Portland, ME Housing Market
AI-powered market intelligence for the Portland-South Portland, ME metro area.
PropertyIQ Scores
Portland, ME Market Analysis
Market Overview
Portland, ME has a PropertyIQ Score of 44 out of 100, signaling a moderate market with cooling conditions. The median home value is $539,862, well above the state average of $415,552. The rent index is $2,342, more than double the state average of $1,084. Median household income of $88,602 is higher than the state average of $71,773, and the unemployment rate of 3.0% is slightly below the state average of 3.1%.
The score reflects mixed signals. The 12-month home value momentum of 5.45% shows some annual strength, but the 3-month momentum is -0.99%, and home value year over year is $-0. Median days on market is 45, and 24.2% of listings have had a price cut. These inputs indicate a market that has flattened after earlier price growth.
Compared with state benchmarks, Portland is a higher-cost market, but recent price behavior is softer than the high values alone would suggest. Population growth data is not available, limiting a full demand assessment. Overall, the data supports a moderate, not strong, market position.
Key Trends
First, price momentum is decelerating. The positive 12-month home value momentum of 5.45% contrasts with the negative 3-month momentum of -0.99% and a flat year-over-year home value of $-0. This points to a market where earlier gains have stalled.
Second, seller conditions have softened. There are 1,886 homes for sale, the median days on market is 45, and 24.2% of listings have a price cut. Nearly one in four listings has adjusted its asking price, which suggests buyers have gained negotiating room.
Third, affordability is stretched. The median home value of $539,862 is roughly 30% above the state average of $415,552, while median household income of $88,602 is about 23% above the state average of $71,773. The rent index of $2,342 is also more than double the state average of $1,084, meaning housing costs are elevated across ownership and rental segments. Low unemployment of 3.0% provides some economic support, but it has not prevented the recent cooling.
Who Is This Market For
This market is best suited to move-up buyers and higher-income households. The median home value of $539,862 is well above the state average, but median household income of $88,602 is also above average, giving some local buyers greater purchasing power. Move-up buyers with existing equity are better positioned than first-time buyers, who may struggle with both high home prices and a rent index of $2,342.
Investors may be selectively attracted by the rent index of $2,342, which is more than double the state average of $1,084, and by the low unemployment rate of 3.0%. However, the negative 3-month home value momentum, flat year-over-year value, and 24.2% price-cut share mean near-term appreciation is not a strong draw. Investor interest would likely depend on rental income rather than price growth.
Outlook
The near-term outlook is cautious. Negative 3-month home value momentum of -0.99%, flat year-over-year home value of $-0, and a 24.2% share of listings with price cuts suggest continued softness. Inventory of 1,886 homes and a median of 45 days on market give buyers options without signaling a severe downturn. The positive 12-month momentum of 5.45% and unemployment of 3.0% may provide stability, but they do not offset the recent cooling. Because population growth data is not available, the demand picture remains incomplete. Based on the supplied data, the most supportable expectation is continued moderation, with pricing pressure likely to persist as long as short-term momentum remains negative.
AI-generated analysis based on current market data. Last updated September 25, 2026.
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Portland, ME market data
Portland, ME Housing Market Overview
Portland, ME's median home value is $540K, up 5.5% over the past year. Homes here sell in a median 45 days. Its PropertyIQ Score of 44 sits modestly below the state average of 50.
PropertyIQ tracks the Portland, ME housing market through two complementary lenses: price momentum from Zillow home-value trends over 3 and 12 months, and demand pressure from how quickly homes sell and how often sellers cut prices, drawn from Realtor.com. The PropertyIQ Score distills these into one number that predicts how this ME market is set to perform against its state benchmark.
New England's housing market is shaped by historic density, prestigious universities, and a mature healthcare and biotech economy. Markets here tend toward stability, with slower but steady appreciation driven by constrained supply and strong institutional demand. Within the New England, Portland, ME's PropertyIQ Score of 44 runs below the New England norm.
The PropertyIQ Score for the Portland, ME market is built from four inputs: Zillow home-value momentum over twelve months, Zillow home-value momentum over three months, the median days listings spend on the market (Realtor.com), and the share of listings with a price cut (Realtor.com). The score runs on a 1 to 99 scale computed across all metro markets nationally and calibrated so 50 equals the state average — a score above 50 means this market is positioned to outperform its state, and a score below 50 means it is set to lag. Momentum here has been positive, with home values up 5.5% over the past year.
