3 Metros Where Buying a Home Now Means More Options and Savings  

The national "best week" to buy a home is still a couple of weeks away—but in three metros, the optimal time to become a homeowner is right now. 

The new Realtor.com® Best Time To Buy 2025 report has identified the ideal time to purchase property for each of the top 50 U.S. metros. This is when well-prepared house hunters can expect to encounter the most favorable market conditions—elevated inventory levels, prices below their seasonal peaks, less competition, and a slower market pace—allowing for a bit more wiggle room when it comes to making a decision.

On the national level, the best time to buy a home is the week of Oct. 12–18. 

However, in Hartford, CT, Virginia Beach, VA, and Memphis, TN, the week of Sept. 21-27 presents a rare combination of market conditions that are decidedly tilted toward buyers.

To identify the best week to buy in those three metros, Realtor.com economists analyzed six supply and demand metrics that follow seasonal patterns from 2018 until 2024 (excluding 2020, which marked the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic). The metrics taken into consideration include listing prices, inventory levels, fresh listings, and views per property on Realtor.com.

The economists then worked out a "best time to buy" by scoring each week of the year from 0 to 100 based on housing measures most favorable to buyers, such as competition in any given week, listing prices, market pace, likelihood of price reductions, and homebuyer demand.

Mortgage interest rates were not included in the score because they do not follow a seasonal pattern, but rather depend on economic conditions.

Each week was then ranked by the average of those scores. The week with the highest composite score was deemed the best time to buy, representing a balanced view of market conditions favorable for buyers.

Hartford, CT

House hunters looking to purchase property in Hartford this week have nearly 16% more listings to choose from compared with the average week.

At the same time, they face about one-third less competition from other potential buyers than during the summer peak, based on online views per property.

In more good news for aspiring homeowners, the typical for-sale home in Hartford is currently priced 7% below the peak and lingers on the market three weeks longer than during the summer months.  

For context, the median listing price in Connecticut’s state capital in August was $449,000, up 5.6% from a year ago, according to the latest monthly housing market trends report from Realtor.com. 

Steeped in rich history and renowned as the home of literary giants like Mark Twain and Harriet Beecher Stowe, Hartford is also known as the "Insurance Capital of the World" for its high concentration of insurance providers.

So it should come as no surprise that Hartford ranked eighth on LinkedIn’s 2025 survey of the 25 fastest-growing U.S. metros for jobs.

Virginia Beach, VA

Those dreaming of buying a home in an oceanside community may find what they're looking for this week in Virginia Beach.

Virginia's largest beach town sits where the Chesapeake Bay meets the Atlantic Ocean. The city of nearly half a million inhabitants is famed for its 3-mile oceanfront boardwalk, a beloved aquarium, and abundant hiking and biking trails in its state park.

Homebuyers this week have about 14% more listings to choose from—and roughly 5% more newly listed homes—than in a typical week, while facing less competition, since property views are currently over 30% lower compared with peak season.

Another advantage to shoppers in Virginia Beach during Sept. 21-27 is that the median listing price is down 3.3% compared with the summer months. In August, the typical home in the metro was priced at $413,000.

"Buyers in Hartford and Virginia Beach have faced tight inventory and high competition over the last few years as home shoppers compete in these highly sought-after locales," says Realtor.com senior economic research analyst Hannah Jones. "Based on historical data, this week offers more homes and less competition compared to the year's average and the summer's peak."

Jones adds that buyers in those metros could see a more manageable market pace, giving them slightly more time to choose.

Memphis, TN

Home of the blues and the birthplace of rock 'n' roll, Memphis offers a low cost of living and more affordable housing options compared with the national median. In August, the typical home in "The Bluff City" was just under $333,000, or nearly $100,000 off the national median listing price.

During the "best time to buy," which began on Sunday, house hunters in Memphis can secure a home for nearly 5% less than during the peak selling season.

Other major upsides include significantly less competition from other buyers (-29.7%), higher inventory levels (14.%) compared with the average week, and more fresh listings hitting the Memphis market (1.1%). 

Memphis has faced its share of challenges recently, topping a U.S. News & World Report list of the nation’s most dangerous cities.

But despite its elevated crime rate, Memphis has continued to attract mega investors, thanks to its robust rental market.

"Memphis is especially attractive for its affordability, which has attracted significant investor activity," explains Jones. "Neighborhoods with lower crime rates, affordable prices, and access to good schools may attract stronger buyer competition, but overall conditions still put buyers in a favorable position to secure a home."