New Hampshire's housing market reached another milestone in July, with the median single-family home price climbing to a record $580,000 even as more homes became available to buyers.

According to the latest market data, the statewide median price was 5.5% higher than a year earlier. At the same time, inventory increased significantly, with 2,992 homes available for sale in July—up 16% from July 2025 and the highest level seen since the pandemic.

For buyers, the increase in inventory is encouraging. After years of extremely limited choices, more listings mean buyers have additional opportunities to compare homes and potentially take more time before making an offer.

But the latest numbers also show that New Hampshire's housing shortage is far from over.

Demand remains strong enough to keep prices moving higher. Single-family home sales increased from a year earlier, while pending sales also remained strong. In other words, buyers are gaining more choices, but there are still enough buyers competing for those homes to keep upward pressure on prices.

The statewide median also doesn't tell the same story everywhere.

Rockingham County remained one of the state's most expensive markets, with a median price of roughly $710,000, reflecting continued demand across the Seacoast and Southern New Hampshire. Meanwhile, Coös County remained far more affordable, with a median around $269,000. Those differences continue to influence where buyers choose to live as they weigh home prices against commuting, employment, amenities, and overall cost of living.

For first-time buyers, the situation remains particularly challenging. Even with more inventory, a $580,000 median home price combined with mortgage rates, property taxes, insurance, and maintenance costs can put homeownership out of reach for many households.

That's why the increase in inventory is important—but more inventory alone may not be enough.

New Hampshire has spent the past two years changing zoning and housing regulations in an effort to encourage more construction. The state's commercial-zone housing reforms that took effect July 1 are intended to create additional opportunities for multifamily development, while other initiatives are supporting workforce and affordable housing.

Those changes could eventually help increase supply, but new housing takes time to move from legislation and planning into completed homes.

For now, the market remains in an unusual position: buyers have more options, but sellers are still benefiting from strong demand and record prices.

The July numbers suggest New Hampshire's housing market is moving in the right direction on inventory, but the affordability problem has not disappeared. The key question for the remainder of 2026 is whether inventory can continue growing fast enough—and across enough price ranges—to finally take some pressure off buyers.

For the moment, New Hampshire is giving buyers more homes to choose from without giving them much relief on price.