Nationally, the best time to sell a house is March if you’re trying to sell quickly, while the best time to maximize profit is July. Zillow recommends listing your home for sale in March, but no later than Labor Day, based on historical market trends.
Best month to sell a house
Historically, May was the best month to sell a house, but that changed to March in recent years. In 2019, homes listed during the weeks of March 11 and 18 sold fastest. Keep in mind, we omitted irregular data from 2020.
If you’re hoping to sell for more than the asking price, aim for the week of April 22. And try to list before September, because that’s when families start settling down to begin the school year. By October, sellers face the worst weeks of the year for maximizing gains — homes listed during the weeks of October 14 and 21 were least likely to sell above ask in 2019.
It’s important to remember that local market circ*mstances also influence the best time to list your house. Those conditions include job growth, mortgage rates and tax incentives.
| Best month to sell a house | Best day of the week to list |
|---|---|
| March | Thursday |
Best day to list a house
List your house on a Thursday to increase the chances of your home selling more quickly and for more money.
Homes listed on a Thursday typically go pending faster than any other day of the week, all other things being equal. The difference is notable in a market where homes are typically selling in seven days.
Homes listed on a Sunday tend to sit on the market eight days longer than those listed on a Thursday. Saturday and Monday are only marginally better than Sunday — putting a home up for sale on either of those days typically takes seven days longer to sell than a home listed on Thursday.
Zillow’s research also shows that Thursday listings are 1.5% more likely to sell above their asking price, while homes listed on either Saturday or Sunday were 1.3% less likely to sell above list.
Best time of year to sell a house in your area
The best time of the year to sell your house depends heavily on the location of your home.
The Zillow Owner Dashboard is the fastest way to learn which month is the best to list a house in your area, and estimates your home’s selling price now vs. your optimum sales month. And it’s not conventional wisdom or gut feelings — it’s an analysis of seasonal sales patterns of homes in your area based on the month they were first listed on Zillow.
As you can see below, in this chart of top real estate markets by population, there is quite a bit of variety depending on location:
| City | Best day of the week for a quick sale | Best week for a quick sale | Best day of the week for an above-list sale | Best week for an above-list sale |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York, NY | Wednesday | December 23-29 | Wednesday | December 23-29 |
| Los Angeles, CA | Thursday | February 25-March 3 | Thursday | April 22-28 |
| Chicago, IL | Thursday | February 4-10 | Thursday | February 18-24 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth, TX | Thursday | March 18-24 | Thursday | March 18-24 |
| Philadelphia, PA | Thursday | December 23-29 | Thursday | April 1-7 |
| Houston, TX | Thursday | January 21-17 | Thursday | March 25-31 |
| Washington DC | Thursday | February 18-24 | Wednesday | March 18-24 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale, FL | Sunday | December 23-29 | Thursday | May 13-19 |
| Atlanta, GA | Thursday | February 25-March 3 | Thursday | May 13-19 |
| Boston, MA | Wednesday | March 18-24 | Wednesday | April 8-14 |
Seasonality affects when to sell a house
Spring is typically the best time of year to list your home for sale — at least in the years before the pandemic-fueled housing boom. It’s when buyers tend to come out of winter hibernation and hit the market in droves.
It remains an open question whether 2021 will bring a return to normalcy in that sense. It’s likely that seasonality in the housing market will remain in some form, even if the changes from season to season are less dramatic than in the past.
Selling a house in the spring
As you can see from the trends above, people tend to shop for homes as the weather gets warmer, so prepping your home in the winter months to sell in spring usually makes sense. With tax refunds in their pockets, nicer weather for moving in the forecast, and summer break from the kids’ school coming up, it’s easy to see why spring is typically the most popular time to buy and sell.
Selling a house in the summer
Many of the same reasons buyers shop in the spring apply to home buying in summer as well — warm weather, school breaks, and simply having more hours of sunshine to hit up open houses and take home tours. Of course, summer is the time when most people take their vacations, so that might account for a bit of a slowdown. And, there are parts of the country where real estate is slow in the summer because it’s simply too hot to shop comfortably.
Selling a house in the fall
Many buyers shopping in the early fall may be trying to move in time to get settled before the school year picks up or before the weather gets bad, and that feeling of urgency can be a benefit to sellers. However, many off-season shoppers are moving because of a job transfer, layoff, short sale, or family issue, so they can also be more sensitive to price.
Selling a house in the winter
While winter is traditionally the slowest season for home sales, if your climate is warm year-round (think Florida and the Southwest), your window for selling may even be better in the winter months as snowbirds flock to the sunshine.
Sell in peak market conditions
Of course, seasonality isn’t the only factor to keep in mind when deciding if it’s the right time to sell your house. It’s also important to consider the state of your local housing market.
Selling in a buyers market
A buyers market occurs when the number of available properties for sale exceeds the number of people looking to buy. When inventory is high, sellers can expect their home to stay on the market longer before receiving an offer, and you may have to sell below list price or make additional concessions to the buyer. (Learn more about selling a home in a buyers market.)
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Selling in a sellers market
In a sellers market, there are more potential home buyers than there are available properties. A sellers market is the ideal time to sell your home, as you can expect it to sell more quickly and you’re more likely to receive multiple offers and sell for full price (or above).
Selling when mortgage rates drop
For the last four years or so, mortgage rates have been historically low. The higher the rates, the farther a buyer’s budget has to stretch to get the home they want. When rates are low, though, first-time buyers are especially apt to buy.
30-year fixed-rate mortgage rates over the last nine years:
Sell when you're ready
When it comes down to it, the best time to sell is the best time for you. All kinds of personal factors can play into your decision to sell, from job changes to family changes to just generally feeling ready. Keep the following factors in mind:
- Lifestyle changes: Job changes, relocations, a growing family, and downsizing are the most common reasons people decide to sell. Job-related moves often require a stricter timeline, whereas family-related moves can sometimes be timed to take advantage of beneficial market factors.
- Emotional preparedness: No matter the reason for your move, it’s important to make sure you’re emotionally prepared. Even if you’re moving for a logical reason — for example, you’re a recent empty-nester downsizing after your kids are grown— it can be hard to let go of the memories associated with your family home. Give yourself time.
- Financial benefits: If your home has gained substantial equity, the value you’ve built may be enough to get you a healthy down payment on your dream home or give you a comfortable cushion for retirement.
How long does it take to list a home?
Sellers spend an average of seven months just thinking about selling before actually listing. Plus, they typically make at least a couple of home improvements.
After listing, U.S. homes sell within 55-70 days on average, which includes 25 days on the market (a record low in 2020) and the typical closing period.
With that in mind, you can typically expect to reserve at least two months for preparing to sell, which will give you time to research your local market, hire an agent you trust, clean your home thoroughly and complete any minor repairs.
