According to the Realtor.com® 2026 Best Time to Buy Report, published September 2026. The ranking uses seasonal patterns in inventory, fresh listings, listing prices, time on market, buyer demand, and price reductions — not mortgage rates.
What the report says
During that Best Week, shoppers may see up to 31.9% more active listings than at the start of the year, and about 13.3% more than a typical week. Listing prices are projected about 3.5% below their seasonal peak — roughly $14,000 on a median-priced home near $416,000 nationally.
Competition, measured by listing views per property, has historically been 30.1% below its annual peak that week. Homes are expected to spend about 64 days on market — roughly 13 days longer than the year’s fastest stretch. Price reductions show up on about 5.7% of listings, one of the stronger weeks of the year for seller cuts.
Realtor.com senior economist Hannah Jones framed the window as a chance to offset still-elevated rates with more choice and negotiating room — not as a seven-day deadline.
What it means for California and Oregon shoppers
- Los Angeles and Riverside line up with the national Best Week (September 27–October 3). In those metros, buyers historically see more listings, less competition, longer days on market, and listing prices below the seasonal peak.
- San Diego and San Francisco skew a little later: October 11–17. San Jose is October 18–24.
- Sacramento’s local Best Week is September 13–19 — so that window is already here if you are shopping the Central Valley.
- Portland lands later still: October 25–31, with historically much less competition than the annual peak and longer days on market.
- National medians are not California or Oregon sticker prices. The directional story still matters: more inventory and softer demand usually mean more time to compare homes and ask for credits — while your payment still hinges on the rate you lock.
Key points to know
- Treat the Best Week as a planning window, not a hard stop. Shopping a bit earlier can mean fresher listings; waiting later can mean more price flexibility as fall demand softens.
- Rates were not part of Realtor.com’s scoring. Financing still drives the monthly payment even when list prices ease.
- Local MLS conditions can diverge from metro averages. Price point and neighborhood still decide how much leverage you actually get.
- Getting clear on a realistic payment and a current pre-approval before you tour hard is still the practical prep for this window.
Important limits
- This is a seasonal composite of past patterns, not a guarantee that every home will cut price or sit longer in your zip code.
- National savings figures use a national median listing price — California and Oregon medians are higher, so dollar savings will not match that $14,000 example one-for-one.
- This is market context, not advice to buy, wait, or refinance. Your budget, reserves, and timeline decide what pencils.
Bottom line: Realtor.com’s report points to late September through early October as the year’s most favorable national mix of inventory, competition, and post-peak prices — with L.A. and Riverside on that same clock, Sacramento already in its local window, and Portland and Bay Area metros peaking a few weeks later. For California and Oregon shoppers still in the market, that usually means more choice and more room to negotiate while rates stay elevated.
Source: Realtor.com®: Best Week To Buy Is Almost Here—and It Could Save Shoppers $14,000 (September 10, 2026).
Simplifying Home Loans.
https://rgimortgage.com