Is Fall a Good Time to Buy a Home in Seattle? What Three Years of Data Show

Is fall a good time to buy a home in Seattle? Yes, fall can be a good time to buy in Seattle. September and October bring far more selection than winter, homes sit a little longer than in spring, and inventory then drops by about half to two thirds by December.

Most buyers think of spring as the season to shop, and a lot of them skip fall because of the weather, the school calendar, or the holidays. My Northwest MLS numbers for Seattle say fall deserves a closer look. The pattern repeated in each of the last three years, and the September 2026 numbers fit it.

Here is what Seattle did from September to December in 2023, 2024 and 2025, what the September 2026 data says, where fall helps a buyer and where it does not, and how I would plan a purchase this time of year. Wherever you search, the data behind the site matters, so here is a short video on the tools I send buyers to.

What does Seattle look like from September to December?

I pulled Seattle’s monthly numbers for previously owned residential homes from Northwest MLS and InfoSparks. The table below follows four measures from September to December in each of the last three years.

Measure, September to December	2023	2024	2025
Homes for sale	681 to 358 (-47%)	912 to 332 (-64%)	1,191 to 610 (-49%)
Pending sales	388 to 160 (-59%)	559 to 199 (-64%)	505 to 195 (-61%)
Median days on market	9 to 17	9 to 26	14 to 27
Median sales price	$910,000 to $840,000 (-7.7%)	$948,000 to $861,900 (-9.1%)	$962,500 to $885,500 (-8.0%)

Source: Northwest MLS/InfoSparks, Seattle, previously owned residential, compiled by HomePro Associates.

Three things stand out.

The selection shrinks fast. Seattle lost about half of its homes for sale between September and December in 2023 and 2025, and nearly two thirds in 2024. New listings tell the same story. In 2025, Seattle had 912 new listings in September, 655 in October, 277 in November and 136 in December. A buyer shopping in early fall is looking at far more homes than a buyer shopping in December.

Contract activity drops too. Pending sales, which count the contracts written that month, fell by roughly 60% over the same stretch. Homes and contracts shrink together, so the ratio between them matters. My months of supply measure, which divides homes for sale by the recent pace of pending sales, fell from September to December in all three years (1.8 to 0.9 in 2023, 2.3 to 0.9 in 2024 and 2.3 to 1.3 in 2025). In other words, selection shrinks faster than contract activity, so waiting until December does not give you more bargaining room on the home you want, only fewer homes to choose from.

Homes take longer to sell as the year ends. Median days on market in Seattle was 6 to 9 days in October in each of the three years. By December it was 17 to 27 days. A home that sits a few extra weeks may have a seller more open to discussing terms, and the sale-to-list numbers below show a small dip in December.

If you want to browse while you read, you can see Seattle homes for sale right now.

What does the September 2026 data say?

The most recent numbers are from September 2026, and they fit the seasonal pattern while adding a few things worth knowing. This table compares September 2026 with August 2026 and with September 2025.

Seattle measure	Sept 2026	Aug 2026	Sept 2025	Change from Sept 2025
Median sales price	$935,000	$900,000	$962,500	-2.9%
Homes for sale	1,495	1,368	1,191	+25.5%
New listings	995	650	912	+9.1%
Pending sales	502	375	505	-0.6%
Closed sales	350	424	434	-19.4%
Months of supply	3.5	3.2	2.3	+52.2%
Median days on market	10	10	14	-28.6%
Median sale price as % of last list price	100.0%	100.0%	99.9%	+0.1 pts
Showings per listing	4.5	4.8	6.0	-25.0%

Source: Northwest MLS/InfoSparks, Seattle, previously owned residential, compiled by HomePro Associates.

Here is how I read it.

• More choice than a year ago. Seattle had 1,495 homes for sale in September 2026, up 25.5% from September 2025. New listings jumped from 650 in August to 995 in September, so sellers came back after the summer.
• Contract activity held up. Pending sales were 502, essentially flat from 505 a year earlier, while closed sales were 350, down 19.4%. Closed sales reflect deals made in August and earlier. Supply grew while contracts held steady, and that is how months of supply moved from 2.3 to 3.5.
• A more balanced market on my scale. Months of supply estimates how long the current inventory would last at the recent pace of pending sales. I read under 3 months as favoring sellers, 3 to 5 as balanced, and over 5 as favoring buyers. That is my own convention, and other sites draw the lines differently. On that scale, Seattle moved from seller-leaning a year ago to balanced now.
• Less showing traffic per home. Showings per listing fell from 6.0 to 4.5, a 25% drop.
• Homes priced well still move. The median home that sold took 10 days, down from 14 a year earlier, and the median sale price was 100.0% of the last list price. More choice has not made every home sit.
• A lower median price. The Seattle median sales price was $935,000, down 2.9% from September 2025. Median prices come from closed sales, so they reflect deals made earlier, and a median can move with the mix of homes that sold.

