Selling in Burlington, Middlesex County
Selling your house in Burlington, MA? See what you’d walk away with.
Compare a cash offer with listing with an agent in Burlington: price, fees and timing. Free, takes about a minute, no obligation.
We are not a real estate broker or agent. We connect you with independent local buyers and agents who may pay us a fee. No obligation.
- Melrose homesMay 2026median sale $877,500 · 81% sold over asking · 11 days on marketSource: Redfin
- Malden homesMay 2026median sale $800,000 · 73% sold over asking · 20 days on marketSource: Redfin
- Medford homesMay 2026median sale $850,000 · 46% sold over asking · 20 days on marketSource: Redfin
- Stoneham homesMay 2026median sale $817,500 · 86% sold over asking · 18 days on marketSource: Redfin
- Wakefield homesMay 2026median sale $880,000 · 76% sold over asking · 17 days on marketSource: Redfin
- Saugus homesMay 2026median sale $635,000 · 81% sold over asking · 17 days on marketSource: Redfin
- Lynn homesMay 2026median sale $610,000 · 64% sold over asking · 23 days on marketSource: Redfin
- Peabody homesMay 2026median sale $673,000 · 63% sold over asking · 21 days on marketSource: Redfin
At a glance
Selling in Burlington.
Burlington is mostly single-family houses built after World War II, plus a sizable block of apartments and condos. Burlington asks for at least 10 business days of written notice for a final water reading, and three weeks is preferred.
Full details for Burlington ↓What homes are selling for in Burlington.
May 2026Burlington, all home types · 19 homes soldSource: Redfin
Town-level public statistics, never one house, and not a value for your home. Per-home sales (listed price to sold price) are coming through a partner agent's MLS feed.
Cash offer vs listing in Burlington, side by side.
Type your address and pick the town. We start from the typical house there and use the same math as the calculator. Change the price to your own guess.
Example: the typical single-family house in Burlington. Enter your address to see yours.
List with an agent
Sale price $885,000
- Agent fee −$46,463
- Repairs and prep −$12,000
- Closing and carrying −$14,536
You keep ~$812,000
Sell for cash, as-is
Cash offer $690,300
- Cash buyer's discount −$194,700
- No agent fee, no repairs, no staging
- Closing −$3,148
You keep ~$687,000
Listing keeps about $125,000 more on paper, and takes about 2 months longer. Cash is faster and skips the repairs.
Estimate only, not an offer. Starting price: the typical single-family home in Burlington (August 2026, Zillow Group Data). Assumes a 78% cash offer, 5.25% commission, $12,000 prep, 3 months of carrying costs at $3,500, before any mortgage payoff. Your house is not the typical house. Sources
Local guide
Selling a house in Burlington.
Burlington is outside our eight focus towns. You can still ask for numbers, and we will tell you honestly if we cannot find a local buyer or agent.
Burlington leans on its business property more than any other town on these pages. In its FY2026 budget book, the town says it has more than 2,095 businesses and 46,100 employees and that its commercial tax base funds over 60% of the annual budget. That shows up in the tax rates: $8.69 per $1,000 for homes against $25.78 for commercial, industrial and personal property in FY2026, the lowest residential rate of the five towns on these pages.
The housing is mostly detached houses (about 71% of 10,371 homes, or 7,314) plus a sizeable apartment and condo group: 2,331 homes, about 22.5%, in buildings of five or more units. Only about 3.6% are in two- to four-unit buildings, and about 74% of homes are owner-occupied. Housing counts are American Community Survey estimates for 2020 to 2024, so they carry a margin of error. The 2020 Census counted 26,377 residents and 10,431 housing units over 11.9 square miles.
Burlington's houses are mostly postwar: about 56% were built between 1940 and 1979 and about 38% in 1980 or later, with only about 6% before 1940. The estimated median value of an owner-occupied home is $740,600 (Census estimate, not a sale price). For a seller, the local twist is the water: the town asks for at least 10 business days of written notice for a final water reading, and its rules also call for checking for illegal connections to the sanitary sewer before the sale.
