New Zillow research identifies the best time
to sell a home in the nation's largest metropolitan areas
- A Zillow analysis of 2024 home sales finds that homes listed in
the second two weeks of May sold for 1.6% more.
- The best time to list can be as early as the second half of
March in San Diego and
Austin, and as late as November in
Phoenix.
- Homeowners can sell their home for even more by maximizing
exposure, focusing on screen appeal and highlighting in-demand
features.
SEATTLE, March 5,
2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Spring home sellers who listed
their home for sale in the second half of May maximized their
home's sale price last year. A new Zillow® analysis found that
homes listed in the last two weeks of May sold for 1.6% more, a
$5,600 boost on a typical U.S.
home.1
Search activity typically peaks before Memorial Day, as shoppers
get serious about house hunting before their summer vacation and
the new school year in the fall. By targeting late spring, sellers
can get their home listed when the most shoppers are looking. When
more buyers are competing for homes, sellers can command a higher
price.
One big caveat: It's not certain that this year's spring home
shopping season will follow last year's pattern. With persistently
low inventory, volatile mortgage rates are creating their own
seasonality in the housing market.
"In the past few years, mortgage rate fluctuations upended the
traditional spring home shopping season," said Orphe Divounguy, a
senior economist at Zillow. "Buyers who are on the edge of
qualifying for a loan jump in and out of the market depending on
what's happening with rates. When rates fall, more buyers rush in,
putting upward pressure on prices, which could happen at any time
of year. "
Mortgage rates have been impacting affordability and sale prices
since they began rising rapidly three years ago. In 2022, sellers
nationwide saw the highest sale premium when they listed their home
in late March, right before rates barreled past 5% and continued
climbing. A year later, sellers commanded the highest prices in
early June, as many buyers had sat out the prior months hoping that
rates would go down. Last year marked a return to pre-pandemic
seasonal norms, with the highest premiums commanded in May.
Zillow's research finds the best time to list can vary widely by
metropolitan area. It was as early as the second half of March in
San Diego and Austin, and as late as the second half of
November in Phoenix. An
experienced real estate agent can help sellers identify the right
time to list based on inventory and demand in their local
market.
Zillow also found a wide range in the sale price premiums
associated with homes listed during their metro area's peak period.
San Jose sellers who listed their
home for sale in the second half of March were able to pocket 5.3%
more than any other time of year — an additional $93,200 on a typical Silicon Valley home.
Orlando homes, however, only sold
for 0.9% more during its peak period in early May.
The reality is that most sellers don't have the luxury of being
able to wait for the right week and the right month to sell. Timing
aside, sellers can still take advantage of other seller strategies
to reach the most potential buyers. They can net top dollar by
maximizing exposure, focusing on screen appeal and highlighting
in-demand features.
- More eyeballs = more money: Sellers should make sure their
agent lists their home on the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) right
away. This puts their listing in front of millions of home
shoppers, maximizing exposure. Some agents will try to persuade
sellers to market their home only to buyers using agents in their
brokerage. But the data clearly shows that homes that are not
on the MLS sell for a median of 1.5% less, a loss of nearly
$5,000 for a typical
seller.
- Flaunt the right features: Today's home buyers are willing to
pay as much as 3.1% more for certain backyard luxuries.
Zillow research finds that a typical U.S. home equipped
with an outdoor TV can sell for $10,749 more than similar homes. If sellers also
happen to have a pizza oven, outdoor shower or bluestone patio,
they should highlight those features in their listing description
to add thousands to their sale price.
