While New Hampshire's overall housing market continues to favor sellers, prospective homebuyers looking in Exeter are seeing something different.
Through August 2026, both the number of single-family homes sold and the town's median sales price were below their levels from the same period in 2025, according to New Hampshire REALTORS Local Market Update data.
Exeter recorded 56 single-family closed sales from January through August 2026, compared with 74 during the first eight months of 2025—a decline of 24.3%.
At the same time, Exeter's year-to-date median sales price fell from $852,500 to $747,500, a decrease of 12.3%.
For people relocating to New Hampshire, those numbers deserve attention because they run counter to the statewide trend.
Across New Hampshire, year-to-date single-family closed sales through August were up 4.9%, while the statewide median sales price increased 3.7% to $560,000.
August Was Particularly Slow in Exeter
The difference became even more pronounced during August.
Only five single-family homes closed in Exeter during August 2026, compared with 11 during August 2025—a 54.5% decline.
The monthly median sales price fell from $735,000 to $544,900, a decrease of 25.9%.
One month of data should not be interpreted as evidence that Exeter home values themselves have fallen by 25.9%. Median prices can move significantly when relatively few properties sell, particularly if the mix of homes closing changes from one year to another.
The broader year-to-date numbers, however, suggest the shift is not limited to a single month.
Pending Sales Are Also Down
Another indicator worth watching is pending sales. Through August, Exeter recorded 62 pending single-family sales, down from 83 during the same period last year—a decline of 25.3%.
Pending sales represent properties under contract that have not yet closed and can provide insight into near-term transaction activity.
For relocators, declining closed and pending sales may mean fewer buyers are competing for properties than during the especially intense periods of the post-pandemic housing market.
Buyers Have More Homes to Choose From
At the same time demand indicators weakened, Exeter's available inventory increased.
There were 20 single-family homes for sale at the end of August, compared with 14 one year earlier, representing a 42.9% increase. Months of supply rose from 1.6 months to 2.5 months.
That remains below the roughly five-to-six-month supply generally associated with a balanced market, so Exeter should not automatically be considered a buyer's market. But the direction is significant.
More listings combined with fewer sales can reduce some of the pressure buyers experience when multiple households are competing for a very limited number of properties.
What This Could Mean for Someone Moving to Exeter
Exeter remains one of southeastern New Hampshire's highly sought-after communities, with a historic downtown, proximity to the Seacoast, access to Route 101 and Interstate 95, and convenient connections to Portsmouth and Massachusetts.
Those characteristics have not disappeared. What has changed is the recent housing-market equation.
A relocator who dismissed Exeter during the most competitive years because inventory was exceptionally scarce may find it worth another look in 2026.
Additional inventory could provide buyers with more opportunity to compare homes rather than feeling pressure to purchase the first acceptable property that becomes available.
It may also create opportunities to negotiate around price, inspection findings, closing dates or other transaction terms on individual properties.
Don't Interpret the Median as a Home-Value Index
The decline in Exeter's median sales price requires context. The median represents the midpoint of properties that actually sold. It does not measure the appreciation or depreciation of the same homes over time.
In a smaller municipal market, the sale of several expensive homes—or the absence of those sales—can materially change the median.
The more meaningful signal is therefore the combination of indicators: fewer closed sales, fewer pending sales, a lower year-to-date median and increased inventory.
Together, those figures indicate Exeter's 2026 housing market has been moving differently from New Hampshire overall.
A Potential Opening for Exeter Relocators
For prospective buyers moving to the Granite State, Exeter may now represent an example of why statewide housing statistics should never be the final word. New Hampshire remains supply constrained, and the statewide market continues to favor sellers.
But local markets can diverge substantially. In Exeter, closed sales are down 24.3%, the median price is down 12.3%, pending sales are down 25.3% and August inventory is up 42.9% year over year.
For buyers who have Exeter on their New Hampshire relocation shortlist, those numbers suggest a market worth watching closely.