The Dover Driver: How One Town's Exclusivity Creates a $530K Arbitrage Opportunity in Seven Neighbors

Dover, MA uses 1-acre minimum zoning and #1-ranked Dover-Sherborn schools to maintain a $1.73M median—but Sherborn shares the same elite schools for $1.19M ($530K less), creating the clearest educational arbitrage in Greater Boston. Dover's structural exclusivity generates measurable halo effects in seven neighbors: educational savings in Sherborn, aesthetic premiums in Needham/Wellesley, stability buffers in Medfield/Westwood, and a hard market wall at Walpole ($730K).

High-income families ($300K+ household) prioritizing elite schools, luxury buyers seeking estate properties with low-density character, investors analyzing structural market drivers, buyers willing to pay $1M+ but seeking maximum value per educational/aesthetic dollar.

• •$530K Sherborn arbitrage: Same Dover-Sherborn schools (#1 Greater Boston), $1.19M vs $1.73M Dover median
• •Dover's 1-acre zoning mandate creates artificial scarcity—only 6,288 residents across 15.5 sq miles
• •Recent sales: Dover $1.3M-$1.79M (4bd), Sherborn $850K-$1.4M (4bd), Medfield $960K-$1.37M (4bd)
• •Dover median Days on Market: 111 days (up from 18 YoY)—ultra-luxury liquidity crisis evident
• •Wellesley maintains $661 PPSF vs Dover's $490 PPSF—regional price leader, Dover anchors corridor
• •Walpole $730K median proves halo effect doesn't cross affordability segments
• •Strategic plays: Sherborn (education max), Needham estates (aesthetic + access), Westwood/Medfield (buffer stability)