The week of Sunday, September 27 through Saturday, October 3 is the best time of 2026 to buy a home, according to new research published by Realtor.com earlier this month. This seven-day fall stint features to best combination of inventory, reduced listing prices, minimized competition and “a more manageable market pace,” real estate experts noted in Realtor.com’s 2026 Best Time to Buy Report.
This week, prospective homebuyers are expected to find as much as nearly 32% more active home listings compared to the start of 2026, with those listings forecast to land about 3.5% below their seasonal peak. During this weeklong stint, homebuying competition is projected to be down 30.1% compared to its annual highs.
“Home shoppers heading into fall will find an opportunity that has been hard to come by in recent years: more choices and less urgency. With mortgage rates still elevated above year-ago levels, and offering buyers little relief on the financing side, this fall window is a clear opportunity for buyers to make up some ground elsewhere,” Hannah Jones, senior economist, Realtor.com, said in the mid-September release.. “The week of September 27–October 3 brings together the market conditions buyers value most—elevated inventory, less competition and prices that have eased from their seasonal high—giving prepared buyers a way to offset high rates with savings on price and room to negotiate with confidence.”
This national best homebuying week is especially reflected in 14 of the 50 largest metro areas in the United States, Realtor.com revealed, including three major cities in the Lone Star State. Austin, Dallas and Houston’s real estate markets are offering prospective homebuyers more bang for their buck this week, with buyers typically seeing 17.6% more listings and prices 5.7% below peak levels.
As for San Antonio? That peak week trails just behind, clocking in as Sunday, October 4 through Saturday, October 10. During that timespan, active listings are up 15.9% while views per property are down 35.9% compared to the most competitive seasonal times each year.