Explore the interactive map to see how Portland, ME compares to neighboring metros, or view the full market dashboard for detailed analytics including time-series trends, score breakdowns, and AI-generated market reports.
Counties in the Portland, ME metro area
ZIP codes in the Portland, ME metro area
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Market data through August 2026. Sourced from Zillow, Realtor.com, Redfin, U.S. Census Bureau, FRED, BLS, and BEA. Per-statistic source and date shown above.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Portland, ME a good place to buy real estate in 2026?
PropertyIQ doesn't label markets simply good or bad. Instead, the PropertyIQ Score measures a market's demand momentum against its own state, where 50 marks the state average. Portland, ME currently scores 44, a easing-momentum reading that leaves it positioned to lag its state modestly over the next three years. For buyers, softening demand tends to open up negotiating room as listings sit longer and price cuts become more common. Backing that up, the median home value here is $540K, up 5.5% over the past year. So whether Portland, ME is right for you comes down to your goals: a rising-momentum market can favor long-term appreciation but offers less room to negotiate, while a cooling one hands buyers more leverage. Treat the score as a timing signal to weigh alongside your budget, holding period, and plans for the property, not a verdict on the market's quality.
What is the PropertyIQ Score for Portland, ME?
Portland, ME's PropertyIQ Score is 44, indicating easing momentum on a 1-to-99 scale. The score distills four transparent inputs into a single number: Zillow home-value momentum over the past 12 months, Zillow home-value momentum over the past 3 months, the median days homes spend on the market from Realtor.com, and the share of listings with a price cut, also from Realtor.com. Rising values and faster sales push the score up, while slow sales and frequent price cuts pull it down. The scale is calibrated so 50 equals the state average, meaning a score above 50 predicts the market will outperform its state over the next three years and a score below 50 predicts underperformance. PropertyIQ computes the score across every US market nationally, then recenters it against each state, so 44 places Portland, ME below its state benchmark.
Are home prices in Portland, ME rising or falling?
Home prices in Portland, ME are rising. Over the past year, the median home value increased 5.5%, reaching $540K. Over the latest three months, values slipped 1.0%, a sign near-term demand is softening. PropertyIQ derives these figures from Zillow's home-value index, which tracks the typical value across the market rather than only the homes that happened to sell, giving a steadier read than a raw median sale price. Both the 12-month and 3-month momentum readings feed directly into the PropertyIQ Score, so this price trend is one of the core signals behind Portland, ME's current score. Keep in mind that appreciation can vary widely by neighborhood and price tier across the metro area, so treat these figures as the market-wide baseline rather than a guarantee for any single property.
How quickly do homes sell in Portland, ME?
In Portland, ME, homes sell in a median of 45 days from listing to pending sale, based on Realtor.com market data. Median days on market is one of the clearest real-time reads on local demand: when homes move quickly, buyers are competing and sellers hold the advantage, while lengthening timelines signal cooling interest and more room to negotiate. Alongside sale speed, about 24% of active listings here have taken at least one price cut — a complementary demand gauge, since a rising share of reductions often precedes slower sales and softer prices. Both median days on market and the price-cut share feed directly into the PropertyIQ Score, where faster sales and fewer cuts push the score higher. As a general guide, medians under about 30 days indicate a brisk, competitive market, while medians well beyond 60 days point to buyers regaining leverage. Actual time on market still varies by price band, property type, and season, so treat the median as a market-wide baseline.
How current is this metro area data?
This Portland, ME market data is refreshed on a monthly cycle, with the latest figures current through August 2026. PropertyIQ ingests fresh data every month from a range of authoritative sources: home values and rents from Zillow, days on market and price-cut activity from Realtor.com, additional housing signals from Redfin, demographic and housing-stock data from the U.S. Census Bureau, mortgage and macroeconomic series from FRED, and employment figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Bureau of Economic Analysis. The PropertyIQ Score itself is recomputed every month once the new source data lands, so the score and its four underlying inputs always reflect the most recent complete reporting period rather than a static snapshot. Because official housing data is typically released with a short lag, the current-through date usually trails the present by a few weeks, which is normal across the industry and not a sign the data is out of date.