Buying a Single Family in Harvard Square

If you are thinking of buying a single family in Harvard Square Cambridge, the first thing you should know is there is EXTREMELY limited inventory. As of this writing (12/10/2025) only 4 single families sold within a ½ mile of Harvard Square in all of 2025. 

Of those 4 single families that sold, the cheapest one was $3.1M - if you are curious that one was 1715 Cambridge Street. This was a 1845 Greek Revival with 4 beds and 4.5 baths. It had 3,800 square feet but just 2,860 square feet above grade. It also had 3 off-street parking spots, a really nice plus for a single family so close to Harvard Square. In addition this home needed some updates - some of the bathrooms likely need a gut and many, if not all of the windows were older and need to be replaced. 

And the most expensive single family home that sold in Harvard Square in 2025? That would be 18 Ash Street which ultimately sold for $7.98M. This is a 5 bed 5.5 bath single family home on a massive 14,400 square foot lot with 5,376 square feet of living space - by Cambridge standards this is MASSIVE - both the lot and living space. This property is in pristine condition and definitely one-of-a-kind. Because of the high price point, the home took 245 days to receive an accepted offer (and it originally was priced WAY higher at $12M, which we often see with homes north of $3M in Cambridge).

So if you are thinking of buying a single family in or close to Harvard Square here are the key things you should know:

  1. Expect 1 or 2 new homes to come up each quarter - there just are very limited single families that are extremely close to Harvard Square

  2. Budget a minimum of $3M - most true single family homes this close to Harvard Square start at $3M and a good range to budget as of this writing is $3M to $5M to start

  3. Decide if you MUST be this close to Harvard Square - single family inventory is extremely small across all of Cambridge but in Harvard Square you may be looking at a 2-4 year search to find a home that works for all of your needs

If you are thinking of buying a single family home in Harvard Square or elsewhere in Cambridge, give me a call at 617-833-7457.