It’s often thought that the best time of year to put a house on the market is in the spring, because people are more in the mood to be out shopping once the unpleasant winter weather is over. But there are other factors at play.
One way to measure how much better the spring season — specifically, April through June — is for sellers is the median number of days a house is on the market. In 2024, it dropped from 38 days in February to 22 days in June before starting to rise again, according to National Association of Realtors data.
Aside from the weather, there tends to be more homes on the market during the spring and early summer months. Also, parents want to have a home locked up so they can know where their children will go to school in the fall.
When is the best time to sell in warm climates? Vacation spots?
In Florida, many of the so-called "snowbirds" hunt for homes between November and April.
California also has less fluctuation in home sales than other parts of the country. There are still selling seasons, but they have less to do with the weather.
“The best time to sell is February to June,” Tracey Esling, the Bay East Association of Realtors board president near San Francisco, said in an interview. “It’s past the holidays, it’s near tax time, and a lot of leases are about to end.”
In ski resort towns in Colorado, sales of single-family homes are limited during the winter because snow often covers roofs and the ground, making it hard to get a full sense of a property, Dana Cottrell, Colorado Association of Realtors president, said in an interview. But she said sales of condos and townhouses, which make up a large share of the homes in these places, don't tend to be affected by the seasons.
The period from October to the end of the year is also a good time to sell, she said, once the distraction of the new school year is over.
There are off-season benefits
Even in cold-weather states, some people may find reason to market a home as early as February, or as late as fall. In those months, there’s less competition from other people trying to sell their homes, according to mortgage giant Freddie Mac. Professionals such as home inspectors may be more available during these months, so the process of getting to the closing stage can happen more quickly.
A 2024 study by real estate company ATTOM found that February ranks as one of the top three months to close on a property, even if it may not sell until spring.
"This performance can be attributed to a combination of limited inventory and motivated buyers looking to secure properties before the competitive spring market fully unfolds," Rob Barber, ATTOM's chief executive officer, said in a message.
In the U.S. overall, May offers a homeowner the best chance at earning more money in a sale than the property's estimated value. Sales that close in May typically give homeowners 9.5% more — the highest price premium of all 12 months, ATTOM said in a study it released in late April. The worst months to sell are in the fall — September, October, and November — when the premiums fall to 6.9%, 6.6% and 6.4%, respectively.
Other reasons to wait — or not
If a house needs significant repairs, it may be better to make them first before putting a house on the market, according to Bankrate.com. Buyers tend to prefer houses that are in reasonably good shape, unless the current owner is prepared to sell at a price well below market value.
Another factor is if someone has recently refinanced their home to obtain a better mortgage rate. That lower rate may be too valuable to give up, especially when rates are much higher than they were just a few years earlier.
Some people may need to sell their home during the off-season because they’re in a hurry to downsize to a smaller house, need to move for a job, or face some other life change.