- Invest in screen appeal: Zillow research finds that
buyers pay more for listings that have a complete, immersive online
media package. Zillow Showcase listings that have high-resolution
images, 3D Home® virtual tours and interactive floor plans sell for
2% more than similar homes. That's a bonus of more than
$9,000 on a typical home.
|
Metropolitan
area
|
Best time to
list
|
Price
premium
|
Dollar boost on a
typical home
|
|
United
States
|
Second half of
May
|
1.6 %
|
$5,600
|
|
New York, NY
|
First half of
May
|
1.4 %
|
$9,600
|
|
Los Angeles,
CA
|
First half of
April
|
3.9 %
|
$39,300
|
|
Chicago, IL
|
Second half of
May
|
3.0 %
|
$10,000
|
|
Dallas, TX
|
First half of
April
|
1.9 %
|
$7,000
|
|
Houston, TX
|
Second half of
April
|
1.1 %
|
$3,300
|
|
Washington,
DC
|
Second half of
April
|
2.4 %
|
$14,600
|
|
Philadelphia,
PA
|
First half of
June
|
2.2 %
|
$8,100
|
|
Miami, FL
|
Second half of
July
|
2.0 %
|
$11,500
|
|
Atlanta, GA
|
First half of
June
|
1.2 %
|
$4,700
|
|
Boston, MA
|
Second half of
May
|
2.9 %
|
$20,800
|
|
Phoenix, AZ
|
Second half of
November
|
1.4 %
|
$6,400
|
|
San Francisco,
CA
|
Second half of
April
|
3.2 %
|
$38,600
|
|
Riverside,
CA
|
Second half of
June
|
1.5 %
|
$8,600
|
|
Detroit, MI
|
Second half of
May
|
3.2 %
|
$8,000
|
|
Seattle, WA
|
Second half of
March
|
3.1 %
|
$24,000
|
|
Minneapolis,
MN
|
Second half of
May
|
2.9 %
|
$11,100
|
|
San Diego,
CA
|
Second half of
March
|
2.0 %
|
$20,100
|
|
Tampa, FL
|
First half of
October
|
1.8 %
|
$6,900
|
|
Denver, CO
|
First half of
May
|
2.6 %
|
$15,500
|
|
Baltimore,
MD
|
Second half of
June
|
2.0 %
|
$7,900
|
|
St. Louis,
MO
|
Second half of
May
|
3.3 %
|
$8,300
|
|
Orlando, FL
|
First half of
May
|
0.9 %
|
$3,700
|
|
Charlotte,
NC
|
First half of
May
|
1.5 %
|
$5,700
|
|
San Antonio,
TX
|
First half of
May
|
1.3 %
|
$3,500
|
|
Portland, OR
|
First half of
June
|
2.0 %
|
$10,900
|
|
Sacramento,
CA
|
First half of
May
|
1.7 %
|
$9,900
|
|
Pittsburgh,
PA
|
Second half of
May
|
2.6 %
|
$5,500
|
|
Cincinnati,
OH
|
Second half of
May
|
2.3 %
|
$6,900
|
|
Austin, TX
|
Second half of
March
|
2.3 %
|
$10,400
|
|
Las Vegas,
NV
|
First half of
May
|
1.6 %
|
$7,100
|
|
Kansas City,
MO
|
First half of
May
|
3.4 %
|
$10,400
|
|
Columbus, OH
|
First half of
May
|
3.4 %
|
$11,100
|
|
Indianapolis,
IN
|
First half of
June
|
2.0 %
|
$5,400
|
|
Cleveland,
OH
|
Second half of
June
|
3.7 %
|
$8,600
|
|
San Jose, CA
|
Second half of
March
|
5.3 %
|
$93,200
|
About Zillow Group
Zillow Group, Inc.
(Nasdaq: Z and ZG) is reimagining
real estate to make home a reality for more and more people.
As the most visited real estate website in the United States, Zillow and its
affiliates help people find and get the home they want by
connecting them with digital solutions, dedicated partners and
agents, and easier buying, selling, financing and renting
experiences.
Zillow Group's affiliates, subsidiaries and brands include
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East®, StreetEasy®, HotPads®, ShowingTime+℠, Spruce® and Follow Up
Boss®.
All marks herein are owned by MFTB Holdco, Inc., a Zillow
affiliate. Zillow Home Loans, LLC is an Equal Housing Lender, NMLS
#10287 (www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org). © 2023 MFTB Holdco, Inc., a
Zillow affiliate.
1 This analysis included 1.6 million transactions
closed in 2024 for which complete data was available, including a
listing history that could be matched to the transaction and a
reliable Zestimate history. For complete methodology, please
contact press@zillow.com.
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SOURCE Zillow Group, Inc.
