The Best Week to Buy a Home in Livingston, NJ and the surrounding towns
Lena Pesso
It’s been 10+ years for me in the real estate business. I love it ❤️...
It’s been 10+ years for me in the real estate business. I love it ❤️...
Realtor.com just named September 27 through October 3 the best week to buy a home in 2026.
Nationally, home buyers shopping that week could see up to 31.9% more listings than they saw back in January, plus something close to $14,000 in savings on a median-priced home compared to summer prices.
The report breaks down exactly why this window works in buyers' favor, and where it falls in markets across the country. I want to walk you through what Realtor.com found, what it means for our local markets specifically, and how to use this window instead of just watching it go by.
What Realtor.com's Best Week to Buy Report Found
Realtor.com economists looked at eight years of data, from 2018 through 2025 (skipping 2020 since the pandemic threw off normal patterns). They scored every week of the year on six things that matter to buyers, then ranked each week by how all six added up together.
The six things they measured:
Active listings (total number of homes for sale)
New listings hitting the market
Listing prices
How long homes sit before selling
Buyer competition, measured by how many people are viewing each listing
How often sellers cut their price
The week that scored highest across all six became the Best Week. This year, that's September 27 through October 3, and it arrived earlier than it has the past two years.
Here's what that week looks like nationally:
13.3% more active listings than a typical week, and 31.9% more than you'd have seen at the start of the year
Buyer competition down 30.1% from its peak point in the year
Homes sitting on the market about 64 days, roughly two weeks longer than the fastest-moving point of the year
Listing prices about 3.5% below their seasonal high, which works out to around $14,000 on a $416,000 home
5.7% of homes seeing a price cut, one of the best weeks all year for that
20% more new listings hitting the market than at the start of the year
Why This Fall Favors Buyers
2026 started out on solid footing for buyers. Higher mortgage rates through the summer slowed things down, and that cooling helped set up the conditions behind this fall's window.
Listings have kept growing compared to last year, even though inventory nationally is still lower than it was before the pandemic. Buyer demand has softened too, which gives shoppers more room to look around without racing against a crowd.
When Is the Best Week to Buy in Our local NJ Markets:
The national date doesn't apply everywhere. Realtor.com ranked the Best Week separately for the 50 largest metros, and the results spread from early September all the way to the end of November.
In the 14 metros where the local Best Week lines up with the national one, buyers are seeing:
About 17.6% more listings than a typical week
Competition down 36.1% from its peak
Close to two extra weeks on the market
Prices running 5.7% below their high point
New York and our surrounding NJ markets, hit their best week the earliest, both in early September. Miami and Tampa hit theirs the latest, in late November.
42 of the 50 largest metros fall within a month of the national date, so most buyers around the country are looking at a similar stretch of fall.
Here’s the data from Realtor.com
| Metro | Best Week | Active Listings vs Avg | Views Per Property vs Peak | Days on Market vs Peak | Median Listing Price vs Peak | New Listings vs Avg | Price Reductions vs Avg |
| United States | September 27 – October 3 | +13.3% | -30.1% | +13 days | -3.5% | +0.4% | 1.2% |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | September 27 – October 3 | +14.6% | -34.9% | +13 days | -4.2% | +0.4% | 1.5% |
| Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX | September 27 – October 3 | +22.1% | -42.6% | +26 days | -6.6% | -7.0% | 2.2% |
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | October 11 – 17 | +18.4% | -34.8% | +11 days | -5.1% | +0.5% | 1.4% |
| Birmingham, AL | October 18 – 24 | +11.5% | -30.3% | +18 days | -3.9% | -11.8% | 0.8% |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | October 25 – 31 | +20.9% | -39.8% | +22 days | -6.7% | -10.0% | 1.7% |
| Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY | November 8 – 14 | +14.9% | -48.7% | +26 days | -11.8% | -16.9% | 0.1% |
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | November 1 – 7 | +17.5% | -38.0% | +17 days | -5.7% | -10.5% | 1.0% |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | September 27 – October 3 | +16.8% | -33.5% | +10 days | -5.8% | -0.6% | 1.4% |
| Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN | October 11 – 17 | +22.2% | -31.4% | +11 days | -10.1% | -0.3% | 1.7% |
| Cleveland, OH | October 18 – 24 | +20.1% | -31.0% | +12 days | -8.7% | -1.6% | 1.5% |
| Columbus, OH | October 4 – 10 | +26.3% | -43.8% | +16 days | -9.7% | +3.2% | 2.2% |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | September 27 – October 3 | +18.8% | -39.3% | +17 days | -6.5% | -1.2% | 1.9% |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | September 27 – October 3 | +30.4% | -46.2% | +21 days | -7.5% | -2.2% | 2.7% |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | October 4 – 10 | +21.8% | -42.7% | +12 days | -8.7% | +0.6% | 1.6% |
| Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT | September 27 – October 3 | +15.7% | -35.7% | +19 days | -6.9% | +1.7% | 1.3% |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | September 27 – October 3 | +10.4% | -37.1% | +15 days | -3.9% | -4.4% | 1.1% |
| Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN | October 25 – 31 | +26.2% | -39.0% | +15 days | -9.3% | -9.7% | 2.1% |
| Jacksonville, FL | October 25 – 31 | +13.8% | -40.6% | +18 days | -7.1% | -9.4% | 0.8% |
| Kansas City, MO-KS | September 27 – October 3 | +19.4% | -29.8% | +10 days | -8.2% | +5.5% | 1.5% |
| Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV | October 4 – 10 | +15.0% | -43.2% | +12 days | -4.3% | +4.7% | 2.0% |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | September 27 – October 3 | +13.4% | -39.8% | +13 days | -5.7% | -0.5% | 1.1% |
| Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN | November 1 – 7 | +22.7% | -35.4% | +12 days | -8.9% | -4.3% | 1.7% |
| Memphis, TN-MS-AR | September 20 – 26 | +13.5% | -29.4% | +12 days | -5.0% | -0.1% | 1.2% |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | November 29 – December 5 | +7.0% | -35.4% | +14 days | -3.7% | -6.0% | 0.4% |
| Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI | September 6 – 12 | +15.5% | -32.7% | +8 days | -6.9% | +23.6% | 1.4% |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | September 27 – October 3 | +25.5% | -35.7% | +12 days | -8.0% | -0.6% | 2.2% |
| Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN | October 4 – 10 | +18.8% | -34.5% | +12 days | -5.0% | +8.4% | 1.4% |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | September 6 – 12 | +7.9% | -24.3% | +18 days | -3.2% | +15.3% | 0.4% |
| Oklahoma City, OK | September 27 – October 3 | +12.9% | -31.6% | +12 days | -6.2% | -5.9% | 1.2% |
| Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL | October 25 – 31 | +12.3% | -38.0% | +15 days | -3.8% | -8.4% | 0.7% |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | September 27 – October 3 | +12.3% | -30.7% | +12 days | -3.0% | +5.9% | 1.4% |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | November 1 – 7 | +16.4% | -39.1% | +10 days | -5.6% | +16.3% | 1.0% |
| Pittsburgh, PA | October 25 – 31 | +17.3% | -33.6% | +14 days | -7.7% | -10.1% | 1.3% |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | October 25 – 31 | +17.1% | -41.1% | +28 days | -4.3% | +24.9% | 0.7% |
| Providence-Warwick, RI-MA | September 27 – October 3 | +20.8% | -31.3% | +10 days | -4.4% | +12.7% | 1.5% |
| Raleigh-Cary, NC | November 1 – 7 | +19.9% | -36.6% | +20 days | -5.7% | -6.7% | 1.8% |
| Richmond, VA | October 25 – 31 | +17.6% | -33.8% | +12 days | -7.0% | -0.7% | 1.1% |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | September 27 – October 3 | +13.3% | -37.4% | +12 days | -2.2% | +3.4% | 1.2% |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | September 13 – 19 | +24.2% | -42.6% | +15 days | -5.1% | +10.8% | 1.6% |
| Salt Lake City-Murray, UT | October 4 – 10 | +30.9% | -38.2% | +16 days | -7.4% | +1.9% | 2.3% |
| San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX | October 4 – 10 | +15.9% | -35.9% | +15 days | -4.7% | +14.4% | 1.3% |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | October 11 – 17 | +15.3% | -40.7% | +12 days | -6.6% | +1.1% | 1.1% |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | October 11 – 17 | +27.5% | -45.3% | +13 days | -6.6% | +0.8% | 1.7% |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | October 18 – 24 | +17.3% | -46.3% | +20 days | -8.3% | -15.2% | 1.7% |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | October 18 – 24 | +31.9% | -52.4% | +22 days | -7.5% | +16.5% | 1.3% |
| St. Louis, MO-IL | October 25 – 31 | +15.8% | -31.1% | +12 days | -5.4% | -9.0% | 1.4% |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | November 29 – December 5 | +12.7% | -43.4% | +19 days | -4.9% | -12.4% | 0.3% |
| Tucson, AZ | November 1 – 7 | +21.1% | -35.7% | +9 days | -4.6% | -0.6% | 1.1% |
| Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC | September 20 – 26 | +13.4% | -30.1% | +13 days | -3.2% | +4.0% | 1.6% |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | October 11 – 17 | +20.8% | -38.2% | +12 days | -5.7% | -3.1% | 1.4% |
How to Use This Window
This is a stretch of the year when conditions tend to favor buyers. Treat it as a planning window, not a single deadline.
Hannah Jones, senior economist at Realtor.com, put it this way:
"Buyers should use this window strategically rather than treating one week as a deadline. Shopping earlier in the fall may provide the broadest selection of fresh listings, while waiting later in the season may bring additional price flexibility.
“The right choice depends on a buyer's budget, timeline and local market, but preparation, including understanding a realistic monthly payment and getting pre-approved, will be especially valuable this fall."
If you want the widest selection, shop earlier in the fall. If you'd rather have more room to negotiate, waiting closer to the holidays tends to help.
Either way, knowing your numbers before you start touring homes puts you in a stronger position.