The Burlington market
Redfin counts 19 closed sales of all home types in Burlington in May 2026 at a median of $890,000, with 74% selling above list and an average sale at 103.9% of list. The month-to-month median rose from $813,750 in March to $872,222 in April and $890,000 in May. Zillow's typical Burlington value was $877,363 in August 2026, up 1.9% in a year, with single-family at $886,659 and condos at $703,870 (Zillow Group Data).
| Month | Sales | Median sale price | Sold over list | Median days on market | Average sale vs list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 2026 | 12 | $813,750 | 50% | 24 | 101.1% |
| April 2026 | 15 | $872,222 | 53% | 22 | 101.4% |
| May 2026 | 19 | $890,000 | 74% | 17 | 103.9% |
The pattern for a seller is a market that firmed through the spring: faster sales (24 days to 17) and a growing share of homes going over list. Redfin's all-homes median mixes houses and condos, and Zillow's gap of about $183,000 between houses and condos in Burlington means you should compare your sale to the same kind of home. A strong May does not guarantee your result.
Where the property tax comes from
| Class | Rate |
|---|---|
| Residential | $8.69 |
| Commercial and personal property | $25.78 |
Because the town has a large commercial base, it can keep the residential rate low. That does not decide your sale price, but it is one reason buyers compare Burlington's tax bills with those in neighboring towns. Check your property's own assessed value in the town database before you list; a house assessed at $800,000 would pay about $6,952 at $8.69 per $1,000 (an illustration only).
Zoning for more housing
Burlington Town Meeting adopted an MBTA Communities Multi-Family Overlay District in May 2024, per the town. The state housing office found it compliant on September 15, 2025: 67.6 acres with estimated as-of-right capacity of 1,092 units at 19.1 units per acre, against a required 1,043 units and 50 acres (Mass.gov letters). It affects where new multi-family housing can be built, not the steps for selling an existing house.
Burlington checklist
Who to call, and in what order.
Checked 2026-10-07. Town procedures change, so confirm on the linked page.
- Residential tax rate, FY2026$8.69 per $1,000 of assessed value. Town of Burlington: Tax Rate (FY2026 residential $8.69, commercial and personal property $25.78)
- Assessor (value and property record card)Burlington Assessors (WebPro property data and GIS). WebPro carries the FY2026 committed valuation data; the town's interactive GIS map also lets you view property record cards, and counter terminals at the office (29 Center Street, 781-270-1650) can print them.
- Registry of DeedsMiddlesex South Registry of Deeds. The state lists Burlington in the Middlesex South district, at 208 Cambridge Street, Cambridge, 617-679-6300. Your closing attorney normally handles recording.
- Smoke and CO certificateBurlington Fire Department: Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Inspections. The town asks homeowners and agents to read its procedure, fill out the Smoke & CO application (state form FP-007C) and request the inspection by phone at Fire Headquarters, 781-270-1925. The form says a certificate expires 60 days after it is issued. The procedure sheet posted on the page is dated 2020 and mentions a $25 check at the time of inspection, so confirm the current fee when you call.
- Sewer or septicBurlington has a public sewer system: the town's Water/Sewer Utilities Division maintains more than 156 miles of sanitary sewer pipe and 14 pumping facilities (town page). The town also posts a septic system page for owners who have one, but we found no street list showing which areas are unsewered, so ask the Public Works water and sewer office about your address (781-270-1670). The town's utility regulations say that at a final read the town also inspects for illegal connections to the sanitary sewer and that any must be corrected before the sale. If you do have septic, Title 5 requires an approved inspection within 2 years before a sale (Mass.gov).
- Municipal lien certificate and water billMunicipal lien certificate: submit a written request to the Collector's Office, 29 Center Street, with a $50 check for residential property ($100 for commercial), a stamped return envelope, and, for a sale, the closing date and buyers' names. The town issues it within 10 business days (town page). Final water: use the DPW Final Water Inspection Form, then call 781-270-1670 to book the appointment. The town requires at least 10 business days of written notice, prefers three weeks, and issues final bills once a week on Thursdays after the inspection.
Sources for Burlington
- Wikipedia: Burlington, Massachusetts (2020 Census figures)
- U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates for Burlington (housing units by structure type, tenure, year built), via Census Reporter
- Redfin Data Center, city market tracker (monthly, not seasonally adjusted)
- Zillow Home Value Index (Zillow Group Data), city level, as of Aug. 2026
- Burlington Tax Rate (FY2026)
- Burlington WebPro property assessment data
- Burlington GIS & Maps
- Burlington FY2026 budget book (commercial tax base, employers)
- Burlington Fire Department: Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Inspections
- Burlington smoke and CO inspection procedure (2020)
- Burlington Water/Sewer Utilities Division
- Burlington Septic System
- Burlington Utility Rules and Regulations
- Burlington Municipal Lien Certificate
- Burlington Final Water Inspection Form
- Burlington MBTA Communities Housing Compliance
- Middlesex South Registry of Deeds
- Secretary of the Commonwealth: Find a Registry of Deeds office by town
- Secretary of the Commonwealth: Registry of Deeds district offices
- Mass.gov: Buying or selling property with a septic system
- Mass.gov EOHLC: MBTA Communities district compliance letters (as of Aug. 27, 2026)
Cash buyer or agent
Cash offer or agent in Burlington?
