Living inHarwich, MA
Homes, costs, villages and what owners should know
Harwich sits on Nantucket Sound between Dennis and Chatham, with warm-water beaches, three harbors and seven villages, Harwich Port the best known. In the 12 months to 30 October 2026, the median Harwich home sold for $760,000 (220 sales, Cape Cod & Islands MLS), below the Lower Cape median.
The fastest sales got the best prices.
100.8% of asking for homes that sold within 7 days94.4% for homes that sat
Free. Arthur visits, then writes your home value and a plan to sell it fast. Median sale price as % of original asking, five Lower Cape towns, Cape Cod & Islands MLS, Nov 2023 – Oct 2026.
By Arthur Radtke, Realtor, brokered by eXp Realty, MA licence #9582725. Updated .
- Homes sold, 12 months
- 220
- Median time to sell
- 13.5 days
- Tax rate, FY2026
- $5.81 per $1,000
- Beaches
- Nantucket Sound and Pleasant Bay
More Harwich facts
- Villages
- 7, incl. Harwich Port and West Harwich
- Main ZIP
- 02645
- Schools
- Monomoy Regional
- County
- Barnstable (Lower Cape)
- Seasonal homes
- 38.8% of housing units
- Sewer
- Phased expansion + septic
- Town Hall
- 732 Main St
What is Harwich like year-round?
Harwich is a year-round town with three public libraries: Brooks Free Library in Harwich Center, Harwich Port Library on Bank Street and Chase Library in West Harwich. Route 28 runs along the south side through Harwich Port and West Harwich, and Route 6 crosses the north of town.
Summer brings beach and harbor traffic to Harwich Port; from November to April many seasonal restaurants close while shops and services stay open. About 38.8% of Harwich housing units are seasonal or occasional-use homes, according to state data, so some streets are quiet in winter.
Getting around Harwich
Route 6 (the Mid-Cape Highway) crosses the north of Harwich with exits to Route 124 and Route 137, and Route 28 runs along the Nantucket Sound side through West Harwich and Harwich Port toward Chatham. The Cape Cod Rail Trail crosses town, and the Old Colony Rail Trail branches from it toward Chatham.
What do homes cost in Harwich, MA?
Median sale price, 220 Harwich homes sold 31 Oct 2025 to 30 Oct 2026
- Single-family homes (182 sales)
- $825,000
- Condos (38 sales)
- $427,000
- Waterfront (21 sales)
- $3,424,000
- Five Lower Cape towns
- $865,500
- Sale price vs first asking price
- 97.65%
See the full numbers
The median Harwich home sold for $760,000 in the 12 months to 30 October 2026. That is below the five-town Lower Cape median of $865,500 for the same period. In the 12 months before that, the median was $793,150 (221 sales). Medians move with the mix of homes that sell, so treat one year's change with care.
| Sale price | Harwich sales |
|---|---|
| Under $750,000 | 103 |
| $750,000 to $1.5 million | 80 |
| Over $1.5 million | 37 |
Source: Cape Cod & Islands MLS, residential (single-family and condo) sales in Harwich, sold 31 Oct 2025 – 30 Oct 2026, n = 220; analysis by The Celebrate Team, checked with two separate methods. Medians. Market-wide figures, not Arthur's own sales. Estimate what you'd keep from a sale.
The fastest sales got the best prices.
Lower Cape homes that sold within 7 days got a median 100.8% of their asking price. Homes that sat got 94.4%. On a $760,000 home, that gap is about $48,000. Arthur's free Harwich home value and selling plan are built to help you land on the right side of that gap.
Arthur visits your home. Within a week of the visit, you get a plan written for it alone:
- Your home value. The price most likely to sell your home fast, with the recent Harwich sales it rests on and why each sold for what it did.
- What you'd walk away with. Your estimated proceeds after commission, deed tax and closing costs.
- Your property check. Sewer or septic, flood zone and any sewer betterment for your address, so nothing surprises a buyer.
- Fix or skip. What's worth doing before you list, and what isn't worth the money.
- A marketing plan for your home, not a template. Who your likely buyer is and where they're looking from, which features to lead with, the photo, video and drone shot list, and the launch schedule.
Live off-Cape? Arthur can walk through by video call, with you or your caretaker at the house.
What are the villages of Harwich?
Harwich has seven villages: Harwich Center, Harwich Port, West Harwich, East Harwich, North Harwich, South Harwich and Pleasant Lake. On the MLS, most Harwich listings are filed under Harwich, Harwich Port, West Harwich or South Harwich. ZIP codes include 02645 (Harwich), 02646 (Harwich Port), 02671 (West Harwich) and 02661 (South Harwich).
