The housing market has been particularly brutal in the past two years. While the pandemic inaugurated an era of mortgage rate of less than 3%, those who reached levels culminating at 8% in October 2023.
But the US housing market moves slowly but surely in favor of buyers. Mortgage requests jumped almost 30% last week, according to the Deathgage Bankers Association. House prices are also starting to get into and even drop in certain markets.
“For potential buyers who were waiting on the sidelines, the housing market is finally starting to listen to,” wrote the first American chief economist Mark Fleming in a first American Post of August 29.
Given these factors, among other things, the “best time” to buy a house this year is fast approaching, according to a Realtor.com report published this week. Realtor.com claims that the week of October 12 to 18 will be the 2025 “Sweet Spot” for house buyers thanks to a “rare combination” of higher inventory levels, lower house prices and less competition. For the report, Realtor.com analyzed six supply and demand measures at the national and metropolitan level which follow seasonal models using data from 2018 to 2024.
“After years of forced conditions, the housing market in 2025 gives buyers something that they have not had for a long time: the options,” said Danielle Hale, chief economist of Realtor.com, in a press release. “I expect this momentum to expand typical seasonal trends that promote house buyers in the fall.”
Although spring is historically considered to be the purchase season of advanced house, there is generally more competition and higher prices during this time of the year. Realtor.com data suggest that there will be 32.6% of houses for sale in addition to the beginning of 2025, the prices of houses could be up to $ 15,000 lower than a house at a median price during the high season, and there is a potential for 30.6% less competition than the advanced house purchase season during the week of October 12 to 18.
“In addition to the seasonal bump of the inventory, it is also an intelligent window to go under contract before the holidays,” said Steph Mahon, owner of the real estate company. Fortune. “By moving now, you can perform inspections, loan documents and other diligence tasks before the action of graces, avoiding the additional stress of juggle everything during the holiday season.”
The purchase season varies according to the market
Although the best overall week to buy a house in the United States is from October 12 to 18, this timing varies depending on geography. The national “best week” applies to many metropolitan areas like Houston, Los Angeles and Washington, DC, but some may be earlier or later, according to Realtor.com. Of the 50 largest American metros, 45 will know their best time to buy in the month following the national average.
New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Atlanta and Dallas will see more conditions suitable for buyers from September.
In Manhattan, “September is simultaneously the month which experiences both the new highest offer to come on the market and the lowest contractual activity volume,” said Noah Rosenblatt, CEO and co -founder of the Urbandigs real estate analysis company, Fortune.
Florida markets, including Miami and Tampa, can reach a summit as late as December, according to data from Realtor.com. In fact, Philadelphia and Milwaukee have already had their “best weeks” from September 7 to 13.
In southern Florida, the purchasing season “arrives both for seasonal tenants who buy, snowbirds and families who want to be for the winter,” said Jeff Lichtenstein, CEO and broker at Echo Fine Properties in West Palm Beach, said Fortune. “We have seen a period of demand for a decrease of three and a half years, so it’s just mature.”
The other early departures include Hartford, Conn., Memphis, Tenn., And Virginia Beach, Virginie, but for house buyers who seek in Charlotte, NC, Louisville, Ken., Phoenix, Miami or Tampa, November will probably be your best bet, according to data from Realtor.com.
“Make your pre-applals and understand contracts outside the state if you take a step,” said Lichtenstein. “Expect more competition, the more ready you are, the less you can pull the trigger and not lose a house.”
