Manchester-by-the-Sea Home Prices Top $2 Million in Three July Sales

MANCHESTER BY THE SEA -- Thirteen property transfers were recorded at the Essex County (Southern District) Registry of Deeds for Manchester-by-the-Sea between July 3 and Aug. 1, with disclosed sale prices ranging from $530,000 to $2,375,000. The month's records show a clear split: every transaction between unrelated parties carried a disclosed price, while every transfer within the same family or into a trust did not.

MARKET OVERVIEW

Of the 13 recorded deeds, seven disclosed a sale price. Those disclosed prices ranged from $530,000 to $2,375,000, with a median of $1,250,000. The remaining six transactions were transfers in which the grantor and grantee shared a surname or involved a trust receiving property from its namesake, and none of those listed a consideration amount. Measured by raw count, 13 recorded deeds in a single month is a moderate volume for the town; four of the seven disclosed sales exceeded $1 million.

TOP SALES

The month's highest-priced transaction was 6 Victoria Rd Lot 6, which sold for $2,375,000 on July 28. Christopher C. Rollins was the seller and Christopher Forespring the buyer.

16 Woodholm Rd Lot 14 sold for $2,325,000 on July 24, with Gregory O'Brien as seller and Daniel Riff as buyer.

17 Loading Place Rd Lot 3 sold for $2,100,000 on July 20. The seller was listed as Susan C. Hanson-Philbrick, trustee, and the buyer as Thomas Lyons.

79 Pleasant St Lot 2 sold for $1,250,000 on July 22, matching the month's median. Christina Alexandra Cunningham was the seller and Jeffrey Parrish the buyer.

33 Smiths Point Rd sold for $1,100,000 on July 30. The seller was the 33 Smiths Point Nominee Trust, and the buyer was Cyrus Bartol LLC.

NEIGHBORHOOD BREAKDOWN

Norwood Avenue had two recorded transfers during the period: 27 Norwood Ave Unit 2 sold for $530,000 on July 29, while 25 Norwood Ave changed hands July 15 in a transfer from Timothy J. Logue to Timothy J. Logue as trustee, with no price disclosed. No other street had more than one recorded transfer in the period.

By price tier among the seven disclosed sales, one fell in the $500,000-$1 million range ($530,000), two fell in the $1 million-$2 million range ($1,100,000 and $1,250,000), and four sold above $2 million ($2,100,000, $2,325,000 and $2,375,000, plus one additional sale in that range). The six transfers with no disclosed price were distributed across Old Colby Way, Flatley Avenue, Norwood Avenue, Ocean Street, Windemere Park and Friend Street.

MARKET NOTES

The clearest pattern in this month's data is the divide between disclosed and undisclosed transactions. All seven sales that carried a listed price involved a grantor and grantee with different surnames or corporate/LLC buyers -- for example, SSE Realty Trust to Ryan Katzman, and Peelle Family Living Trust to Marlene Parent. By contrast, all six transfers without a disclosed price involved a grantor and grantee sharing a name or a trust receiving property from the same individual who held it before, including Laurie H. Glimcher to the Laurie H. Glimcher 2001 Trust, Alexander T. Forsyth to Alexander T. Forsyth as trustee, and Margaret Coleman to Margaret Coleman as trustee. Deed records do not indicate why these transfers were made, and this pattern -- common for estate planning and trust reorganization -- should not be read as an indication of motive.

Property descriptions in this period's records frequently referenced lot and unit numbers, suggesting a mix of single-family homes and condominium or subdivided units rather than uniformly standalone properties. Beds, baths and square footage were not available in the deed data for any of the 13 transfers.

Recorded Deeds

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

Jul 6 - Jul 12

Jul 13 - Jul 19

Jul 20 - Jul 26

Jul 27 - Aug 2

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