April 12-18th is the Best Week to Sell in 2026 According to Realtor.com®
Sellers listing during this "Goldilocks" window could see $26,000 more than at the start of the year as mortgage rates ease and buyer demand ramps up
AUSTIN, Texas, March 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Typical market seasonality and improving affordability conditions are converging to create a highly favorable window for U.S. home sellers during the week of April 12-18th. According to the 2026 Best Time to Sell report from Realtor.com ®, the week of April 12-18th is expected to be the best time to list a home in 2026, offering a "Goldilocks" balance of higher prices, strong buyer demand, and a fast market pace.
As mortgage rates stabilized in the low-6% range in late 2025 and reached some of the lowest levels in nearly four years in early 2026, a cohort of previously sidelined buyers is expected to re-engage with the market. This rebound in demand will coincide with a seasonal thaw and is expected to peak mid-April, where historically, listings receive 16.7% more views than the average week, while homes sell approximately 17% faster—roughly nine days quicker than the annual norm. For the 2026 market, this could translate to a national median listing price that is $5,300 above the annual average—and $26,000 more than in January.
"After years of being squeezed by limited inventory and high rates, the 2026 housing market is starting to feel more approachable for those who have been sidelined," said Danielle Hale, chief economist at Realtor.com ®. "This shift doesn't just mean more options; lower rates and tempered price growth should give buyers' some budget breathing room. For sellers, the mid-April window represents an opportunity to enter a market that feels more within reach for buyers while benefiting from a seasonal advantage in terms of pricing and competition."
Why the Week of April 12-18?
By analyzing seasonal trends from 2018–2025, the Realtor.com ® Best Time to Sell Report identified several key benefits for sellers who time their listing to this specific week:
Strategic Market Readiness
Early preparation is key, while 53% of sellers reported preparing their homes in a month or less, the complexity of the current market, which sees more power in the hands of buyers than in years past, suggests homeowners should begin the process well before their intended listing date.
Economic Uncertainty and Shifting Market Dynamics
The 2026 housing market is in a delicate rebalancing phase following a 2025 season where home sales matched nearly three-decade lows. Several shifting dynamics will define the coming months:
"The housing market remains undersupplied, especially in the Northeast and Midwest, meaning sellers of well-priced, move-in ready homes are likely to find success," said Hannah Jones, senior economic research analyst at Realtor.com ®. "However, in the South and West where inventory is more abundant, sellers face softer conditions. In those metros, optimizing timing to this early spring window is even more critical to differentiate a property from the growing competition."
Local Flavor: Why the "Best Week" Varies by Market While national data points to April 12-18 as the optimal window, real estate remains local. Depending on the region, the ideal listing window may already be open or still weeks away:
Market
Best Week Start Date
Listing Price vs Start of Year
Listing Price Change vs Start of Year ($)
Views Per Property vs Avg Week
Price Reductions vs Avg Week
Days on Market vs Avg Week
Active Listings vs Avg Week
United States
4/12/2025
6.6 %
$26,000
16.7 %
-20.5 %
-9 days
-12.8 %
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA
4/12/2026
6.7 %
$27,000
18.7 %
-15.4 %
-8
-10.1 %
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX
4/12/2026
9.1 %
$41,000
26.3 %
-8.0 %
-15
-10.2 %
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD
3/15/2026
5.9 %
$21,000
22.5 %
-25.0 %
-7
-14.8 %
Birmingham, AL
5/10/2026
10.5 %
$30,000
12.4 %
0.4 %
-11
-6.2 %
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH
3/8/2026
8.7 %
$69,000
25.6 %
-46.0 %
-10
-22.9 %
Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY
4/12/2026
15.2 %
$39,000
35.4 %
-37.8 %
-10
-22.0 %
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC
4/12/2026
5.6 %
$23,000
18.4 %
-17.8 %
-10
-11.7 %
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
3/22/2026
9.9 %
$35,000
18.0 %
-23.3 %
-5
-15.2 %
Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN
3/29/2026
14.7 %
$50,000
17.5 %
-27.6 %
-6
-18.6 %
Cleveland, OH
4/12/2026
15.9 %
$39,000
20.3 %
-25.0 %
-7
-16.6 %
Columbus, OH
3/22/2026
9.8 %
$34,000
34.1 %
-45.6 %
-9
-25.9 %
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
4/12/2026
5.8 %
$24,000
23.5 %
-20.0 %
-9
-14.6 %
Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO
3/8/2026
5.6 %
$31,000
35.2 %
-44.2 %
-12
-30.0 %
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI
4/12/2026
13.6 %
$32,000
32.0 %
-34.6 %
-6
-21.3 %
Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI
3/29/2026
8.4 %
$34,000
22.6 %
-54.3 %
-5
