Listing during these weeks could net sellers thousands more
New reports from Realtor.com and Zillow identify the ideal listing windows as demand — and competition — builds.
Key points:
- The week of April 12-18 is the listing sweet spot, according to Realtor.com, due to a combination of higher sales prices, fewer price reductions and more buyer traffic.
- Zillow suggests waiting to list until the last two weeks of May, when sellers, on average, see a $6,000 sale price boost.
- Local market conditions play a big role, however, and sellers in areas with limited supply have more flexibility to list when they're ready.
The home shopping season may be off to a slow start, but sellers might improve their outcomes by choosing a peak listing window. According to Realtor.com, that's the week of April 12-18, while Zillow predicts sellers will have the best pricing leverage about a month later.
Although the reports recommend different ideal selling windows, they share a common theme for agents advising clients: List early enough to beat the inventory surge, but late enough to meet rising buyer demand.
Maximizing pricing power, minimizing days on market
According to Realtor.com, homes listed during the week of April 12-18 historically sell for about 1.3% more compared to the average week. In today's market, that equates to about $5,300 above the annual median home price, and as much as $26,000 more than homes were selling for at the start of the year.
Meanwhile, Zillow's analysis suggests that sellers who list during the last two weeks in May will see the best ROI, netting around $6,000 more based on national averages — and a significantly higher premium in some markets.
Realtor.com noted that mid-April listings also tend to get more attention from buyers and ultimately sell faster. In 2025, homes listed that week spent about 50 days on the market versus the annual average of 60 days, and historically, homes that go on the market that week get 16.7% more views compared to a typical week, the report indicated.
In addition, 18.9% fewer homes undergo price reductions when listed during Realtor.com's recommended "best week" — an important factor in a market that's still recalibrating after historically slow sales in 2025. For agents, this can mean smoother transactions and more predictable timelines.
How much does timing really matter? It depends on your local market
Both reports point to improving affordability as a key driver behind the ideal spring window. Mortgage rates, which have moved up in recent weeks but remain well below last year's mid-March averages, are pulling buyers back into the market.
Inventory is recovering, but not evenly. National housing supply remains about 16.8% below pre-pandemic norms, according to the Realtor.com report, keeping upward pressure on prices even as more sellers enter the market.
"The housing market remains undersupplied, especially in the Northeast and Midwest, meaning sellers of well-priced, move-in ready homes are likely to find success," Hannah Jones, senior economic research analyst at Realtor.com, said in a press release. "However, in the South and West where inventory is more abundant, sellers face softer conditions. In those metros, optimizing timing to this early spring window is even more critical to differentiate a property from the growing competition."
This creates a short-lived advantage for sellers. By late June, new listings historically surge more than 38%, according to Realtor.com data.
Ultimately, real estate remains hyperlocal, which can push the prime listing window earlier or later. In San Jose, for example, sellers who listed in the first two weeks of February garnered a $53,800 boost on a typical home, according to Zillow, while Baltimore sellers saw the greatest price bump when listing during the last two weeks of June.