Essex sale prices span $700,000 to $1.23 million in September data

ESSEX -- Twelve properties changed hands in Essex between Sept. 11 and Oct. 10, but only three carried a recorded sale price by the time the registry data was pulled. A Lufkin Point Road property topped the month's recorded sales at $1,234,000, and two Southern Avenue parcels transferred on the same day.

MARKET OVERVIEW Essex recorded 12 property transfers during the period, but just three of them, 25 percent, showed a sale price in the registry data so far. That gap is typical: prices generally post to the registry within about a week of recording, and the remaining nine entries most likely reflect that lag rather than any sale that occurred without a disclosed price. Among the three sales with recorded prices, the range ran from $700,000 to $1,234,000, with a median of $970,000. The raw count of 12 recorded deeds points to a month with meaningful transaction volume, but with three-quarters of prices still outstanding, it is too early to characterize the period as active or quiet on dollar terms.

TOP SALES The month's highest recorded sale was 8 Lufkin Point Road Lot B, which sold for $1,234,000 on Sept. 23. Frank K. McClelland sold the property to Matthew Safford. 44 Lake Shore Drive Lot 59-61 sold for $970,000 on Sept. 29. The Hiselman family trust sold to buyer J. McDonough. 157 Main Street sold for $700,000 on Sept. 21. The Paul C. Neily Living Trust sold the property to Mark Henderson. No other sales in this batch carry a recorded price yet, including several that may ultimately rank among the month's larger transactions once pricing posts.

NEIGHBORHOOD BREAKDOWN Southern Avenue was the only street with more than one transfer this period: 194 Southern Ave Lot D and 186 Southern Ave Lot C both recorded on Oct. 1, with David M. McPherson listed as seller on each. Neither carries a price yet. The remaining 10 transfers were spread across 10 different streets, with no other repeat addresses. Among the three sales with recorded prices, one topped $1 million (Lufkin Point Road at $1,234,000) and two fell in the $500,000-to-$1-million range (Lake Shore Drive at $970,000 and Main Street at $700,000); none of the priced sales fell under $500,000.

MARKET NOTES Several of the month's transfers moved property within the same name rather than to a new buyer. Mary E. Wonson's living trust transferred 12 Walnut Park to the Mary E. Wonson Family Trust. Gary D. Haynes, as trustee, transferred 12 John Wise Avenue to himself in the same capacity. Edward Camuso transferred a unit at 10 Low Land Farm Road to Edward J. Camuso as trustee. Emily Allen transferred 68 Martin Street to Emily J. Allen. And David M. McPherson's Southern Avenue parcel at 186 Southern Ave Lot C passed to David McPherson as trustee. None of these five transfers carries a recorded price, consistent with their appearance as internal or estate-planning transfers rather than open-market sales. Several addresses in this batch reference specific lots or condominium units, suggesting a number of the transfers involve subdivided or multi-unit properties, though no bed, bath or square-footage figures accompanied this set of deed records.

Recorded Deeds

Source: Registry of Deeds. Sale amounts shown as recorded; transfers without a disclosed consideration are noted as such.

Compiled from official town feeds, community organizations, and local press. Outside reporting is attributed inline.