Sales by MLS village
| MLS village, 12 months to 30 Oct 2026 | Sales | Median price |
|---|---|---|
| Harwich | 140 | $754,000 |
| Harwich Port | 43 | $825,000 |
| West Harwich | 34 | $787,500 |
Harwich Center
Town Hall (732 Main Street) and Brooks Free Library, the town's main library.
Harwich Port
The village on Nantucket Sound along Route 28, with shops, beaches and Harwich Port Library on Bank Street.
West Harwich
Chase Library on Route 28, and the Bells Neck Conservation Area of marsh, tidal creeks, trails and a herring run, shared with North Harwich.
North Harwich
Cranberry bogs and an early Cape Verdean farming settlement, according to the town's village history.
Which beaches and waters are in Harwich?
Harwich's beaches face Nantucket Sound, where the water is warmer than on the Atlantic side of the Cape. The east side of town reaches Pleasant Bay, and freshwater ponds sit inland.
Each beach, and beach stickers
- Nantucket Sound beaches such as Bank Street and Red River, along the south shore.
- Allen, Wychmere and Saquatucket harbors for boating and moorings.
- Pleasant Bay on the East Harwich side, shared with Chatham, Orleans and Brewster.
- Freshwater ponds inland, plus the Herring River and Bells Neck.
Harwich beach stickers
Beach and transfer-station stickers are sold by the Treasurer/Collector, online or in person. The town lists a resident or taxpayer beach sticker at $30 per vehicle; non-resident stickers are $150 for the season, $125 for two weeks and $65 for one week. Check the town sticker page for the current season.
Before you buy, check the deed for any private beach or water rights; town stickers and deeded rights are separate things.
Beach news, events and local spots, every week, in the free Celebrate Lower Cape newsletter
How much are property taxes in Harwich?
The FY2026 residential tax rate in Harwich is $5.81 per $1,000 of assessed value, down from $5.91 in FY2025, according to the town's own tax calculator. That is low by Massachusetts standards. FY2026 assessments reflect values as of 1 January 2025.
Example tax bills
| Assessed value | Approx. annual tax at $5.81 |
|---|---|
| $750,000 | $4,358 |
| $760,000 (the median sale price) | $4,416 |
| $1,500,000 | $8,715 |
Assessed value isn't what your home would sell for. What could waiting cost me? Lower Cape homes that sat sold for a median 94.4% of asking.
Sewer, septic, flood zones and rental rules in Harwich
Before buying in Harwich, check four things: whether the house is on town sewer or a septic system, whether it sits in a FEMA flood zone, whether a sewer betterment applies, and what rules apply if you plan to rent it out. Each can change the cost of owning by thousands of dollars a year.
Sewer
Harwich is building a municipal sewer system in phases, including the Route 137 area and sewer and water mains along Route 28. Ask whether a house is connected, in a planned phase, or on septic, and whether a betterment applies. See the town's wastewater project page.
Septic
Homes outside the sewer areas use septic systems. A Title 5 inspection is normally required when the house is sold.
Flood zones
Waterfront and low-lying streets can fall in FEMA flood zones. Look the address up on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center and get an insurance quote before you make an offer.
Short-term rentals
Stays of 31 days or less must be registered with the Massachusetts Department of Revenue and pay room occupancy excise (5.7% state, a local option of up to 6%, and up to 2.75% for the Cape Cod and Islands Water Protection Fund). Check with the Town of Harwich for local registration rules before counting on rental income.
Schools
Harwich and Chatham share the Monomoy Regional School District; Harwich Elementary is in town.
Live off-Cape, or inherited a house in Harwich?
Arthur's free guides cover what to do first: The Out-of-State Seller's Playbook and The Inherited Cape Property Starter Guide (PDFs; large-print versions on the Sell page).
Selling a home in Harwich: what the numbers say
Across the five Lower Cape towns over three years, homes that sold within 7 days got a median 100.77% of their original asking price; homes that took longer got 94.44%. In Harwich, 31.8% of sales in the last 12 months had a price cut first, and one in five listings (19.4%, 107 of 552) came off the market without selling. The launch price and the first two weeks matter more than the month you list.
Your plan is built for your home, not a template. The take-home estimate takes 2 minutes: no visit, no phone number.
Or watch the free 16-lesson Lower Cape Sellers Course before you talk to any agent, including Arthur.
