BY TED SHOCKLEY, Eastern Shore Post —
The median price of a home in Northampton County soared to $549,000 during the first six months of 2026, an increase of more than $100,000 over the same time period last year, numbers from the Eastern Shore Association of Realtors show.
The number of homes sold in Northampton also increased.
From Jan. 1 to June 30, 107 homes were sold in Northampton, the most during that time period since 2022.
The median price of an Accomack County home was $349,900 during the first six months of the year, up from $295,000 during the same time period last year, according to the association.
Locally, the higher home prices have prompted discussions by governing bodies on how to increase housing stock and affordability.
The association’s president said the increasing prices follow a state trend.
“Statewide, housing costs are rising faster than incomes, and there is a shortage of affordable houses, creating a stronger demand,” said Nikki McGoldrick, president of the Realtors’ association serving Accomack and Northampton counties.
“Since 2022, Virginia’s median home price has been over $400,000 and rising, putting homeownership out of reach for many working families,” she said.
Many in the real estate industry see the median — the middle point of a list — as a more realistic indicator than the average price, which can be skewed by very high-priced or very low-priced sales.
Some real estate figures are down significantly on the Eastern Shore.
The number of parcels of land sold dropped to 34 in the first six months of 2026 in Northampton County, exactly half the number sold during the same span last year.
The average number of days on the market for land sales in Northampton County increased markedly in January through June — from 107 in 2025 to 168 in 2026.
The number of land sales in Accomack County also declined to 74, down from 91 last year from January to June.
In the first six months of 2022, during the bubble of increased sales related to the COVID-19 pandemic, there were 124 land sales in Northampton County and 189 land sales in Accomack County.
In home sales, prices in Northampton County have exceeded the post-pandemic bubble. The median home price in 2022 was $489,000 in Northampton.
The market corrected after that high, McGoldrick said.
But now they are back — and prices were higher in the first six months of 2026 than in the post-pandemic period.
“What is notable between pre-COVID 2019 and now is that the numbers of units sold and the sold dollar volume changed little — slightly up or down, depending on the county and property type,” McGoldrick said.
“But overall, the median sold prices increased significantly — over 100% for Accomack residential properties and land, and Northampton residential properties; Northampton land increased about 50%,” she said.
