Week of Sept 27 is Best Week to Buy a Home

AUSTIN – (By Dale King, Realty News Report) – If your search for a new home has been uneventful of late, your luck may soon change. The “Best Week” – a nationally designated time period for potential buyers to take advantage of positive real estate market conditions — is just around the corner, says the “Realtor.com 2026 Best Time to Buy” report issued Monday.

The report, which analyzes a half-dozen supply and demand metrics, says the week of September 27 to October 3 is the most fortuitous time during 2026 to make your presence felt in the home buying arena. Nationally, that slot “offers home shoppers the most favorable balance of inventory, lower listing prices, reduced competition and a more manageable market pace.”

“The two weeks that follow are almost as favorable” for home searchers, the report adds.

During the so-called “Best Week,” home seekers are likely to come across 31.9% more active listings than at the beginning of 2026. Listing prices are also projected to be 3.5% below their seasonal peak, which could morph into about $14,000 in savings on a median-priced home costing about $416,000.

In addition, competition – measured by Realtor.com as the number of listing views per property — is historically 30.1% below its annual peak.

“Home shoppers heading into fall will find an opportunity that has been hard to come by in recent years: more choices and less urgency,” said Hannah Jones, senior economist for Realtor.com. “That window has consistently landed in early fall, and this year it arrives a bit earlier than the past couple of years as inventory and price reductions both peaked earlier than the past fall.”

“The week of September 27–October 3,” Jones said, “brings together the market conditions buyers value most—elevated inventory, less competition and prices that have eased from their seasonal high—giving buyers who are ready to make a move in the market more room to compare homes and negotiate with confidence.”

Strong Start, Soft Summer

The 2026 housing market began this year on fairly firm footing before that momentum stalled as the Iran conflict pushed mortgage rates back up during much of the summer. At the same time, active listings continued to grow year-over-year, though they remain about 11% below pre-pandemic levels nationally.

Softer buyer demand and a slower market pace have helped shift conditions in the direction of buyers, creating an especially favorable backdrop for the seasonal advantages of early fall.

When is the Best Time to Buy?

The “Best Week” ranks highest across six seasonal supply-and-demand measures: active listings, fresh listings, listing prices, time on market, homebuyer demand and price reductions.

For buyers, it offers a mix of advantages:

Plentiful listings: The “Best Week” is expected to have 13.3% more active listings than the average week and 31.9% more than weeks at the beginning of the year. This gives house hunters more opportunities to locate homes with the right fit.
Less competition: Buyer demand is historically 30.1% lower than at the time of its annual peak and 14.4% lower than the average week, giving shoppers more breathing room.
A more manageable pace: Based on seasonal trends and a cooling market, homes are expected to spend around 64 days on market during the “Best Week” — about 13 days longer than the year’s peak pace.
Lower post-peak prices: Listing prices typically fall 3.5% from their seasonal high by the time “Best Week” arrives. This year, as noted above, that seasonal shift could save home purchasers about $14,000 compared with the summer peak on a median-priced home with a $416,000 price tag.
More negotiating room: Historically, 5.7% of homes see price reductions during the “Best Week,” one of the strongest weeks of the year for seller price drops.
Fresh options: The “Best Week” historically brings 20% more new listings than the start of the year, an important factor for buyers with specific needs.

In the report, Jones urges home buyers to “use this window strategically rather than treating the one week as a deadline.”

“Shopping earlier in the fall may provide the most expansive mix of fresh listings to choose from. Waiting until later in the season may bring additional price flexibility. The right choice depends on a buyer’s budget, timeline and local market, but preparation—including understanding a realistic monthly payment and getting pre-approved—will be especially valuable this fall.”

“Home shoppers also should become familiar with the market and their priorities as soon as possible to capitalize on what matters most to them.”

Local Market Sweet Spots

The national “Best Week” coincides with the best time to purchase a dwelling in 14 of the 50 largest U.S. metros studied in the Realtor.com report, including three in Texas – Dallas, Houston and Austin – along with Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Philadelphia and Riverside. Another Texas metro, San Antonio, is also in that mix, but “Best Week” arrives a bit later in the year for the Home of the Alamo – that is, the week of October 4-10.

In the large markets where the local “Best Week” aligns with the country’s top most purchasing period, buyers historically see 17.6% more listings than the typical week of the year, 36.1% less competition than the annual peak, about two additional weeks on market and listing prices that are 5.7% below peak levels.

Different seasonal trends mean that the “Best Week” varies by metro. New York and Milwaukee have the earliest “Best Weeks,” both in early September. Miami and Tampa have the latest, with their most favorable buyer conditions taking place between November 29 and December 5.

Overall, 42 of the 50 largest metros have a “Best Week” within a month of the national “Best Week,” underscoring widespread buyer-friendly conditions during September and October.

Market Rebalancing

Even in a rebalancing market, local conditions and personal priorities matter, says the Realtor.com report. Buyers focused on choice may benefit from acting earlier in the season while folks prioritizing price may encounter more savings later in the fall as demand softens toward the holidays.

Despite the challenges buyers still face as the housing market moves toward a healthier balance, the “Best Week” stands out as the most favorable time to buy, offering the best combination of market conditions all year.

Mark Your Calendar:

CommGate will host its Economic Outlook –Wednesday, Sept. 23 from 3 to 6 p.m. at the Houston Country Club. Economist Ted C. Jones, PhD, will present an economic forecast examining trends that will shape the real estate market in the coming year. Following the presentation, connect at a networking social with beverages and hors d’oeuvres. Free for members of CommGate, CCIM, and SIOR. Non-members $50. Link to Registration

THE RALPH BIVINS PROJECT PODCAST

LISTEN: THE RALPH BIVINS PROJECT with Joe Rothchild and Jana Hayes with Keller Williams Houston Central

LISTEN: THE RALPH BIVINS PROJECT with Sam Scott of CommGate

LISTEN: THE RALPH BIVINS PROJECT with Stephen Meek of StreetLights Residential

LISTEN: THE RALPH BIVINS PROJECT with Mike Spears of Lee & Associates Houston

LISTEN: THE RALPH BIVINS PROJECT with Bob Parsley of Colliers Houston

LISTEN: THE RALPH BIVINS PROJECT with Mark Davis of Davis Commercial

LISTEN: THE RALPH BIVINS PROJECT with David Hightower of Midway

LISTEN: THE RALPH BIVINS PROJECT with Alex Kamkar of Bold Fox Development

LISTEN: THE RALPH BIVINS PROJECT with Brad McWhirter of Trahan Architects

LISTEN: THE RALPH BIVINS PROJECT with Lacee Jacobs of Rebel Retail Advisors

LISTEN: THE RALPH BIVINS PROJECT with Danny Rice of Colliers