Spring is traditionally considered the time of year the housing market heats up, but summer is also a good time to sell. The choice between the two may come down to whether a seller wants a fast sale or a potentially higher price.
“You will see higher listing prices in the summer,” said Hanna Jones, senior economic research analyst at Realtor.com. “There are trade-offs, depending on when you list. While the summer brings higher listing prices, it also brings more competition so it can be a harder time to attract enough buyers to see it move quickly.”
Summer is prime time for families to be house hunting, with children out of school and more time to make plans for changes before the fall school year starts.
Meanwhile, for spring sellers, it is almost time. Realtor.com analyzed sales in the D.C. region between 2018 and 2024 and said the week of March 23 is the best time for a spring listing.
“Historically, the best week in Washington, D.C. has boasted listing prices about 7% higher than the start of the year,” Jones said. “And what that translates to is about $40,000 more.”
But Jones said this spring is particularly hard to predict — especially in the D.C. region with uncertainty about federal job cuts, relocations and the foggy economic outlook in general.
This spring’s buyers will join an outsized pool of sellers already on the market. The number of active listings in the D.C. region in the week of March 8 was up more than 56% from a year ago, an acceleration Realtor.com said has been growing since January.
This higher inventory is largely the result of homes on the market taking longer to sell, rather than a wave of brand new listings.
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