Sep 26, 2026 · Written By Hillary Birch, South Shore Top Realtor
We just closed on 65 Island Ave, a three-bedroom on Great Hill with a sunset deck that looks straight across Quincy Bay to the Boston skyline. It sold at full asking price, for nearly double what it last sold for in 2016. Every time I walk a listing on the Neck, I'm reminded why people who grow up here come back, and why people who find it rarely leave.
So I wanted to write the post I wish every buyer and seller read before they started: where Houghs Neck came from, which streets people fall for, what the numbers are really doing, and what you need to know about the flood maps. Pour a coffee. This is a love letter with data.
A little history: from Atherton Hough's farm to "God's Country"
Houghs Neck is named for Atherton Hough, a former mayor of Boston, England, who was granted this land in 1636 as a farm and orchard. Nearly four hundred years later, the neighborhood elementary school still carries his name.
My favorite piece of Neck history happened on February 17, 1778. John Adams and his 10-year-old son, John Quincy, slipped out from Houghs Neck in winter to board the frigate Boston, bound for France on a diplomatic mission, leaving from here to avoid British ships. Think about that the next time you watch a sailboat round Nut Island.
From the late 1800s well into the 1900s, the Neck was a summer resort. Boston families came out for the season, and many of the cottages they built were later winterized into the year-round homes you see today. The Quincy Yacht Club has been here since 1874. For a while the Neck was even known as the "flounder capital of the world," with six boat-rental businesses serving the winter flounder crowd.
Locals still call it "The Neck" (some say "God's Country"), and the people who live here are Neckahs. You'll hear it said with real pride.
The streets people fall for
The whole Neck is about one square mile, but every pocket has its own personality. Here's how I describe them to buyers.
- Great Hill (Island Ave, Sea Ave). The high ground at the tip, and the view everyone is chasing. Houses here look out over Quincy Bay to Boston and Nut Island, and they catch the sunset. 123 Sea Ave sold for $1,268,000 after just six days on market, over asking. 91 Island Ave, with panoramic skyline views, closed at $1,099,990.
- Bay View Avenue. Some of the biggest lots and the highest prices on the Neck. 20 Bay View Ave, nearly half an acre on the water, set the record at $2,100,000 in December 2024. Just down the street, brand-new 59 Bay View Ave sold for $1,350,000 this May, over its asking price.
- Rock Island Road. This side faces Rock Island Cove and Hingham Bay, quieter water with a completely different light. 358 Rock Island Rd, custom-built for the views, sold in August for $1,695,000, or $621 a square foot.
- Nut Island Avenue. The end of the road in the best way. You're steps from the Nut Island walking path and fishing pier. 6 Nut Island Ave, built in 2023, sold for $1,690,000 this July.
- Manet Avenue and Babcock Street. Beach people. Perry Beach runs along Manet Ave, and the city is rebuilding and raising the seawall here (more on that below). 21 Babcock St sold for $1,255,000.
- Mears Avenue, Parkhurst Street and Edgewater Drive. The interior streets are where I see bidding wars. 46 Mears Ave, a classic gambrel rebuilt from the studs, sold over asking at $1,512,000. 59 Parkhurst St sold 10% over asking in 15 days. 67 Edgewater Dr went under agreement in four days at full price.
If you're wondering why I keep saying "over asking," hold that thought for the numbers section.
Why people stay
The honest answer is that the Neck feels like a small coastal town that happens to be 14 miles from downtown Boston. About 80% of homes here are owner-occupied, so your neighbors aren't passing through. They're coaching at LaBrecque Field, launching kayaks at the beach and waving from their porches on Sea Street.
What keeps people here, in my experience:
- The water is part of daily life. Morning walks on the Nut Island path, swims at Perry Beach, shellfishing and boat launches, and the Quincy Yacht Club when you're ready to get serious.
- It's quiet without being remote. The 216 bus runs to the Red Line at Quincy Center, and Route 3A and I-93 get you into the city. Traffic can be real at rush hour, but the drive down Sea Street toward the water feels like leaving work behind.
- The community takes care of itself. Neckahs show up for the kids' games, for the yacht club races, and for each other after a storm.
- Your house has a story. Many homes started as summer cottages and have been rebuilt, raised or expanded over generations. Buyers love that character.
