The Best Week to Buy a Home in San Diego Is Coming

If buying a home in San Diego has been on your radar, there may be a particularly good window coming up this fall.

Realtor.com just released its annual Best Time to Buy report, and nationally, September 27 through October 3 is expected to offer buyers one of the best combinations of more homes to choose from, less competition, longer days on market and more negotiating opportunity.

But here’s what I found even more interesting:

For San Diego specifically, Realtor.com says our best week to buy is actually October 11–17.

And considering the shift I’ve been seeing in our local market, that makes a lot of sense.

Why Is There a “Best Week” to Buy?

First, I wouldn't suggest that anyone buy a home simply because a report says it's the best week of the year.

The right time to buy is when the right home, the right payment, and the right circumstances come together for you.

But there are times of the year when the numbers can give buyers a little more leverage, and fall is historically one of them.

Realtor.com analyzed eight years of housing data and looked at six things that matter to buyers:

• How many homes are available
• How many new listings are coming on the market
• Listing prices
• Days on market
• Buyer competition
• Price reductions

When those factors are looked at together, late September and October tend to create a pretty interesting window for buyers.

What Buyers Could See Nationally

For the week of September 27 through October 3, Realtor.com projects that buyers nationally could see 31.9% more active listings than they did at the beginning of the year.

Competition is historically about 30% lower than at its annual peak, and homes tend to sit approximately 13 days longer than they do during the fastest-moving part of the year.

Prices also tend to be lower.

There also tend to be more price reductions.

None of that means every seller is suddenly desperate to make a deal. But it does mean buyers may have something they haven't had much of over the last several years:

Time and choices.

And those two things can make a big difference when you're buying a home.

San Diego's Best Week Comes a Little Later

This is where it gets really interesting for us locally.

According to Realtor.com's analysis, October 11–17 is expected to be the best week to buy in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area.

Historically, during that week:

• Active listings are about 15.3% higher than during a typical week.
• Buyer competition, measured by views per property, is about 40.7% lower than its peak.
• Homes spend approximately 12 additional days on the market compared with the fastest point of the year.
• Median listing prices are approximately 6.6% below their seasonal peak.

Those are meaningful differences.

And for me, the biggest takeaway isn't necessarily that buyers should circle October 11 on the calendar and wait.

It's that the balance of power has shifted.

More Inventory Changes the Conversation

For several years, buyers were trained to move incredibly fast.

A home came on the market, you saw it immediately, and if you loved it, you might be writing an offer that night. There wasn't always much time to think, negotiate, or even sleep on it.

That's not the case with every property anymore.

We're seeing more homes sit on the market, more price adjustments, and sellers who may be more willing to have a conversation about price, credits, repairs, or other terms.

Of course, this is San Diego.

A beautifully presented home in a great neighborhood that is priced correctly can still sell very quickly. I've said this many times: there isn't one San Diego real estate market.

What's happening in Rancho Santa Fe can be completely different from Poway, Rancho Bernardo, Solana Beach, Encinitas or Carlsbad. Even within the same neighborhood, the price point and condition of the home can dramatically change how much negotiating power you have.

That's why I wouldn't make an offer based solely on a national headline.

How I Would Use This Window as a Buyer

If you know you're planning to buy, I would start watching the market now rather than waiting for one specific week.

Pay attention to the homes that have been sitting.

Look at the price reductions.

Watch for homes that went under contract and came back on the market.

And most importantly, know your numbers before you fall in love with a house.

What monthly payment are you comfortable with?

How much cash do you want to put into the transaction?

Are there seller credits or a rate buydown that could make more sense for you than simply negotiating the purchase price?

Those are the conversations I want my buyers having before we write an offer.

Because sometimes the best deal isn't the lowest purchase price. It's structuring the entire transaction in a way that makes the most sense for you.

Don't Treat October 11 Like a Deadline

I really like this point from Realtor.com's report: buyers should think of this as a window, not a deadline.

If having the largest selection of homes is most important to you, shopping earlier in the fall may make sense.

If negotiating power is more important, sellers whose homes are still sitting as we move deeper into fall and toward the holidays may become more flexible.

There is a trade-off. Waiting longer may mean better negotiating opportunities, but it can also mean fewer homes to choose from.

The goal isn't to perfectly time the market.

It's to recognize when the market is giving you an advantage and be prepared enough to use it.

And this fall, San Diego buyers may have a little more leverage than they've been used to.