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  1. Housing
  2. Home Buying

3 Reasons Why It Should Be (Slightly) Easier to Buy a House This Fall

By: Mary Ellen Cagnassola
Mary Ellen Cagnassola, expert in Social Security, retirement, housing, and Reporter at Money
Mary Ellen Cagnassola
Reporter | Joined May 2024
Mary Ellen (M.E.) Cagnassola joined Money as a reporter in 2022. She covers U.S. rent and real estate with a focus on market trends and affordability.
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Editor: Brad Tuttle
Brad Tuttle, expert in Personal finance, shopping, consumer trends, and Senior Editor at Money
Brad Tuttle
Senior Editor | Joined January 2014
Brad Tuttle is a senior editor at Money with over 10 years’ experience covering a vast number of personal finance topics, including careers, cars, travel, budgeting, investing, insurance, credit cards, consumer psychology, real estate, banking, and shopping and deals.
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Published: Sep 14, 2023 6 min read
Family of four standing in-front of a beautiful house
Getty Images

Oh, to be home shoppers in 2023 — they’ve been stymied by a triple-whammy of high mortgage rates, climbing home prices and flagging inventory in an exceptionally difficult market.

They may, however, be in store for a better fortune in the first week of October, when home supply, prices and competition are forecast to come into buyer-friendly alignment. New analysis from real estate listing sites Zillow and Realtor.com indicates that early fall could offer the best conditions of the year to buy a house.

That said, this year’s “best time to buy” may seem more like the best of the worst time to buy.

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Best time to buy a home in 2023

  • According to Realtor’s annual Best Time to Buy report, the first week of October could offer homebuyers up to 17% more active listings than were available in early 2023.