A cash buyer (the “we buy houses” companies and local investors) usually pays less than a listing brings but closes in weeks and takes the house as it is. An agent usually gets the higher price but takes months and some prep. At $885,000 (the Zillow typical Burlington single-family value, August 2026), our default assumptions leave about $812,002 after listing costs and about $687,152 from a 78% cash offer. Your house is not typical, so run your own numbers, or read how cash home buyers work in Massachusetts.
Full details
Everything we can source for Burlington.
Where we could not find a reliable number, we say so.
Housing and what it means when you sell
Burlington is mostly single-family houses built after World War II, plus a sizable block of apartments and condos. The town says business property funds over 60% of its annual budget.
For context, the Massachusetts Department of Revenue reports a statewide average single-family assessed value of $742,986 and average single-family tax bill of $8,113 for FY2026 (346 reporting communities as of February 2026). Assessed value is not sale price. Source.
For a real recent-sales picture, ask a local agent for a comparable-sales report from MLS PIN. We do not publish an estimate of any individual home's value.
Local logistics
Burlington asks for at least 10 business days of written notice for a final water reading, and three weeks is preferred. Book it through the DPW form as soon as you have a closing date.
Massachusetts also requires a smoke and carbon monoxide alarm certificate from the local fire department at sale, and a lead paint notification for homes built before 1978.
Your options in Burlington
- Sell for cash, as-is. Faster and simpler, usually for less than a listing would bring. See the honest math.
- List with a local agent. Usually the highest price if the house is in decent shape and you can wait.
- Getting the house ready. JUNKRUN's estate cleanout serves this area. JUNKRUN is owned by the same people as Home Options MA. If you choose a cleanout, we may earn money from it. No obligation to use it.
Not sure which fits? Start with your situation.
Sources
- 2020 Census figures as summarized on Wikipedia: Burlington, Massachusetts
- Mass.gov EOHLC: MBTA Communities district compliance letters (as of Aug. 27, 2026)
- Burlington Assessors (tax rate and property record links)
- Mass.gov DOR: FY2026 statewide average single-family tax bill. Statewide average, not a Burlington figure.
Questions
Burlington questions.
How much notice does Burlington need for a final water reading?
At least 10 business days of written notice, and the town prefers three weeks. Submit the DPW Final Water Inspection Form, then call 781-270-1670 about 30 minutes later to make the appointment. Final bills go out once a week on Thursdays after the inspection, so a late request can delay your closing.
Why is the Burlington residential tax rate so much lower than the commercial rate?
Burlington taxes commercial property at $25.78 per $1,000 and homes at $8.69 (FY2026). The town says its commercial tax base funds over 60% of its annual budget, which is why the town can keep the home rate low. Your bill is your assessed value divided by 1,000 times $8.69, less any exemptions.
Is the Burlington smoke detector certificate fee $25?
Not necessarily. The $25 figure appears on a procedure sheet the town still posts, dated 2020. The town's page tells you to fill out the state application and call 781-270-1925 to set the appointment; confirm the current fee on that call. The certificate expires 60 days after it is issued, so do not book it too early.
Does Burlington check my sewer connection at a final water reading?
The town's utility rules say the town will inspect the premises for illegal connections to the sanitary sewer when it does the final read, and that any illegal connection must be corrected before the sale. Ask your plumber to check, especially if you have a sump pump or a floor drain that could tie into the sewer.
Useful next
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- Smoke and CO certificate of compliance when you sell in MassachusettsMassachusetts rules and paperwork
- Seller net proceeds calculator for MassachusettsCalculators
- Selling in a hard situationSituations
- Drone photography north of BostonDrone
Selling? Add drone photos
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We are not a real estate broker or agent. We connect you with independent local buyers and agents who may pay us a fee. No obligation.