May is the month where everyone in real estate either has too much going on or not enough, and right now the answer is too much. Inventory is finally moving — there are actual choices out there, which sounds obvious but has not been true for a few years. Rates crept back up this week, which means your pre-approval from February might tell a slightly different story today. Worth five minutes with your lender before you fall in love with something.
Quirky Facts You Want to Know: The Door That Was Only Used Once
Old New England homes sometimes had a second front door that was never used for guests, deliveries, or anyone living. It sat flush with the side wall of the house, opened directly into the front parlor, bypassed the main entrance hall entirely, and had exactly one job: getting a coffin in and out.
These doors — called coffin doors, funeral doors, or death doors — were built into 18th and early 19th century homes throughout New England, and the reason for them is more practical than morbid. A home with a large central chimney or central staircase made it nearly impossible to carry a full coffin through the front door and make the turn into the parlor. Someone figured out that a dedicated side door solved the problem, and builders quietly added it to the plan.
The tradition had older roots. Pilgrims and Puritans likely brought the concept from Europe. The Dutch called a similar feature the “dodder,” meaning death door. Some German homes had the “seelen fenster,” or soul window, a small opening meant to allow the spirit of the deceased to depart. Certain New England homeowners added a belief of their own: that the spirit of the dead might try to re-enter through whatever door the living used daily. The coffin door, used only once and then sealed, cut off that option.
Here is the detail that tends to get lost: in some homes, the inner door was removable. It could be lifted off its hinges and used as a platform for the coffin during viewing, or as a table for the food and drink served to mourners afterward. The furniture and the funeral were the same piece of wood.
The term “coffin door” itself is a 20th century invention. The people who built these homes never called them that. We named the door after we had already forgotten what it was for. If you ever tour an old colonial and notice a second door that seems to go nowhere useful, now you know exactly where it went.
More on the history of coffin doors from the East Windsor Historical Society and Historic New England.
Town of the Week: Exeter, NH
Exeter was New Hampshire’s capital during the Revolutionary War, which already sets it apart. The American Independence Museum here holds one of the original printed copies of the Declaration of Independence — found inside a wall during electrical work in 1985. That is just an extraordinary way to find a founding document, and it tells you something about this town: things have been here long enough to be discovered.
Phillips Exeter Academy has been in operation since 1781. The campus covers a significant piece of the town’s center and gives everything around it a certain steadiness. This is not a stuffy or precious place — it is just a town that takes its history seriously without performing it.
Downtown Exeter is walkable and worth the walk. Otis Restaurant on Tan Lane has built a strong local following for creative, seasonal cooking — the kind of menu that changes because the ingredients change. Epoch Restaurant and Bar inside the Exeter Inn is the reliable anchor: a well-curated wine list, consistent food, a good place to bring people you want to impress without trying too hard. Vino e Vivo on Portsmouth Avenue handles pasta and wine with enough care to stand on its own.
Weekends here tend to look like: coffee somewhere downtown, a walk along the Squamscott River or through one of the town forests, and an actual dinner reservation. Exeter hosts an American Independence Festival in July that draws a crowd, but it does not feel like an event-dependent town. It feels like a place where people have figured out how to live.
For buyers, the median sale price sits around $645,000, homes are moving in about 53 days, and inventory is lean at roughly 1.4 months of supply. There is no state income tax in New Hampshire. The schools are well regarded independently of the Academy. For buyers pricing out of Essex County or looking for something with a little more quiet, Exeter checks a lot of boxes without requiring you to give much up.
Read the full Exeter town profile on the TDS blog.
New England Market Pulse
Massachusetts Active Listings Hit a 6-Year High
Active listings statewide crossed 10,600 this spring, roughly 6 percent more than a year ago and the highest level in six years. The picture breaks down differently by property type: the single-family median climbed 4.4 percent year-over-year through March 2026, which is consistent with what sellers are experiencing. The condo median, though, dropped 1.5 percent. If you have been waiting to buy a condo in this market, you have more choices and more room to negotiate than at any point in recent memory.
Why it matters: Single-family sellers still have the upper hand. Condo buyers have the best conditions in years. If you have been holding off, this spring is worth a closer look.
Source: Massachusetts Association of Realtors, March 2026 data via Boston Agent Magazine
Read more on this market trend in the full Massachusetts spring 2026 market pulse index.
Mortgage Rates Climbed Back Toward 7% This Week
After months in the low-to-mid 6s, the 30-year fixed rate hit 6.75 percent as of May 20, 2026 — the highest since August 2025. Freddie Mac had the rate at 6.36 percent just six days earlier. The driver is a combination of ongoing Middle East tensions pushing energy prices up and April’s CPI report showing 3.8 percent annual inflation, the highest since May 2023.
Why it matters: If your pre-approval was from January or February, the payment picture has shifted. A check-in with your lender costs nothing and might change what you are looking at.
Source: U.S. News Mortgage Rates, May 20, 2026 / Freddie Mac PMMS
Southern NH Median Single-Family Hits $530,000 — and Inventory Is Growing
Q1 2026 data shows the statewide median single-family price in New Hampshire reached $530,000, up 3.9 percent from a year ago. Inventory has grown nearly 20 percent over the past year. But homes are still selling at or above asking price, and the market remains a seller’s market in most communities.
Why it matters: Buyers moving from Massachusetts for the tax advantage and relative price difference are running out of runway. The gap is narrowing. If Southern NH is in the plan, sooner tends to work out better than later.
Source: NH Public Radio, April 8, 2026
When you were out last weekend, who did you run into that might be making a move? Connect me with them. I would love to work with more people like you.
Tara Donahue-Scott | TDS Real Estate | tarad@kw.com | tarashomes.com