Bristol PA homes for sale come from two separate municipalities with two separate school districts that share one name, and The McKnight Team helps buyers and sellers keep them straight. Bristol Borough is a historic river town on the Delaware. Bristol Township is a much larger postwar municipality wrapped around it. They are not the same market, they are not the same government, and confusing them is the most common mistake made on this address.
What the Bristol Numbers Mean
One hundred twenty homes closed in six months at a median of $372,450, with seventy five percent selling at or above asking and an average of 100.8 percent of list. Those look like normal numbers. The pace does not. The median home took 14 days to go under contract, and 31 percent of listings took more than 30 days. Only 37 percent found a buyer within a week.
The two municipalities split the way most people do not expect. Bristol Township closed 74 sales at a median of $375,000 in 11 days. Bristol Borough closed 46 at $332,400 in 18 days. The township is both the higher priced and the faster market, which surprises people who assume the historic waterfront borough commands a premium.
New construction is a large part of this address. Twenty four of the 120 sales, one in five, were new construction, and 19 were age restricted. That combination, a lot of builder product plus a lot of 55 and over product, is what produces the slow pace. Builder inventory and age restricted homes both take longer to sell than ordinary resale.
Where Is Bristol? Borough, Township, and School District
Both Bristol Borough and Bristol Township are in Bucks County, in the 19007 ZIP code, on the Delaware River at the southern end of the county near the Philadelphia line. The borough is the older settlement on the water. The township is the larger municipality surrounding it, much of it built out in the postwar period.
They have separate school districts, which is unusual for two municipalities of this size sitting next to each other. Bristol Borough School District covered 48 of the sales and Bristol Township School District covered 72. They also have separate governments and separate tax rates. A listing that says Bristol does not tell you which one, and the difference matters on the tax bill every year you own the house.
What Is It Like to Live in Bristol, PA?
The borough is one of the oldest towns in Pennsylvania and it reads that way. A walkable grid running down to the Delaware, a preserved main street, rowhomes and twins close together, and a riverfront that has drawn steady reinvestment. It is genuinely historic in a way few Bucks County towns still are.
The township is a different era entirely. Postwar subdivisions, ranchers and split levels on regular lots, shopping along the highway corridors, and newer construction filling in where land remains. Both are affordable by Bucks County standards, which is most of why buyers look here.
Neighborhoods in Bristol Borough and Bristol Township
Bristol Borough
Forty six sales at a median of $332,400, taking a median of 18 days and an average of 48. The Bristol subdivision grouping closed 25 detached homes at a median of $334,000. This is the slowest submarket on the address, which reflects an older housing stock where condition varies a great deal from one property to the next.
Radcliffe Court and Hearthstone at West Bristol
The condominium side, and where much of the new construction sits. Radcliffe Court closed 7 units at a median of $430,600, five of them new construction. Hearthstone at West Bristol closed 5 at $285,000. Condominiums and flats across the address closed 11 sales at $380,000, which is above the detached median, so the usual assumptions do not hold here.
Harriman
Eleven interior townhouse sales at a median of $325,000, the busiest attached neighborhood on the address. Interior townhouses overall closed 8 at $315,000 and end of row units closed 6 at $317,450, an almost identical price. Bristol is one of the few markets where there is effectively no end unit premium at all.
Edgely, Winder Village, West Bristol, and Bath Addition
The detached neighborhoods, each closing four to five sales. Edgely at a median of $375,000, Winder Village at $335,000, West Bristol at $410,000 and Bath Addition at $395,000. Detached homes across the whole address closed 62 sales at $362,500, so this band between $335,000 and $410,000 is the practical core of the Bristol market.
What Kinds of Homes Are for Sale in Bristol?
Detached homes led with 62 of the 120 sales at a median of $362,500. Twins and semi detached came second with 30 at $389,995, which is above the detached median and unusual. Condominiums and flats closed 11 at $380,000, interior townhouses 8 at $315,000 and end of row units 6 at $317,450. The median home that sold had 1,434 square feet above grade.
Only 18 of the 120 sales carried a homeowners association but 19 were age restricted, a high share for a town this size. Sales ranged from $175,000 to $1,089,000.
New Construction in Bristol
D.R. Horton is building Silver Lake Reserve, an age restricted twin community in Bristol Township. Radcliffe Court also produced new construction condominium sales on this address during the period.
Twenty four of the 120 homes that closed were new construction, one in five. Builder inventory competes for the same buyers and takes longer to move, and it pulls the town average with it. Details on the community, including what is offered and what it costs, are in our new construction section.
If you are considering a builder home, talk to us before your first model home visit. Most builders require your agent to be registered on that first visit, and the sales office works for the builder, not for you.
Bristol Borough and Bristol Township School Districts
These are two separate districts. Bristol Borough School District covered 48 of the 120 sales and Bristol Township School District covered 72. Two homes a few blocks apart can be in different districts with different tax rates.
The district sets the school portion of the property tax bill, and that is the largest line on the bill for nearly every homeowner here. Because the borough and township share a name and a ZIP code, confirm the municipality and the district for any specific address with the district directly rather than relying on a listing.
What Buyers Should Know Right Now
Forty two homes for sale with a median asking price of $405,022 against a $372,450 closed median, and a market that takes 14 days at the median to go under contract. You have time to tour, compare and think.
Use that time on two things. Establish whether a property is in the borough or the township, because that determines the school district and the tax rate. And look carefully at condition in the borough, where the housing stock is old enough that two homes on the same block can be twenty years apart in how much work they need. That variation is exactly why the borough takes 18 days at the median while the township takes 11.
What Sellers Should Know Right Now
Seventy five percent of Bristol sellers got asking or better, which is a good number. But plan for time. Thirty one percent of listings here took more than 30 days, and only 37 percent went under contract within a week. If your agent tells you to expect a weekend of showings and three offers, they are describing a different town.
Two specific things. You are competing with builders on one buyer in five, and a builder can offer incentives that you cannot, so condition and price have to carry you. And do not assume detached beats attached here. Twins closed at a $389,995 median against $362,500 for detached, and condominiums closed at $380,000. Price to your actual product type, not to the general assumption about it.
Frequently Asked Questions About Bristol PA Homes for Sale
How much do homes cost in Bristol, PA?
The median sale price over the last six months was $372,450 across 120 closed sales. Bristol Township ran a median of $375,000 and Bristol Borough $332,400. Detached homes across both closed at $362,500 and twins at $389,995.
How fast do homes sell in Bristol?
The median home went under contract in 14 days, and 31 percent took more than 30 days. The township moved faster at 11 days than the borough at 18.
What is the difference between Bristol Borough and Bristol Township?
They are two separate municipalities with separate governments, separate tax rates and separate school districts, sharing the 19007 ZIP code. The borough is the historic river town. The township is the larger postwar municipality around it.
What school district serves Bristol?
Either Bristol Borough School District or Bristol Township School District depending on the municipality. Of the 120 sales in this window, 72 were Bristol Township and 48 were Bristol Borough.
Is there new construction in Bristol?
Yes, a significant amount. D.R. Horton is building Silver Lake Reserve, an age restricted community. Twenty four of the last 120 closed sales were new construction, one in five.
Ready to Find Your Bristol Home?
Bristol is two municipalities, two school districts and two tax rates under one name, in the slowest and most patient market in the region right now. Knowing which Bristol a property is in is the first question, not a detail. We check it, we pull the right comparables, and we tell you what we would do if it were ours.
Thinking About Buying or Selling in Bristol?
Get a real number on the home you own, see everything for sale in Bristol, or reach us right now. We work this market every week and we will tell you what we would do if it were ours.