The Best Week to Buy a Home Is Fast Approaching

U.S. house hunters typically find more homes to choose from and bigger discounts in the fall

Those on the market for a home in the U.S. should circle Sept. 29 on their calendars.

The best time to buy a home in the U.S. is just a few weeks away, when a new influx of listings arrives on the market and competition levels off from its summer high, according to a report from Realtor.com. And buyers might actually actually pay $14,000 less for a home than they would have during peak times of this year.

Factors like price, competition and inventory combine to make the 40th week of the year, which this year spans Sept. 29 to Oct. 5, the best week to buy a home nationally, though it ranges from September to November depending on the particular city, per the report.

The fall season tends to see a new influx of listings, more inventory, lower prices and more price reductions, a far cry from the frenzied market peak typically seen in the spring.While these seasonal trends hold true, this year’s housing market certainly has had its own flavor, with high prices and low inventory keeping demand low, and all eyes on the Fed rate cut expected later this month.

From Sept. 29-Oct. 5, inventory is expected to be 14% higher than an average week, and 37% more compared to earlier this year, according to historical trends. Inventory has been trending upward this year, with new listings up every month since November on an annual basis, after a historic housing crunch during the post-pandemic rush, the report said.

On the competition side, the week of Sept. 29 historically has less demand, and homes stay on the market longer, giving prospective buyers some breathing room before making a decision. Demand (measured by views per listing) is expected to be down 29.5% from the peak that week and 14% lower than the average week, according to historical trends.

Finally, prices tend to settle slightly after the summer peak and sellers offer more price reductions to accommodate the drop in demand. “Adjusting for this year’s trends, buyers shopping during the best week could save roughly $14,000 compared with the year’s peak nationally,” the report said.

On a metro level, the best week to house hunt matches the national average in 20% of cities, including Dallas, Chicago, San Diego, and St. Louis. In most Northeastern cities, including New York, the best week to buy is in September, while in most Midwestern cities the best buying time is after the first week of October.

In the Southeast, the ideal buying time is in late October to early November. Miami is the only city where the best week to buy is in a different season altogether—coinciding with peak snowbird season—in January.

Stephanie

Margie has been our realtor for a while now. I can tell you you will not find a better one. She is so knowledgeable, so trustworthy and hard working. She is very responsive, well organized. She has great work ethic and she processes all paper work quickly. Margie goes beyond her realtor’s duties to accommodate clients. The first time, she was our realtor was following the loss of a loved one. We were dealing with a lot on ever level, and she helped us through handling the property being there for home inspection and other repairs. We liked the fact she is there for every visit and the house was not unsupervised. For buyers, be assured that the house you plan on buying will be fixed up because she tells sellers what needs to be repairs before putting it on the market. In my book, it is a great quality. For all these reasons, I recommend Marjorie DeGrandmont. 🏚

Gilbert Velasquez

Margie is the best! She is both professional and personable. Margie promptly returns all calls and texts even when things change on a dime’s notice. We are very happy with Margie as our agent and will use her services when we purchase another home in the future.

Bill Keefe

A fantastic professional. Marjorie‘a experience and knowledge of the area, market, finance, and other professionals, was a huge help as she guided us through the entire process from pricing, listing, preparing, and selling our home. Her after sale support was fantastic and exceeded expectations. We would highly recommend Marjorie if your considering selling or buying a ranch, home or land.

kyle eggleton

This is the third house that I have purchased with the help of Mcoastal and Margie. I would never use anyone else. She is such a professional and a pleasure to work with. Until next time Margie!

Dan Eggleton

I am convinced that we would not have closed this deal without Margie's help. She is extremely proactive and very resourceful.