From Tara’s Desk
Spring is doing that thing where it shows up just enough to make you believe in it, then disappears for a week. Same with mortgage rates, honestly. They’ve settled near 6% and everyone’s watching to see if that holds. Buyers who’ve been waiting for the market to crack open should know: this is probably the opening. It’s not 2021, and it won’t be, but it’s the most workable environment we’ve seen in a few years. This month I’m taking you to Amesbury, which has been quietly doing everything right while Newburyport gets all the press. Pull up a chair.
House Quirk of the Week: The Boat Shop That May Have Taught Henry Ford a Thing or Two
Before Henry Ford rolled out his famous assembly line in Highland Park, Michigan, there was a red barn on the Merrimack River in Amesbury doing something pretty similar with wooden boats. Lowell’s Boat Shop was founded in 1793 by Simeon Lowell, and it’s been building boats ever since. That’s not a typo. It’s in its third century of continuous operation, making it the oldest working boat shop in America and a National Historic Landmark.
Simeon invented the dory as we know it: flat-bottomed, high-sided, cheap to build, and nearly impossible to capsize when loaded. It became the workhorse of the New England fishing industry. Historians have compared the dory to the fisherman as the hammer to the carpenter.
But here’s where it gets interesting for anyone who thinks assembly lines are a 20th-century invention. Simeon’s grandson Hiram Lowell divided the construction process into repeatable steps, prefabricated parts, and specialized workers. He built more than 2,000 boats by hand in a single year, 1911. That number is branded into a wooden beam on the shop wall, where production figures were recorded from 1897 through 1919. Historians believe Hiram’s system influenced Henry Ford’s manufacturing model directly.
The shop built boats for Gloucester’s fishing fleet, for lifesaving stations, for the Boy Scouts, and for the Long Beach, California lifeguard service. It’s currently building surf dories on commission, the same fundamental design Simeon originated in Amesbury more than 200 years ago. And you can walk in off Main Street, take a tour for eight dollars, and watch it happen.
There’s something quietly remarkable about a town that has a National Historic Landmark that most people drive past on I-95 without knowing it’s there. Which, as it turns out, is a decent metaphor for Amesbury itself.
Sources: Lowell’s Boat Shop | National Fisherman | Atlas Obscura
Town of the Week: Amesbury, MA
Amesbury sits at the top of Essex County, right where Massachusetts meets New Hampshire, and it has that particular combination of things that makes a town worth paying attention to: real history, walkable downtown, actual restaurants and breweries, access to water, and prices that don’t require a medical professional’s income.
The old brick mill buildings along the Powwow River have been converted into condos, restaurants, and craft beer operations. Brewery Silvaticus, Barewolf Brewing, and Mill 77 make Amesbury a genuine craft beer destination, not a novelty. The morning crowd has Morning Buzz Cafe. The lobster roll crowd has The Barn Pub. And Cider Hill Farm, 145 acres of pick-your-own produce on the edge of town, has a hard cider taproom and cider donuts with what I can only describe as a devoted following.
For weekends, residents have Lake Attitash and Lake Gardner right in town for kayaking and swimming. Salisbury Beach is under 20 minutes south. And Lowell’s Boat Shop, a few steps from downtown, offers rowing programs on the Merrimack through the summer season.
The commute situation is honest: you’ll drive. But I-95 and I-495 intersect just over the town line, and the MBTA commuter rail at Newburyport Station, about 7 miles south, runs directly into North Station. Boston is 40 to 50 minutes depending on when you leave.
On housing: Amesbury sits meaningfully below Newburyport’s price points while offering a lot of the same Essex County character. You’ll find classic New England colonials, antique capes, converted mill condos, and some waterfront access that would cost considerably more one town south. For buyers priced out of Newburyport and tired of compromising on personality, Amesbury keeps coming up in the right conversations.
Sources: RealEstateWithHunter.com | Lowell’s Boat Shop
New England Market Pulse
1. Rates Are at Their Best Level Since 2022. That Actually Matters.
The 30-year fixed mortgage averaged 6.00% as of March 5, according to Freddie Mac. That’s down nearly a full percentage point from this time last year, when it sat at 6.63%. Freddie Mac’s chief economist noted that refinance activity is up and purchase applications are running ahead of last year’s pace.
Why it matters: If you got a pre-approval six months ago, your number has probably changed. A full point of rate movement can shift your purchasing power by $40,000 to $60,000 on a typical Essex County purchase. Before spring inventory hits, a five-minute call to your lender to refresh the numbers is worth the time.
Source: Freddie Mac PMMS, March 5, 2026
2. Massachusetts Inventory Is Still the Story
There are currently 16,978 homes listed statewide, down 4.3% year-over-year. The Greater Boston starter home has, according to Boston Indicators research, effectively vanished. New housing permits as of mid-2025 were down 44% from their 2021 peak, which means the supply cliff isn’t coming, it’s already here.
Why it matters: For sellers, this is still your market. For buyers, waiting for inventory to loosen is a reasonable bet over a multi-year horizon, but not a strategy for this spring. Competition for well-priced properties in Essex County remains real.
Source: Boston.com, December 31, 2025
3. Southern New Hampshire Hit a New Median High in 2025
New Hampshire single-family home prices closed 2025 at a record median of $535,000, a 3.9% increase over 2024. Rockingham County, which covers the southern tier nearest to Massachusetts, hit $670,000. The state has roughly 2 months of supply, well below the 5 to 6 months that defines a balanced market.
Why it matters: Southern NH buyers working with the assumption that they’re getting a deal compared to Massachusetts should run the numbers again. Rockingham County in particular is tracking closer to Essex County than it was five years ago. The gap hasn’t disappeared, but it’s narrowed.
Source: Roche Realty Group, January 2026
Questions about any of this? That’s what I’m here for. Reach out anytime.
Tara Donahue-Scott | TDS Real Estate