New UMass Donahue Institute Study
The independent research is in: a transfer fee works for the Islands.
A new study from the University of Massachusetts finds a local-option real estate transfer fee could generate more than $13 million a year for year-round housing on Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket — without reducing home sales or prices.
$13M+
Annual Revenue
Combined yearly funding the fee could generate for year-round housing across both Islands.
53%
Lost Employees
Share of Island employers who have lost staff because of housing costs.
0
Impact on Sales
Discernible change in home sales or prices in the Hamptons after a similar fee was adopted.
Local-option real estate transfer fees would generate meaningful, stable revenue for year-round housing on Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket without materially reducing transaction volume or suppressing prices."
— UMass Donahue Institute, April 2026
Read the research. Then help us pass it.
The full 56-page UMass Donahue Institute report lays out the revenue projections, the Hamptons case study, the employer survey, and the economic impact model in detail.