Best time to buy a home arriving ‘a bit earlier’ this fall 

As the summer of 2026 winds to a close, real estate professionals are preparing their buyer clients to take advantage of what could be their best home-purchasing window.

Though mortgage rates are hovering around the highest levels of the year and concerns about the economy are growing amid rising inflation and the ongoing U.S.-Iran war, aspiring buyers have room to negotiate this fall as the housing market slump of the past few years drags on.

Best week to buy in 2026: The best time this year for a home shopper to make a property purchase is "right around the corner," according to Realtor.com's 2026 Best Time to Buy report released on Sept. 14.

The analysis considered six key metrics — listing prices, inventory, new listings, days on market, buyer demand and price reductions — based on data from 2018 through 2025 and concluded that the week of Sept. 27 will offer the most buyer-friendly market conditions this year.

From Sept. 27 through Oct. 3, active listings could be 31.9% higher than at the start of the year, according to the report, and listing prices are expected to be lower, which could provide buyers with cost-saving opportunities.

There also tends to be less competition among home shoppers at this time of year, which can give buyers a leg up on negotiations.

"Home shoppers heading into fall will find an opportunity that has been hard to come by in recent years: more choices and less urgency," Realtor.com Senior Economist Hannah Jones said in a news release, adding that the best week to buy in 2026 is arriving "a bit earlier than the past couple of years" since inventory and price reductions have already peaked.

As buyers head into late September, they will find "more room to compare homes and negotiate with confidence," Jones said.

Strategic timing varies by market: While the best time to buy nationally starts in late September, many major metro areas are expected to have better buyer conditions later in October — and in a few cases, the best conditions for buyers started weeks earlier.  

This week is the best time to buy in Sacramento, California, while next week will be best in Memphis, Tennessee, and in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Early or mid-November is expected to be advantageous for buyers in six major metros (Charlotte, North Carolina; Raleigh, North Carolina; Louisville, Kentucky; Phoenix; Tucson, Arizona; and Buffalo, New York), while improved conditions kick off in late November in Miami and Tampa, Florida.

New York and Milwaukee are the only metros where the best time to buy already passed in early September, according to the report.

Weigh timing data 'strategically': Persistently elevated mortgage rates, the high cost of living and widespread economic uncertainty have stood in the way of the housing market rebound that many economists and industry advocates had hoped would begin this year following the post-pandemic market slump.

Though some would-be buyers may be holding off in the hope that mortgage rates might fall sometime soon, recent research published by AD Mortgage indicates that delaying a home purchase doesn't quite offer the financial benefits buyers may imagine, with the "buy now" approach typically working out better in the long run.

Still, data indicates certain periods do tend to be better than others for home shoppers. With the best time to buy fast approaching, Jones said buyers "should use this window strategically" instead of treating it "as a deadline": "Shopping earlier in the fall may provide the broadest selection of fresh listings, while waiting later in the season may bring additional price flexibility."

Ultimately, "The right choice depends on a buyer's budget, timeline and local market," Jones said, "but preparation — including understanding a realistic monthly payment and getting pre-approved — will be especially valuable this fall."