09/16/2026
Best Week To Buy Is Almost Here—and It Could Save Home Shoppers $14K
As children head back to school and the air turns crisp, the housing market is entering its sweetest spot: the peak homebuying week of 2026, offering savvy shoppers more options, bigger savings, and less competition.
The new Realtor.com® Best Time To Buy 2026 report identifies Sept. 27–Oct. 3 as the week boasting the optimal blend of market conditions favoring buyers at the national level. Recognizing that real estate is shaped by local conditions, the report also pinpoints the top buying timeframe for each of the nation's 50 largest metros.
Both buyers and sellers could use all the help they can get this fall. Early-year market momentum stalled in the spring due to rising mortgage rates propelled by the ongoing war in Iran.
"When our midyear forecast was released a few months ago, we expected mortgage rates to ease toward the end of the year, which likely would have brought more buyers into the market," says Realtor.com senior economist Hannah Jones. "As inflation and the Middle East conflict drag on, however, the odds of seeing mortgage rate relief and a rush of buyers hoping to capitalize on it this year are dwindling."
What does "best week" actually mean for buyers? Simply put, during this critical window, shoppers will enjoy nearly 32% more active listings to choose from than at the start of the year, and 13 more days to negotiate compared to the peak market pace of 51 days recorded in May.
"Buyers in the fall will be seeing homes that have been on the market a little longer, may have had a couple price reductions, may be more willing to negotiate," Susan Thayer, an agent with The Thayer Group in Denver, tells Realtor.com. "There are also plenty of sellers that put their homes on the market in the fall, so there will also be fresh, new listings."
Perks for buyers:
Even more significantly for budget-conscious buyers, purchasing during this week offers potential savings of roughly $14,000 or more compared to the summer peak for a median-priced home of $416,000.
That discount is particularly welcome against the current backdrop of elevated borrowing costs, which recently hit a 15-month high of 6.76%, coupled with overall uncertainty.
"When we didn't have the typical spring buying season, a lot of us assumed that the summer would be busy instead. But between the Iran war, tariff issues, and other challenges keeping buyers feeling uncertain, homes are sitting on the market longer, so there is more inventory to choose from," says Victor Currie, real estate agent at Douglas Elliman Real Estate in Los Angeles.
Reach out to me and let's get a game plan.
Sandy Herrick
ReeceNichols
913-205-4333
