New England
Boston, Cambridge and the suburbs
A median price near $860,000, property tax that changes at every town line, and an exemption that only owner-occupiers receive.
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Buying a home in
Massachusetts
Massachusetts draws Europeans for its universities, hospitals and biotech employers, and for summers on Cape Cod. It is also one of the more regulated places in the United States to buy a home, which works in a newcomer's favour once you know the rules.
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Everything about buying in Massachusetts
Short answers on this page. The full guide has the detail, the figures and the sources.
The purchase and the loan
How a purchase runs here and which loans fit.
- How a purchase runs here
- How large a loan counts as standard
Prices, taxes and insurance
What homes cost and what you pay on top.
- Property tax: a town decision
- What you pay at purchase and afterwards
- State taxes an owner should know
Letting and living
Rental rules, local life and how to get there.
- Letting the property
Places in Massachusetts
New England
Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket
Holiday-home country with low tax rates and high prices, a 2% land bank fee on the islands, septic rules and coastal insurance to plan for.
Explore this destinationWhy Europeans buy in Massachusetts
Most arrive for work or study. Harvard and MIT sit across the river from Boston, Mass General Brigham describes itself as the state's largest private employer with more than 85,000 staff, and the state has been collecting corporate headquarters: LEGO opened its US headquarters in Boston in 2025 and Hasbro has announced its move from Rhode Island. A second group buys for leisure, on Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket.
The two groups face different financing. A relocating employee with a visa and a US salary can usually use mainstream loans. A second-home buyer who stays resident in Europe is normally looking at a foreign national loan with a larger down payment. Our guide to visa status and US loans explains the difference. For the areas themselves, see Boston and its suburbs and Cape Cod and the Islands.
Massachusetts at a glance
Figures last checked:
This is not a lending decision: a US specialist confirms what applies to your own situation.
| Property tax | Set by each city or town per $1,000 of assessed value. For fiscal year 2026: Boston $12.40, Newton $9.69, Cambridge $6.67, Chatham $3.67, Nantucket $3.12. |
|---|---|
| Transfer tax | Deeds excise of $4.56 per $1,000 of the price ($6.48 in Barnstable County). On the islands a separate 2% land bank fee applies to most purchases. |
| Closing | An attorney must take a substantive part in the closing on the lender's behalf. |
| Loan limits 2026 | $962,550 in the Boston area counties, $832,750 on Cape Cod, $1,249,125 on Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket. Larger loans are jumbo loans. |
| State income tax | 5%, plus a 4% surtax on income above $1,107,750 (2026). |
| State estate tax | Return required above $2,000,000, and for a non-resident owner that test looks at the worldwide estate. |
| Flights home | Boston Logan lists nonstop flights to 21 European cities, some seasonal. |
Before you make an offer in Massachusetts
- Look up the town's tax rate and work out the bill in dollars on the specific property.
- Ask whether the home is on sewer or septic, and for the Title 5 report.
- Check the year of construction for lead paint, and ask how the home is heated.
- Find out whether your loan would be conforming or jumbo in that county.
- Hire your own attorney to review the purchase and sale agreement.
- Get home and flood insurance quotes before you commit, especially near the coast.
- Check the town's short-term rental rules if you plan to let.
- Ask a tax adviser about the state estate tax and how to hold the property.
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Questions people moving from Europe ask
A lawyer will be involved whether you hire one or not. The state's highest court has held that the closing requires the substantive participation of an attorney on behalf of the mortgage lender. That attorney represents the lender, not you. Many buyers hire their own to review the purchase and sale agreement, and for someone new to the US system that is money well spent.
It depends entirely on the town. Each municipality sets a rate per $1,000 of assessed value, and for fiscal year 2026 residential rates run from under $3 on parts of Martha's Vineyard to over $12 in Boston. A low rate usually reflects high property values, not a low bill, so compare the tax in dollars on the specific house.
No. A state regulation prevents sellers of most residential property from making acceptance of an offer conditional on the buyer waiving a home inspection, and from accepting offers from buyers who announce they will waive it. For a buyer who cannot easily visit, the inspection is your main source of facts about the building.
Two things. Since 1 November 2025, every Massachusetts sale of $1,000,000 or more requires a filing with the state, and tax may be withheld at closing from a seller who is not a Massachusetts resident. Separately, the federal FIRPTA rules generally require the buyer to withhold 15% of the price when the seller is a foreign person.
It can. An estate tax return is required when the gross estate exceeds $2,000,000, and for a non-resident who owned Massachusetts real estate the filing requirement is based on the total worldwide estate, not only the Massachusetts house. This is on top of the federal rules for non-residents. Take advice before you buy, because the way the property is held matters.
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Start my mortgage scanSources (17)
Figures and rules on this page were checked against these sources on 3 October 2026. Rates, prices and local rules change, so confirm anything you rely on before you commit.
- Massachusetts Division of Local Services, tax rates by class (fiscal year 2026)
- City of Boston, how we tax your property (Proposition 2 1/2)
- Mass.gov, tax rates (deeds excise, income tax, surtax)
- Barnstable County Registry of Deeds, fee schedule
- Mass.gov, Massachusetts law about real estate conveyancing
- MassDEP, buying or selling property with a septic system
- Mass.gov, property transfer lead paint notification
- Mass.gov, Massachusetts law about homestead
- Mass.gov, General Laws chapter 183A section 6 (condominium common expenses)
- Mass.gov, filing and withholding rules for real estate sales of $1 million or more
- Mass.gov, estate tax guide
- Mass.gov, room occupancy excise tax
- Massachusetts Division of Insurance, hurricane preparation notice
- US Energy Information Administration, Massachusetts profile
- FHFA, conforming loan limits for 2026
- Massport, nonstop international destinations
- IRS, FIRPTA withholding