-27.2 %
Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT
3/15/2026
6.4 %
$28,000
27.2 %
-26.4 %
-6
-14.3 %
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
4/12/2026
5.4 %
$19,000
17.5 %
-13.0 %
-7
-9.1 %
Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN
5/3/2026
15.8 %
$49,000
24.5 %
-17.9 %
-11
-16.6 %
Jacksonville, FL
3/22/2026
5.3 %
$20,000
24.7 %
-15.5 %
-7
-9.8 %
Kansas City, MO-KS
3/22/2026
7.3 %
$28,000
18.2 %
-35.3 %
-4
-18.7 %
Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV
3/22/2026
3.6 %
$17,000
31.6 %
-24.4 %
-7
-18.2 %
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
3/22/2026
7.0 %
$73,000
20.0 %
-22.2 %
-5
-13.9 %
Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN
4/26/2026
10.5 %
$32,000
15.0 %
-35.6 %
-5
-17.4 %
Memphis, TN-MS-AR
5/3/2026
9.0 %
$27,000
10.3 %
-10.5 %
-8
-11.2 %
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL
5/24/2026
5.1 %
$26,000
3.0 %
-1.7 %
-2
-2.6 %
Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI
3/22/2026
9.2 %
$34,000
21.9 %
-46.5 %
-5
-13.1 %
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI
3/15/2026
6.6 %
$27,000
23.3 %
-41.0 %
-6
-22.3 %
Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN
4/12/2026
6.8 %
$36,000
21.6 %
-17.5 %
-8
-14.3 %
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
3/22/2026
4.6 %
$34,000
18.3 %
-18.2 %
-10
-7.7 %
Oklahoma City, OK
3/8/2026
4.5 %
$14,000
18.4 %
-42.2 %
0
-13.7 %
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL
4/19/2026
5.0 %
$21,000
23.3 %
-5.4 %
-7
-9.8 %
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
3/22/2026
5.1 %
$18,000
19.8 %
-16.8 %
-7
-9.8 %
Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ
4/19/2026
5.4 %
$27,000
18.3 %
-3.1 %
-4
-1.4 %
Pittsburgh, PA
4/5/2026
10.8 %
$26,000
21.4 %
-19.1 %
-9
-13.5 %
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA
3/22/2026
3.1 %
$18,000
25.9 %
-35.6 %
-9
-25.2 %
Providence-Warwick, RI-MA
4/12/2026
6.3 %
$34,000
19.8 %
-33.7 %
-7
-16.5 %
Raleigh-Cary, NC
4/12/2026
5.7 %
$25,000
21.6 %
-22.5 %
-10
-13.4 %
Richmond, VA
4/12/2026
7.4 %
$31,000
20.0 %
-19.0 %
-7
-11.6 %
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA
3/22/2026
2.7 %
$16,000
27.4 %
-17.3 %
-4
-12.9 %
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA
3/22/2026
4.6 %
$28,000
26.1 %
-33.6 %
-8
-24.9 %
San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX
4/19/2026
4.8 %
$15,000
22.4 %
-11.3 %
-8
-11.3 %
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA
3/22/2026
5.4 %
$48,000
20.4 %
-29.1 %
-5
-17.5 %
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA
3/22/2026
11.6 %
$104,000
18.5 %
-27.2 %
-7
-16.4 %
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA
3/8/2026
11.4 %
$148,000
18.3 %
-32.4 %
-10
-19.1 %
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA
3/29/2026
10.2 %
$76,000
22.0 %
-52.3 %
-10
-30.5 %
St. Louis, MO-IL
3/22/2026
8.1 %
$23,000
17.4 %
-21.0 %
-4
-13.3 %
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL
4/19/2026
6.2 %
$25,000
26.2 %
-1.4 %
-7
-6.8 %
Tucson, AZ
5/3/2026
7.1 %
$27,000
11.3 %
-10.2 %
-5
-6.9 %
Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC
4/19/2026
6.4 %
$26,000
19.4 %
-12.5 %
-8
-4.8 %
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
3/22/2026
7.1 %
$39,000
18.1 %
-29.0 %
-9
-15.2 %
Methodology
Listing metrics (e.g. list prices) from 2018-2019 and 2021-2025 were measured on a weekly basis, with each week compared against a benchmark from the first full week of the year. Due to the onset of the pandemic, 2020 was an uncharacteristic year and has therefore been excluded from the analysis. Averaging across the years yielded the "typical" seasonal trend for each metric. Percentile levels for each week were calculated along each metric (prices, listings, days on market, etc.), and were then averaged together across metrics to determine a Best Time to List score for each week. Rankings for each week were based on these Best Time to List scores.
Each week was scored based on favorability toward sellers — this included competition from other sellers (active listings and new listings), listing prices, market pace (days on market), likelihood of price reductions, and homebuyer demand (views per property on Realtor.com). Percentile levels for each week were calculated along each metric, and were then averaged together across metrics to determine a Best Time to Sell score for each week. Rankings for each week were based on these Best Time to Sell scores.
About Realtor.com ®
Realtor.com ® pioneered online real estate and has been at the forefront for over 25 years, connecting buyers, sellers, and renters with trusted insights, professional guidance and powerful tools to help them find their perfect home. Recognized as the No. 1 site trusted by real estate professionals, Realtor.com ® is a valued partner, delivering consumer connections and a robust suite of marketing tools to support business growth. Realtor.com ® is operated by News Corp [Nasdaq: NWS, NWSA] [ASX: NWS, NWSLV] subsidiary Move, Inc.
Media contact: Mallory Micetich, [email protected]
SOURCE Realtor.com