not reliable. The Census counts no units as vacant and for rent.

For a seller, the message is that a house priced near the middle will probably sell within two months at close to its asking price, and that there is little pressure from rivals on the market at any one time. A buyer who offers a close date, no financing condition and no repair list can still be worth weighing against a list price less about 2% and less fees, particularly for an owner who lives elsewhere and pays to keep the house ready.

Season matters here more than most pages admit. A house that comes to market in late spring meets visitors who are looking and ready to act, and one that comes to market in late autumn meets a smaller group. The pages do not break sales out by month, so this is an inference from the Census count of seasonal homes and not a measured pattern, but an owner who cannot choose the season may prefer an offer that does not depend on it.

Sources as cited. Year-earlier values and differences are computed from the published percentages.

How many East Falmouth homes are held for seasonal use?

The Census count is large. Of 12,275 housing units, 9,100, or 74.1%, are occupied, and 3,175, or 25.9%, are vacant. Of the vacant units, 2,757, or 86.8%, are held for seasonal, recreational or occasional use, which is 22.5% of all units. Another 288, or 9.1% of vacant units, are vacant for other reasons, 96, or 3.0%, are sold and not yet occupied and 34, or 1.1%, are for sale only. No units were counted as vacant and for rent.

This is a Cape Cod pattern. A house in East Falmouth that is used for summers, weekends and holidays and is empty the rest of the year shows up as vacant in the Census. The effect for a seller is that the buyer pool includes people from other states who want a second home, retirees who want a year-round home and families who want a base. Each reads the price differently, and the second-home buyer often pays cash.

Homes are mostly single houses. Of 12,275 units, 11,375, or 92.7%, are detached houses, 284, or 2.3%, are attached, 316, or 2.6%, are in buildings of two to four units, 253, or 2.1%, are in buildings of five or more and 47, or 0.4%, are mobile homes. There are few condominiums, so a seller of a house is not competing with a large stock of apartments. That helps explain why 88.7% of occupied homes are owner-occupied.

Ownership is stable. Of 8,068 owner households, 151 moved in during 2023 or later and 1,041 between 2020 and 2022, so 14.8% moved in since 2020. Another 2,547, 31.6%, moved in between 2010 and 2019, 1,563, 19.4%, between 2000 and 2009, 1,415, 17.5%, in the 1990s and 1,351, 16.7%, before 1990. Over a third have been in place since the 1990s or earlier, and they hold a large amount of equity.

Homes are mid-sized. Of 8,068 owner households, 57, or 0.7%, live in a one-bedroom home, 1,589, or 19.7%, in a two-bedroom, 4,083, or 50.6%, in a three-bedroom, 1,988, or 24.6%, in a four-bedroom and 351, or 4.4%, in one with five or more bedrooms, so 79.6% live in a home with three or more bedrooms. Among the 1,032 renter households, 62.2% live in a home with two bedrooms or fewer.

A seasonal owner who has let the house to summer guests faces one more matter. Bookings already taken for the coming months, deposits held and any local rules on short stays all pass to the buyer or end with the sale, and they need to be settled before closing. A private buyer who wants the house for personal use will want vacant possession on a date, and a buyer who wants income will want the booking records. Having both ready lets the seller answer quickly.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimates, tables B25003, B25004, B25024, B25038 and B25042, via Census Reporter. Shares are computed here.

Who lives in East Falmouth year-round, and what do the old houses need?

The year-round population is older than the national pattern. Of 21,328 people counted, 6,182, or 29.0%, are 65 or older, 6,210, or 29.1%, are 45 to 64, 2,026, or 9.5%, are 35 to 44, 1,887, or 8.8%, are 25 to 34, 1,903, or 8.9%, are 18 to 24 and 3,120, or 14.6%, are under 18. About 58.1% are 45 or older. Many owners are retired or near retirement, and some are weighing a move to be closer to family or to care.

Housing costs are heavy for some. Of 5,018 owners with a mortgage, 1,685, or 34.0% of the 4,960 with a computed figure, spent 30% or more of income on housing, and 807, or 16.3%, spent half or more. Among the 3,050 owners without a mortgage, 425, or 13.9%, spent 30% or more, and 335, or 11.0%, spent half or more, which reflects taxes and insurance on a home owned outright. Of the 968 renters with a computed figure, 516, or 53.3%, spent 30% or more, and 316, or 32.6%, spent half or more.

