Inventory is tight, well-prepared homes are moving fast, and pricing varies wildly from town to town. Here's your Q1 2026 Fairfield County market breakdown.
We're right in the middle of the spring selling season, and everyone is asking the same question: what is going on in the real estate market in Fairfield County? Let me tell you, what you're hearing on the national news is not what is going on locally. The two are very different.
I wanted to give you a quick and clear overview of what's happened so far in the first quarter of 2026 here in Fairfield County. The short version: the market is still moving, and in some towns, it's moving very quickly.
Inventory remains really tight. Housing supply in several of our key towns, including Westport, Norwalk, Wilton, Weston, Fairfield, New Canaan, and Darien, is sitting at between one and two months of supply. A balanced market is typically between five and six months, so that tells us we still have a lot of buyers out there and not enough people listing their homes to satisfy that demand. Well-prepared homes are selling very quickly, and in many cases competitively with multiple offers and sales above asking price.
Pricing is trending upward, but the details really do vary by town. I always prefer to look at the median sales price because it gives a closer representation of what's really going on across the county. Prices have continued to trend upward this year, with towns like New Canaan, Wilton, and Norwalk seeing increases ranging from 11% to over 34%. That said, some towns like Westport, Weston, and Fairfield have seen the median price come down a little, but the average price in those areas has still gone up. In a place like Weston, that's really because there have been so few sales, so it's not a very large sample size.
"What you're hearing on the national news is not what is going on locally. The two are very different."
But here's something I think is really important to understand. Not every home is selling, even in a market that's moving this quickly. The homes that are performing the best right now are those that were priced strategically from day one, presented beautifully, and launched with a clear plan. Buyers are still out there, plenty of them, but they are more selective than they were a couple of years ago. They're looking for a good buy because they're paying a lot of money for it.
This market is very hyper-local. One thing I'm seeing firsthand is that values can vary not just from town to town, but from street to street. So if you're trying to figure out what your house is worth or how to position it, the broader headlines really don't tell the full story. What's happening nationally, or even at the county level, may not reflect what's happening right where you live.
Overall, the first quarter tells us this: the market is active, inventory is tight, and strategy matters more than ever. If you're even casually thinking about selling this year, I'm always happy to talk with you about your neighborhood, your home in particular, and what a smart plan would look like for your situation.
Please feel free to reach out anytime at (203) 722-5445 or email me at [email protected]. You can also visit my blog at lindadunsmore.com/blog for more Fairfield County market insights. I'm here to help, and I'd love to hear from you.
