The busiest stretch of the home-buying year is winding down — and for anyone still looking, that is good news.
Once the back-to-school rush passes, much of the spring and summer crowd steps away, especially the parents who hoped to be settled before the first bell. According to the National Association of Realtors, both sales and new listings cool as fall arrives, which leaves fewer buyers circling the same homes. Less company at the open house is its own kind of leverage.
The sellers who stay in the market tend to be the motivated ones. A house that has sat unsold since spring leaves its owner with a year-end decision — trim the price now or pull the listing until next year — and many choose to deal. According to Zillow, price cuts and longer shopping times are hallmarks of the season. By late fall, an owner who still has not sold is often the most willing to deal of the whole year.
This year tilts the table a little further toward buyers. Inventory has climbed to about 4.5 months’ supply, according to the National Association of Realtors — the most room buyers have had to maneuver in years. Roughly a third of listings nationwide, about 36 percent, have taken a price cut, according to HousingWire, and median asking prices have eased slightly from a year ago. J.P. Morgan expects home prices to hold close to flat nationally through 2026. The frenzy, in short, has cooled, and patient shoppers are the ones being rewarded.
There is also a calendar to mind. A search that begins in August or September leaves comfortable time to tour homes, make an offer and close — and to be hanging stockings in a new living room rather than battling next spring’s crowds.
If a move by the holidays is on your wish list, this is the season to begin. As your agent, I would love to help you map the path from first showing to front-door wreath.
Rick Good spent ten years in the newspaper business, including with The News & Observer (Raleigh, NC) and The Greenville News (Greenville, SC). He co-wrote, with Melinda Coleman, Rutledge to Riley: Governors of South Carolina, 1776–Present (Published by The Greenville News), and is the author of Mind Games Trivia #1 (Amazon). He has recently spent 15 years creating original trivia content through Sounds Good Mobile Entertainment and continues that with his new company, SGME Software. He edits The Smart Reader’s money, real estate, and business coverage.
