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

Buying a home is the largest single investment that most people will make in their lifetime. It’s important to take a methodical approach to ensure that you are making the best possible choice for your family. Many future homebuyers often wonder if there is an optimal time of year to purchase their home. The best time to purchase a home will vary from individual to individual based on your particular circumstances.

Summer and Fall

The real estate market slows in summer, and fall is the slowest time of the year for home sales. According to Redfin[1], a national real estate brokerage, in Palm Beach County in 2021, the slowest sales period for the year was the four weeks ending November 28, with 643 homes sold. In contrast, in May, the peak period of the year, 1,033 homes were sold.

Not surprisingly, late summer and fall tend to have the fewest number of homes on the market. In fact, many home sellers actually take their home off the market during the Thanksgiving through News Year’s season because they don’t want the hassle of having to show their home to potential buyers while juggling holiday cooking, guests, and parties. The sellers who remain on the market tend to be highly motivated to sell. Similarly, there are fewer homebuyers this time of year as well. Because of the relatively quiet market at this time of year, home buyers are often able to negotiate more favorable prices than they would at other times of the year. Additionally, if you are purchasing a home directly from a developer, they may offer better prices this time of year to help them make their sales targets for the year.

Winter and Spring

Winter and spring feature the highest levels of home inventory in Palm Beach County. Redfin reports that in 2021, Palm Beach County had 955 new home listing in the four-week period ending May 9^th. In contrast, the four-week period ending December 26 that year had only 628 new listings[2]. Interestingly, in most of the country, winter is the slowest time of year for new home listings. However, due to the influx of snowbirds, Palm Beach County defies this trend. In addition, young families often prefer to shop for homes in the spring so that they can be moved in and ready for the next school year to begin in August. While this time of year offers the largest choice of homes, it also offers the largest amount of competition for those homes, and often the highest sale prices.

So, the best time to buy a house depends on if you want more choices at a higher cost or fewer choices at a lower cost. Whichever you decide, Choice Mortgage Group is here to support you and make the mortgage process as easy and seamless as possible.

Since 1995, Choice Mortgage Group has been providing homeowners with the best real estate financing programs available. As a licensed lender, we offer a wide variety of services and programs that satisfy the unique needs of each of our clients.

Specializing in residential mortgage lending for over 25 years, our programs include conventional and government lending, purchases, and refinances. We also offer portfolio lending for self-employed borrowers and borrowers with complicated tax situations. South Florida is where Choice Mortgage Group started, and we like to call it home. We are devoted Florida Atlantic University Owls fans and are proud to be the official mortgage lender of FAU Athletics. We also support numerous other local organizations. For more information about Choice Mortgage Group, visit www.choicemortgage.com.

Choice Mortgage Group

2424 N Federal Hwy, Suite 100

Boca Raton, FL 33431

(561) 395-6900

info@choicemortgage.com

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[1] Redfin. Downloadable Housing Market Data – Redfin. Accessed July 18, 2022.

[2] Redfin. Downloadable Housing Market Data – Redfin. Accessed July 19, 2022.