Realtor.com’s latest seasonal analysis suggests that mid‑October may be the most attractive buying window of the year for U.S. home shoppers, a rare bit of good news in a market still contending with high borrowing costs and limited supply. The company’s data-driven timing index points to a pattern: listings that surface in mid‑October face fewer competing offers and tend to have slightly longer market times than comparable properties listed during the summer selling season, offering buyers room to negotiate.

“Historically, the balance of inventory and buyer traffic tilts in October in favor of buyers, especially compared with the frenzied competition of late spring and early summer,” said Danielle Hale, chief economist at Realtor.com. “That’s the seasonal effect—less competition and more motivated sellers—so buyers who are prepared and financed may find modest savings.” Realtor.com’s calendar‑based signal does not promise large discounts, but it flags weeks when price pressure and bid competition typically ease.

The timing matters because affordability has been strained since mortgage rates rose from pandemic lows. While rates have moderated from their 2022 peaks, they remain substantially higher than the roughly 3 percent environment of 2020–21, keeping monthly payments elevated and thinning the pool of cash‑sensitive buyers. Against that backdrop, even a 1 to 3 percent reduction in asking price or quicker seller willingness to cover closing costs can make a difference for budget‑constrained buyers.

Economists and market observers caution that the October window is a seasonal reprieve rather than a structural fix. Longstanding supply shortfalls—stemming from slow homebuilding after the 2008 crisis, zoning and permitting constraints in many metros, and a dearth of entry‑level inventory—continue to underpin prices in hot markets. “Seasonal timing can help individual buyers,” said Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics, “but it doesn’t substitute for policies that increase supply or for meaningful declines in interest rates.”

Realtor.com’s findings also underline regional variation. Markets with chronic undersupply and strong job growth, such as parts of the Sun Belt, can remain tight year‑round, limiting October’s benefits. Conversely, metropolitan areas with more balanced inventories tend to show the clearest October lift. For investors and homebuilders, the seasonal lull could be a cue to calibrate listings and production schedules, while policymakers aiming to improve affordability may see the timing signal as evidence of cyclical demand rather than relief from long‑run structural problems.

For households actively shopping, the practical takeaway is straightforward: be preapproved on financing, have a clear search strategy, and use the calendar as one tactical consideration among many. The mid‑October window may lower the hurdle for negotiating, but broader affordability will hinge on a combination of mortgage market moves, local housing policy, and the pace of new construction over the coming years.