The numbers: how Neck sellers are getting top dollar
Houghs Neck used to see maybe one $1 million sale a year. Now it sees one almost every other month. Here's what MLS PIN shows for single-family homes on the Neck, including Great Hill:
Year | Sales over $1M | Sales over $1.5M | Top sale |
|---|---|---|---|
2026 (through Sept.) | 5 | 3 | 358 Rock Island Rd, $1,695,000 |
2025 | 5 | 0 | 96 Bay View Ave, $1,250,000 |
2024 | 5 | 1 | 20 Bay View Ave, $2,100,000 |
2023 | 1 | 0 | 23 Sea Ave, $1,495,000 |
The story in that table: 2026 has already matched all of 2025 with a full quarter to go, and three homes crossed $1.5 million this summer alone, all between July 31 and August 28.
Across the whole neighborhood, Zillow puts the typical Houghs Neck home value at about $644,000, up 3.2% over the past year and the second-fastest rise of any Quincy neighborhood. Redfin reports that homes here sold for 100.4% of list price on average in August, with 43.6% selling over asking.
What's driving the top end:
- New and rebuilt homes. 6 Nut Island Ave was a $360,000 sale in 2019. After a new house went up in 2023, it sold for $1,690,000 this summer. 59 Bay View Ave, built in 2026, went over asking at $1,350,000.
- Well-presented homes sell fast. 123 Sea Ave sold 6% over asking in six days. 59 Parkhurst St sold 10% over asking in 15 days.
- Entry-level homes are appreciating too. 65 Island Ave sold for $405,000 in 2016 and $799,900 this month. That's nearly double in ten years.
One honest note: the very top of the market still negotiates. Several of the biggest sales closed below their original asking price after longer market times. Pricing right on day one matters more on the Neck than almost anywhere I work.
FEMA flood maps: what every Neck buyer and seller should know
Living on a peninsula means flood zones are part of the conversation, and the best deals I see are the ones where everyone understands them up front. Here's the short version.
The zones. Quincy's FEMA maps use three coastal designations. VE zones expect waves of 3 feet or more in a major storm. AE zones expect waves under 3 feet. The maps also draw a Limit of Moderate Wave Action line, where breaking waves of about 1.5 feet are expected in a 1% annual-chance flood. Zones can change from one side of a street to the other, so always check the exact parcel rather than the neighborhood.
What it means for insurance. If a home is in the Special Flood Hazard Area and the buyer uses a federally backed mortgage, the lender will typically require flood insurance. Quincy participates in FEMA's Community Rating System, which gives every flood policy in the city a 10% discount. Policies are now priced property by property, so two houses on the same street can have very different premiums.
What the city is doing. Quincy finished Phase I of the Adams Shore and Houghs Neck seawall improvements in 2022, a project budgeted at about $17.8 million. Phase II will rebuild and raise 3,854 feet of seawall along Manet Avenue, from Babcock and Sea Streets to Bayswater Road and Parkhurst Street. The city has also studied restoring the Rock Island Cove salt marsh, which acts as a natural buffer.
My advice:
- Sellers: Get an elevation certificate and a current flood insurance quote before you list. Buyers pay more when there are no surprises.
- Buyers: Look up the exact parcel on the FEMA Flood Map Service Center, and ask for the insurance quote during your inspection period, not after.
- Everyone: Private risk models are more cautious than FEMA. Redfin, for example, flags about 46% of Neck properties as having extreme flood risk over 30 years. Use both, and talk to an insurance agent who writes coastal policies.
Quincy's Engineering Department at 55 Sea Street can help you read the maps for a specific address.
Thinking about your next move on the Neck?
If you own on Houghs Neck, your home may be worth more than you think, and the right plan can make a real difference in what you walk away with. I'll put together a private, no-pressure valuation using Neck-only sales, not a citywide algorithm, and walk you through the flood-zone and insurance picture before a buyer ever asks.
Call or text me at 781-608-1425, or email [email protected]. And if you just want to talk about the Neck, I'm always happy to do that too.
— Hillary Birch, Senior Vice President, Hillary Birch Group | Compass
Sales data: MLS PIN, single-family homes in Houghs Neck including Great Hill, January 2023 to September 2026. Not all properties sold by Compass. Information deemed reliable but not guaranteed.
