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Small Lots, Big Prices: What Question 7 Could Mean in the Boston Suburbs

Writer: Bob Wiltse
Bob Wiltse
Oct 7
4 min read

New Middlesex County homes on small lots still sold for about $1.7 million this year. Here's what that tells voters.


Bob Wiltse, REALTOR®

Research & Writing Assistant: Claude.ai

October 7, 2026


In less than four weeks, voters will decide Massachusetts Question 7 starter homes, a ballot question about how much land a new single-family home needs. Supporters say smaller lots mean smaller, cheaper homes. We can test that idea with real local sales.


What Massachusetts Question 7 starter homes would allow


Boston.com explains that Question 7 would let a single-family home be built on a lot as small as 5,000 square feet with 50 feet of road frontage. Frontage is how wide the lot is where it meets the street. It applies only where public water and sewer are available. Boston is left out. Towns still control setbacks, height, open space, and parking.


MASSterList reported on Oct. 6 that about 120 cities and towns lack public sewer, so the measure would skip them. The mid-size suburbs around Boston are where change would land.

Small Lots, Big Prices: What Question 7 Could Mean. 5,000 sq ft lot. Average 3,491 sqft living area. Average $1,744,088 sale price.
Small Lots, Big Prices: What Question 7 Could Mean. 5,000 sq ft lot. Average 3,491 sqft living area. Average $1,744,088 sale price.

How big are new-home lots now?



What new homes on small lots sell for in Middlesex County


Many older Middlesex neighborhoods already have lots this small. So what do builders put on them?


I pulled MLS PIN data for single-family homes built in 2026 in Middlesex County, on lots of 5,000 to 10,000 square feet, sold in the past six months (frontage and sewer were not specified). There were 27 sales in 12 communities, led by Arlington (6), Billerica (4), Natick (4), and Medford (3), plus Burlington, Stoneham, Bedford, Concord, Newton, Waltham, Wilmington, and Winchester.


Living area:

  • Median: 3,600 square feet

  • Average: 3,491 square feet


Sale price:

  • Median: $1,675,000

  • Average: $1,744,088

  • Range: $850,000 to $2,710,000


By my math, these homes sold for about 99% of the asking price and about $500 per square foot. The median home got an offer in 15 days.


Now compare. Earlier MLS PIN data I pulled for all 2026-built Middlesex homes showed a median of 3,789 square feet and $1,790,000. The small-lot homes were only about 5% smaller and 6% cheaper.


The few smaller homes were much cheaper. Two new Billerica homes under 2,000 square feet sold for $850,000 and $910,000. That is the closest thing to a starter home in the group and came from building small, not from a small lot.


And nationally? The U.S. Census Bureau said the typical new single-family home finished in 2025 was 2,142 square feet. The small-lot Middlesex homes were about 68% bigger than that.

The closest match to a Question 7 lot tells the same story. Two new Medford homes on lots of about 5,000 square feet had 3,000 and 3,889 square feet of living space. They sold for $1,440,000 and $1,450,000.


So will smaller lots mean cheaper homes?


Campaign chair Andrew Mikula told The Shoestring that smaller lots mean developers "don't have to build giant McMansions." The Massachusetts Municipal Association counters that no price cap exists, so builders can still put costly homes on small lots.


Local data likely supports both sides a little. Smaller lots did come with somewhat lower prices. But in high-demand towns, builders still built big, because land is costly and buyers pay for space. Massachusetts Question 7 starter homes in these towns would likely be priced at $1 million or more, not true starter homes, unless builders choose smaller plans. Tufts researchers, cited by Boston.com, estimate about 750 extra homes a year statewide.


Where the vote stands


A MassINC poll for CommonWealth Beacon, reported by the Lexington Observer, found 51% yes, 24% no, and about 25% undecided (Sept. 14 to 22). Mikula speaks Thursday, Oct. 8, at 7 p.m. at the Needham Free Public Library, per the League of Women Voters.


What it means for you


  • Buyers: A small lot does not mean a small price. Compare price per square foot, not just lot size.

  • Owners of large lots in sewered towns: Ask a surveyor and attorney whether your land could be split if it passes.

  • Everyone: Read the full question before Nov. 3.


Have questions about a new home in Massachusetts? Contact Bob Wiltse, REALTOR®, eXp Realty. 978-793-1719 | bobwiltse.com


Sources

  1. Boston.com, "Mass. Ballot Question 7: What voters need to know about the 'Single Family Homes' measure," Sept. 22, 2026. https://www.boston.com/news/local-news/2026/09/22/ballot-question-7-what-voters-need-to-know-single-family-homes/

  2. MASSterList (Katie Lannan), "Why the Boston suburbs make it past Question 7's built-in barrier," Oct. 6, 2026. https://massterlist.com/p/why-the-boston-suburbs-make-it-past-question-7-s-built-in-barrier

  3. NAHB, "Lot Sizes for New Homes Remained Near Historic Lows in 2025," July 22, 2026. https://www.nahb.org/blog/2026/07/median-lot-sizes-new-homes-2025

  4. League of Women Voters (Wellesley), "Legalize Starter Homes: Ballot Question 7, What Voters Need to Know," event Oct. 8, 2026. https://my.lwv.org/massachusetts/wellesley/event/legalize-starter-homes-%E2%80%93-ballot-question-7-what-voters-need-know

  5. Banker & Tradesman (Susan Gittelman), "Minimum Lot-Size Reform Is a Modest Idea with Big Potential," Sept. 21, 2025. https://bankerandtradesman.com/minimum-lot-size-reform-is-a-modest-idea-with-big-potential/

  6. MLS Property Information Network (MLS PIN), single-family homes built in 2026 in Middlesex County, MA, on 5,000 to 10,000 sq ft lots, sold in the past six months (27 sales, sold April 24 to Sept. 29, 2026; a few lots listed at 10,001 to 10,197 sq ft), pulled by Bob Wiltse, Oct. 2026.

  7. MLS PIN, single-family homes built in 2026 in Middlesex County, MA, sold in the prior six months (123 sales), pulled by Bob Wiltse, Sept. 2026.

  8. U.S. Census Bureau, "Characteristics of New Housing: Highlights" (2025 data). https://www.census.gov/construction/chars/highlights.html

  9. The Shoestring, "Can Question 7's zoning reform ease the housing crisis in Mass.?," Sept. 25, 2026. https://theshoestring.org/2026/09/25/can-question-7s-zoning-reform-ease-the-housing-crisis-in-mass/

  10. The Lexington Observer, "Here's how MA voters are leaning on ballot questions," Sept. 30, 2026 (MassINC Polling Group for CommonWealth Beacon). https://lexobserver.org/2026/09/30/heres-how-ma-voters-are-leaning-on-ballot-questions/

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