- As the housing market reaches its traditional selling season, the best time to list can depend on location. While house-hunting activity surges around Memorial Day, the highest premium can be had in March, June, or even November in some cities.
While spring is typically the season when prospective buyers go house hunting, the time a seller lists a home could pose a significant financial advantage on returns, according to reports.
Sellers can generally expect better gains when they list between March 15 and July 31, according to Zillow. But in particular, Memorial Day is marked as the season’s peak as buyers look to settle into their homes before summer kicks into full gear.
As a result, that time of the year provides the highest premium for sellers. Last year, homes listed in the last two weeks of May had a 1.6% premium on average nationwide, representing a $5,600 increase over a typical U.S. Home listed in other times of the year.
The highest premium can vary regionally. For example, in the second half of March, home prices in San Diego, Calif., and Austin, Texas, increased by 2% and 2.3%, respectively, yielding an additional $20,100 and $10,400. In late November, the premium in Phoenix, Ariz., reached 1.4%, translating to $6,400 above average closing price.
In San Jose, Calif., listing a home in the second half of March yielded a $93,200 price increase and a 3.9% premium. And hitting the market in Atlanta, Georgia, in early June saw prices jump 1.2%, a $4,700 bump.
Meanwhile, separate data from Realtor.com notes the best listing time across the nation this year is between April 13 and 19.
Historically, home prices during this week are 1.1% higher than during an average week throughout the year and 6.7% more than in January. During this time period, homes sell 17% faster than normal, and there are 13.2% fewer sellers on the market.
But the best time of the year to sell is also subject to change, and dependent on overall housing market conditions. For instance, stubbornly high mortgage rates and home prices have restricted buyer activity in recent years.
In March 2022, the Fed began increasing its rates, and in turn mortgages soared. At its peak, rates for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages skyrocketed above 7% in August 2023 and hovered near that level during 2024. Due to these high rates, homeowners have felt locked in by their mortgages, contributing to a stagnant housing market. Meanwhile, median home sales prices reached a record high of $426,900 in June 2024.
“In the past few years, mortgage rate fluctuations upended the traditional spring home shopping season,” Orphe Divounguy, a Zillow senior economist, said in a report. “Buyers who are on the edge of qualifying for a loan jump in and out of the market depending on what’s happening with rates.”
Mortgage rates are poised to drop if inflation continues to cool, according to Realtor.com. It eased from 3% in January to 2.8% in February, and the 30-year fixed mortgage sits around 6.67%, according to Freddie Mac.
“When rates fall, more buyers rush in, putting upward pressure on prices, which could happen at any time of year,” Divounguy said.