Florida Buyers See Late Fall Advantage

AUSTIN, Texas — The best time to buy a home in 2025 is fast approaching. According to the Realtor.com 2025 Best Time to Buy Report, the week of October 12–18 will be the year's sweet spot for home shoppers, with a rare combination of higher inventory (32.6% more active listings from the start of the year), lower prices (a potential savings of $15,000), and less competition (30.6% lower) that makes it advantageous for buyers.

"After years of constrained conditions, the 2025 housing market is giving buyers something they haven't had in a long time: options," said Danielle Hale, chief economist, Realtor.com. "I expect this market momentum shift to magnify typical seasonal trends that favor homebuyers in the fall. During the week of October 12–18, data suggest that buyers will find more homes for sale, less competition from other shoppers, and potential average savings of more than $15,000 compared to this summer's peak prices. In a year that's been the most buyer-friendly in nearly a decade, it's the best window of opportunity for homebuyers all year."

Why is mid-October the best time to buy?

For the first time in years, the housing market is showing signs of balance, creating a rare opportunity for buyers including:

• Plentiful listings: Inventory levels typically peak in the early fall, and this year, they've reached the highest point since before the pandemic even before the season cools. Buyers during the best week can expect up to 32.6% more active listings than at the start of the year, offering more options to find the right fit.
• Less competition: Buyer demand has cooled in 2025 due to affordability challenges and elevated mortgage rates. Historically, competition is 30.6% lower than peak season during this week, giving buyers more breathing room and reducing pressure to make rushed decisions.
• A more manageable market pace: Homes are taking longer to sell, with the U.S. median time on market surpassing pre-pandemic norms this summer. In October, homes typically spend two weeks longer on the market compared to peak season, meaning sellers may be more open to negotiation.
• Lower prices: Nationally, listing prices during the best week are on average 3.4% below seasonal peaks, translating to potential savings of over $15,000 on a median-priced home of $439,450.
• More price reductions: October historically marks one of the top periods for price cuts, with about 5.5% of homes seeing reductions that week. Recent trends suggest 2025 could see even more discounted listings.
• Fresh listings: Despite slower-than-usual seller activity overall in the fall, mid-October consistently has enough fresh listings to outpace conditions at the start of the year – historically 15.7% more – giving buyers additional opportunities to find homes that match their priorities.

The 2025 housing market has slowed compared to recent years, allowing inventory to accumulate and giving buyers more leverage. Active listings climbed above 1 million in late spring, a milestone not seen in years, and time on market has normalized to pre-pandemic levels. Elevated mortgage rates and stronger rental alternatives have kept some buyers on the sidelines, further reducing competition.

"While the market has not yet tipped into a full 'buyer's market,' conditions are more balanced than they have been in years," said Hale. "This represents a significant shift after a period of historically tight supply and intense competition that left many home shoppers priced out."

Regional highlights

The national "best week" of October 12–18 applies to many metro areas, but local markets show some variation:

• Earlier best weeks: New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Atlanta, and Dallas all see buyer-friendly conditions a few weeks earlier, often in September.
• Aligned with national timing: Large metros like Houston, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C. mirror the national October timing.
• Later best weeks: Florida markets, including Miami and Tampa, peak as late as December.

Across the 50 largest metros, 45 experience their best time to buy within a month of the national week. In metros aligned with October 12–18, buyers can expect 20.9% more listings, 37.3% less competition, and home prices 6.8% below peak levels compared to earlier in the year.

Methodology:

Realtor.com analyzed six supply and demand metrics at a national and metropolitan level that follow seasonal patterns, using data for 2018-2024 period (2020 data was omitted due to anomalies caused by the pandemic). Those metrics analyzed include: 1) listing prices, 2) inventory levels, 3) new "fresh" listings, 4) time on market, 5) homebuyer demand (Realtor.com views per property) and 6) price reductions. Interest rates, which do not follow seasonal patterns, were not included.

Each week of the year was scored from 0 to 100 based on the number of active listings. A given week scored highly if it had more listings compared to other weeks of the year. The other metrics were scored in the same way, such that each week had six different scores for active listings, new listings, listing prices, days on market, price reductions, and views per property. (In the case of prices, lower prices score higher. Same with views per property).

Each week was then ranked by the average of those scores. The week with the highest composite score was considered the best time to buy. This week represents a balanced view of market conditions favorable for buyers.

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