The Best Time to Sell a House

Timing isn't everything when selling a house, but it can make a huge difference in how fast and at what price your home sells.

Here are things to consider when deciding how to time a home sale.

The best time of year to sell a house

The traditional homebuying season begins in late spring and runs through the summer in most parts of the country. As temperatures rise, listings and sales heat up. That means in most areas you'll face more competition with other home sellers in the summer, but more prospective buyers will be out there shopping.

In typical years, homes generally sell for the highest prices in June and July and the lowest prices in January and February, according to a NerdWallet analysis of market trends in 50 major metropolitan areas in the U.S. The analysis looked at 2015 through 2019 data from Realtor.com.

There are exceptions, though, so it's important to understand your local market. For example, NerdWallet's analysis found that six metro areas bucked the trend of when home prices peaked. Home sale prices were highest in:

• May in San Jose, California.

• November in Raleigh, North Carolina.

• December in Las Vegas, Orlando, Phoenix, and Riverside, California.

Prices saw the steepest rise from the cheapest to the most expensive months in the most populous of the metros analyzed. Sale prices jumped 9% from January to June, on average, nationwide, according to NerdWallet's analysis, but leapt 13%, on average, in the largest metros.

Homes also sell quickest in the summer. NerdWallet found that homes spent an average of 76 days on the market in lowest-priced months, compared with 51 days in the most expensive months.