The houses are mid-century. Of 12,275 units, 2,989, or 24.4%, were built in the 1970s, 1,935, or 15.8%, in the 1960s, 1,838, or 15.0%, in the 1980s, 1,475, or 12.0%, in the 1990s and 1,215, or 9.9%, in the 1950s. In all, 7,470 units, 60.9%, were built before 1980, and the median build year is 1976. Only 315 units, 2.6%, were built since 2010, so the stock is old and building has slowed.

Older coastal houses face wind, salt and damp. A buyer's inspector will look at the roof, the siding, the windows, the septic system, the heating and any signs of water in the basement, and on a sandy coastal lot the foundation and drainage matter as well. The fifth benefit of a private sale, no inspection repairs, is worth pricing here, because a buyer who takes the house as it stands does not hand the seller a repair list.

For a seasonal owner the question is different. A house that is used a few weeks a year still has to be kept up, insured, heated against frost and taxed, and the cost is paid all year. An owner whose use has fallen, or whose family has outgrown the habit, may find that a sale on a chosen date, without a summer of showings, is the simplest way out. A private buyer can offer exactly that.

Taken together, a typical year-round owner here is a retiree or near-retiree who has lived in a three-bedroom house built in the 1970s for twenty years or more, owns it without a mortgage and pays taxes and insurance that rise every year. Such an owner is not forced to sell, so timing and certainty drive the decision. A move on a fixed date, without a season of showings and without a list of repairs from a buyer's inspector, has real value to that owner, and the offer can be weighed against what a public sale would net. Readers comparing markets can also read the Wellesley Center brief and the Needham brief.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimates, tables B01001, B25034, B25070 and B25091, via Census Reporter. Shares are computed here.

What should an East Falmouth owner ask, and what does a private sale change?

Five questions are worth asking. Is my price based on closed sales of houses like mine, and not on a single median? What will the buyer's inspector find in a house of this age and on this coast? What does it cost to keep the house through a slow sale? Who is the buyer, a year-round resident or a second-home owner? What will the fees be?

Fees are simple arithmetic, and no rate is assumed here. Each 1% of a $450,000 sale is $4,500, of a $725,000 sale is $7,250 and of a $1,200,000 sale is $12,000. Three percent is $13,500, $21,750 and $36,000, and five percent is $22,500, $36,250 and $60,000. A seller can put their own quoted costs into those rows. On the Redfin median of $794,025, 1% is $7,940, 3% is $23,821 and 5% is $39,701.

A private sale has no showings and no neighbors talking about it, which is the first benefit. In a small coastal community where many owners know one another and a sign on the lawn is news, a seller who prefers quiet can avoid it. The second benefit is a closing date that fits the seller, which helps an owner who needs to time a move around a season.

The third and fourth benefits are no commission costs and no closing costs, and the fifth is no inspection repairs. In a postal area where 60.9% of homes were built before 1980, an inspector will find work, so the fifth is worth pricing. An owner should set an offer beside what the same house would net after preparation, after fees and after the cost of time.

Maison Off-Market buys luxury homes and estates directly from their owners and speaks only to sellers. It does not say that a private sale always beats a public listing, and in a market where the average home sells about 2% below list, an owner is right to compare. If you would like a private, no-obligation offer for a home in East Falmouth, call 401-219-4207 or use the contact form on this site.

Sources as cited. Fee illustrations are arithmetic only and assume no commission rate.

Methodology and limitations

Each page's date, title and place were read before use. The Realtor.com page is for August 2026. The Redfin page for Falmouth is for the three months ending May 2026. The Zillow page text is dated May 31, 2026, so it is the oldest of the three, and its time to pending of around 8 days is not relied on. A Redfin page for East Falmouth itself was dated May 2025 and rested on six sales, so it was discarded. Realtor.com's market labels disagree with one another and are reported as printed. The Census median rent has a wide margin of error and is not compared closely. Only established data publishers and the Census are cited. The Census figures are five-year estimates for the postal area that the sheet lists for East Falmouth. Percent changes were taken as printed, and ratios, sums, fee figures and year-earlier values are this brief's arithmetic.

Conclusion

The record for East Falmouth is a level of about $0.8M, a sale that takes one to two months, a stock in which about one home in four is held for seasonal use and houses that are mostly detached and mostly older than 1980. The useful number for an owner is a closed sale of a comparable house, and a private buyer can price the house in front of them and close on the owner's schedule.