Where these figures come from
Cape Cod & Islands MLS, residential, five Lower Cape towns. Sales 31 Oct 2023 – 30 Oct 2026 (6 records with negative days on market excluded). Did-not-sell: listings taken 1 Nov 2023 – 31 Oct 2025 that sold, expired or were cancelled by 1 Nov 2026 (expired or cancelled = did not sell). Medians. Not Arthur's own sales.
How does Harwich compare with nearby towns?
Harwich has the second-lowest median sale price of the five Lower Cape towns: $760,000 in the 12 months to 30 October 2026, against $865,500 across all five. 36.4% of Harwich homes sold within 7 days (more than the five-town 34.9%), and 39.1% were bought with cash (less often than the five-town 42.3%). See all five towns compared
Compare all five towns
| 12 months to 30 Oct 2026 | Harwich | Chatham | Brewster | Orleans | Eastham | 5 towns |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Median sale price | $760,000 | $1,458,750 | $750,000 | $899,900 | $828,000 | $865,500 |
| Sales | 220 | 178 | 193 | 127 | 102 | 820 |
| Sale price vs original ask | 97.65% | 97.32% | 98.48% | 95.83% | 96.85% | 97.32% |
| Sold within 7 days | 36.4% | 34.8% | 38.3% | 27.6% | 34.3% | 34.9% |
| Had a price cut first | 31.8% | 24.7% | 24.9% | 37.8% | 30.4% | 29.4% |
| Paid cash | 39.1% | 44.4% | 42.5% | 44.9% | 42.2% | 42.3% |
| Median days on market | 13.5 | 16.5 | 12 | 27 | 24 | 16 |
Questions people ask about Harwich, MA
What is the median home price in Harwich, MA?
$760,000. That is the median sale price of the 220 Harwich homes that sold on the Cape Cod & Islands MLS between 31 October 2025 and 30 October 2026. Across the five Lower Cape towns the median for the same 12 months was $865,500 (820 sales).
Do homes in Harwich sell quickly?
36.4% of Harwich sales (80 of 220) happened within 7 days of listing in the 12 months to 30 October 2026, and 31.8% (70) had a price reduction first. The median Harwich sale closed at 97.65% of its original asking price after 13.5 days on the market.
How much is a condo in Harwich, MA?
The median Harwich condo sold for $427,000 in the 12 months to 30 October 2026 (38 sales). The median single-family home sold for $825,000 (182 sales).
What are the villages of Harwich, MA?
Seven: Harwich Center, Harwich Port, West Harwich, East Harwich, North Harwich, South Harwich and Pleasant Lake. On the MLS, most listings are filed under Harwich, Harwich Port, West Harwich or South Harwich.
Which beaches are in Harwich, MA?
Harwich's beaches face Nantucket Sound, including Bank Street and Red River, and the east side of town reaches Pleasant Bay. Beach parking needs a town sticker: $30 per vehicle for residents and taxpayers, and $150 for a non-resident season.
What is the property tax rate in Harwich, MA?
$5.81 per $1,000 of assessed value for FY2026, down from $5.91 in FY2025. A home assessed at $760,000 would pay about $4,416 a year before any exemption.
Is Harwich on town sewer or septic?
Both. Harwich is adding municipal sewer in phases, including the Route 137 area and Route 28. Many homes still use septic systems, which need a Title 5 inspection when the house is sold.
About Arthur Radtke
Arthur is a Realtor with The Celebrate Team, brokered by eXp Realty (MA license #9582725), working in Brewster, Chatham, Harwich, Orleans and Eastham from 60 Munson Meeting Way, Chatham. He publishes the Celebrate Lower Cape newsletter and wrote Selling Your Lower Cape Home and The House After Probate Begins.
Call or text (774) 209-6032 or email arthur.radtke@exprealty.com
Sources for this page (5)
- Cape Cod & Islands MLS, residential closed sales and listings, Brewster, Chatham, Harwich, Orleans and Eastham; export of 2 Nov 2026, analysed by The Celebrate Team.
- Town of Harwich, tax calculator (FY2025 and FY2026 rates), beach stickers, wastewater projects, North Harwich and schools (accessed 2 Nov 2026).
- Brooks Free Library, public libraries in Harwich.
- Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Seasonal Communities Advisory Council policy overview (Dec 2024; seasonal share of housing units, American Community Survey).
- FEMA, Flood Map Service Center; Massachusetts DOR, Room occupancy excise.