When Is the Best Time of Year to Buy a House?

Bill Nelson is a planning excellence lead consultant at Northwestern Mutual.

If you’re looking to buy a house—whether you’re upsizing, downsizing, buying your first, moving across the country for work or have simply always wanted a second home—it’s natural to wonder: What’s the best time of year to buy a house?

The answer to that question will depend on what you consider to be “best.” Maybe you want to be able to buy a house for the lowest possible price. Or maybe you want to have as many options as possible as you settle on the home of your dreams.

Below, you’ll learn when house prices are typically lowest and when you’ll usually find the most homes on the market. You’ll see the pros and cons of buying a house in each season and the other factors you should be considering as you start looking for a home.

When are house prices the lowest?

A lot of different factors come together to influence housing prices, with seasonality being just one piece of the puzzle. Things like mortgage interest rates, economic growth, unemployment numbers, regions and demographic shifts can all work to push prices up or down—in any season.

But it’s still possible to make some generalizations. Home prices often peak in late spring or early summer, when demand is typically highest, before beginning to pull back in the late summer and continuing their descent through the fall and winter months. Then they bottom out in December or January, when fewer people are looking to buy.

You can see that exact story playing out in the information below, which is data from across the U.S. collected by the National Association of Realtors (NAR) from January 2024 through January 2025:

With this in mind, if you want the best shot at buying a home for the lowest possible price, you’re most likely to find a good deal in the winter months.

When are the most houses up for sale?

Late spring isn’t just the herald of warmer weather and longer days: It’s also when many homeowners choose to list their property for sale. And it’s when many buyers begin their search. Higher inventory over the summer months is why many people consider spring to be the unofficial start of the homebuying season.

Looking at the table above, we can see that the number of houses for sale begins to tick up in February and March before exploding in earnest in April and May. This upward trend typically continues into the summer, often peaking around August or September before beginning a gradual decline leading into winter.

So which month saw the most houses on the market? In 2024, August and October tied for first place with 1,370,000 houses for sale.

Pros and cons of buying a home in each season

There is, of course, more to consider than prices and availability when deciding when to buy a house. Below is a quick look at some pros and cons of buying in each season, which you might want to think about as you begin your home-buying journey.

Buying a home in the spring

Pros: The greatest benefit to buying a home in the spring lies in the fact that this is the season that sees the greatest increase in the number of houses for sale, especially after the decreased listings typically seen in the winter. It’s also typically easier to coordinate and schedule home inspections and to move in the spring due to milder spring weather vs. the snow, sleet and ice often seen in the winter.

Cons: Unfortunately, if you’re shopping for a home in the spring, you won’t be the only one. An increase in buyers during the spring translates into greater competition, which can push prices higher, increase the likelihood of seller demands like earnest money and simply reduce your ability to negotiate.

Buying a home in the summer

Pros: If you’re looking to buy a home in the summer, you’ll enjoy many of the same benefits as in the spring, including pleasant weather and a high number of listings to choose from. In the late summer (August and early September), prices tend to come down as many families begin getting ready for the school year and demand lessens. For families with children, buying a home in the summer can be especially convenient because you won’t need to schedule move-in around the kids’ school schedule.

Cons: Competition in the early and mid-summer months (June and July) is just as high as it is in late spring, again typically translating into high prices. In some regions, like the southeast U.S., the summer can also bring inclement weather like hurricanes, which might make touring, inspecting and moving into a new home more difficult.

Buying a home in the fall

Pros: With fewer people shopping for a home in the fall, competition tends to pull back, increasing the likelihood that any offer you make will be considered—and possibly with fewer seller stipulations. Likewise, some sellers may be anxious to close before the rush of the winter holiday season, giving you more leverage to negotiate on price.

Cons: Sellers may be less inclined to list their homes during the slower fall months, which typically leads to a leveling off and decrease of inventory. This might mean fewer homes for you to consider as you shop around. For buyers with kids, early fall can be a difficult time to even think about moving, especially with the start of the school year as everyone is getting used to their schedules. Late fall (November and December) also brings the possibility of bad weather, which can hamper tours, inspections and moving.

Buying a home in the winter

Pros: As the season with the least competition, buying a home in the winter can mean lower prices, a quicker time to close, and even a better time working with a realtor, who likely has fewer clients to serve. Colder temperatures in some regions also give you a natural opportunity to evaluate the home for drafts, which could be costly to repair and are more difficult to identify in the warmer months.

Cons: The winter months typically see the least number of homes on the market, leaving you with fewer options to consider. As with the fall, bad winter weather can make inspections and moving more difficult than in warmer seasons. Snow can also make it more difficult to assess the landscaping of any property you are considering.

What else to consider when buying a home

While seasonality can affect both the number of listings and the average sale price of homes, that doesn’t mean you have to buy a home at a certain time of year. Just because home prices tend to be higher in the spring doesn’t mean you can’t find a good deal at that time of year. And just because inventory tends to be lower in the winter doesn’t mean you won’t be able to find a house that meets your needs.

Beyond seasonality, it’s important to think about other factors that can impact home prices, including market conditions, mortgage rates, location and the broader economic climate. It’s also critical that you don’t rush into buying a home just because it seems like a good deal; proper inspections are always a must.

Not sure if you’re ready to buy a home, how much home you can afford or how much you should borrow? Your financial advisor can help you see the big picture and how a home will affect the rest of your money. Your advisor will get to know you and ask deeper questions that can uncover blind spots and opportunities. They can then build a financial plan that helps you protect and grow your wealth while achieving goals like your new home.

Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. owns the certification marks CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and CFP® (with flame design) in the U.S., which it awards to individuals who successfully complete CFP Board's initial and ongoing certification requirements.