By Josh McKnight | The McKnight Team
The McKnight Team pulled Bright MLS closed sales for 35 towns across Bucks, Montgomery, and Delaware counties, covering March 5 through September 1, 2026. That is 5,977 closed sales. In 27 of those 35 towns, half of all homes went under contract within seven days of listing.
The Philadelphia suburbs housing market is not one market. It is 35 of them, and the gap between the fastest town and the slowest is now more than 12 days at the median and more than $900,000 in price.
Which Towns Sell in Five Days
Four towns share the fastest median in the region: Springfield Township in Delaware County, Havertown, Ardmore, and Broomall. In each one, half of the homes that closed over the past six months went under contract within five days. Not five weeks. Five days. Upper Dublin and Radnor sit just behind at five and a half.
The price side tells the same story. Springfield homes closed at an average of 103.0% of asking, Havertown at 103.3%, Ardmore at 103.6%, and Broomall at 103.7%. Radnor posted the strongest over-ask result of any town we track at 104.4%, on a median sale price of $1,200,000. Three of the five fastest towns sit in Delaware County. A year ago the Main Line looked like the only place buyers were competing. Now it is Haverford Township too. And Marple. And Springfield.
What Speed Actually Does to the Philadelphia Suburbs Housing Market
A five-day median does not mean every home sells in five days. It means the well-priced half does. The other half is where it gets interesting. The average time to contract runs three to five times longer than the median in almost every town. Same market. Two very different experiences.
Set that against what the numbers show right now. In Chalfont, the median home went under contract in about nine days, but the average stretched to 49.7 days because new construction takes longer to sell through. Doylestown ran about six days at the median and 26.8 on average. Lower Merion, the largest market we cover with 401 closings, ran about seven days at the median and 29.4 on average. Across all 35 towns, 32 closed above asking price on average. Only Huntingdon Valley at 99.6%, Bensalem at 99.6%, and Norristown at 99.1% finished under list.
Priced right, a week. Priced wrong, a season.
Why the Slow Towns Are Where Buyers Should Look
Slow is relative here. Norristown is the most deliberate market in the footprint, and its median is still only about 18 days, on a $285,000 median sale price that makes it the most affordable town we cover. Bensalem ran about 12 days at a $425,000 median. Huntingdon Valley ran about 10 days at $685,000, and it is one of the few places where the typical sale closed just under asking. Cheltenham ran about nine days at $450,000 with 77 homes for sale, more selection than almost any neighbor.
Those four towns are where a buyer still has room to think, negotiate an inspection credit, or ask for a closing date that suits them. Everywhere else, that room has mostly closed. Region-wide, there are 1,386 homes for sale right now against 1,347 already under contract. Nearly as many homes are spoken for as are available. Lower Merion carries 102 active listings, Cheltenham 77, Doylestown 76, and Abington 72.
Both things can be true. This is a seller’s market almost everywhere in the suburbs, and there are still pockets where a prepared buyer gets a fair shot. If you know someone who has been waiting for the market to cool before they buy, send them this. The Philadelphia suburbs housing market is not waiting for them.
What This Means for You
If you are selling in one of the five-day towns, price to the last 90 days of closings and expect your first weekend to decide the outcome. Overpricing does not buy you time, it buys you the slow half of the average. If you are buying, get fully underwritten before you tour, and decide your walk-away number before you fall in love with a kitchen. In the slower towns, use the extra days for a real inspection and a real negotiation.
Every one of these 35 towns now has a market table on its community page, updated monthly from the same Bright MLS data, so you can check the numbers for your own street before you make a move. Start with the Havertown market page to see what a five-day market looks like up close, and we will walk you through what the numbers mean for your home and timeline.
Thinking about buying or selling in the Philadelphia suburbs? Let’s talk.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Philadelphia Suburbs Housing Market
How fast do homes sell in the Philadelphia suburbs?
In 27 of the 35 towns we track, half of all homes went under contract within seven days of listing between March and August 2026. The fastest towns, Springfield Township, Havertown, Ardmore, and Broomall, ran a five-day median.
Is it a seller’s market in the Philadelphia suburbs right now?
Yes, in 32 of 35 towns. Homes closed above asking price on average almost everywhere, with Radnor highest at 104.4%. Only Huntingdon Valley, Bensalem, and Norristown finished just under list, and even those ran under three weeks.
Where can buyers still negotiate in the Philadelphia suburbs?
Norristown, Bensalem, Huntingdon Valley, and Cheltenham offer the most room. Their medians ran nine to about 18 days, sales closed at or just under asking, and Cheltenham alone carries 77 homes for sale.
What is the median home price in the Philadelphia suburbs?
It depends entirely on the town. Across our 35 towns the range runs from $285,000 in Norristown to $1,200,000 in Radnor, with most Montgomery and Bucks County towns landing between $450,000 and $770,000.