Put together, buyers in Seattle have more homes to look at and less showing traffic per listing than a year ago, and the well-priced homes are still going quickly. That is a different experience from a market where everything sits.

These numbers are for Seattle. If you are shopping in other King County cities such as Shoreline or Bothell, ask me for the numbers for your city.

Do buyers get better prices in the fall?

This is the question I hear most, and the data gives a mixed answer.

On the surface, the median sales price in December was lower than in September every year: down 7.7% in 2023, 9.1% in 2024 and 8.0% in 2025. I would not read that as a December discount. A median reflects which homes happened to sell, and December has few sales. Seattle had 160 to 199 pending sales in December in those years, against 388 to 559 in September. With so few deals, the mix of homes can swing the median more than the price of any one home does.

October does not show a drop at all. The median was higher in October than in September in 2024 ($969,000 versus $948,000) and in 2025 ($1,032,000 versus $962,500), and lower in 2023 ($900,000 versus $910,000).

A better measure of negotiating room is how close homes sell to their last list price. In September, October and November in 2023, 2024 and 2025, the typical Seattle home sold at 100% of its last list price, with one reading of 99.9% in September 2025. In December, it slipped to 98.8% or 98.9%. On a $900,000 home, a gap of about 1.1% is roughly $9,900. That is simple arithmetic on a round number, not a promise about any home.

So my summary on price is this. I would not count on prices being lower across the board in fall. What fall gives you is more time and more homes to compare, and that can help you negotiate terms on the specific home in front of you. The best deals in any season come from a home that has been on the market a while.

What are the downsides of buying in the fall?

Fall is not right for everyone, and I would rather you hear the trade-offs now.

• The window closes. The numbers above show how much selection disappears by December. If you want the widest choice, September and October are the months.
• Shorter days and wetter weather. Showings after work happen in the dark, and a rainy day can hide or reveal things about a home. I count the rain as useful, and I cover that below.
• Holiday schedules. Lenders, title and escrow officers, inspectors and movers all have time off in late November and December. A timeline that works in August can stretch in December, so build in a cushion.
• A year-end deadline can add pressure. Buyers who want to close before January 1 are working against a calendar. A purchase driven by a deadline instead of the right home can end up costing more than waiting.
• Fewer chances to be picky. If your list is narrow, for example one neighborhood, a specific lot, or a certain kind of home, there may be nothing that fits in December even though something might come up in spring.

What does a fall closing timeline look like?

If you want to close before the end of the year, count backward from the date you want your keys. Here are the pieces that set the schedule.

1. Pre-approval. Get it before you shop, so you can write an offer the day you see the right home. The CFPB explains that a preapproval letter is a statement from a lender that they are tentatively willing to lend money to you, up to a certain loan amount, and that sellers frequently require one before accepting an offer. If you are not sure what you qualify for, my article on new loan programs and how to qualify for a mortgage in Seattle is a good place to start.
2. Offer, inspection and appraisal. The days between an accepted offer and closing depend on the contingencies in your contract, the lender’s workload and the property. Ask your lender how long they are quoting right now.
3. Rate lock length. The CFPB says that rate locks are typically available for 30, 45, or 60 days, and sometimes longer. It also notes that a lock can be expensive to extend if your transaction needs more time, so ask your lender about a longer lock if a holiday could slow things down.
4. Closing Disclosure. The CFPB states that by law, you must receive your Closing Disclosure at least three business days before your closing. Around a holiday week, three business days can be a longer stretch on the calendar than it looks, so count business days, not calendar days.
5. Signing and funding. Your escrow officer schedules signing, and your lender funds the loan. Holidays can affect both, so ask for the real dates early.

Knowing the schedule early keeps a holiday from turning a good purchase into a stressful one.

How I would shop for a home this fall

Here is the approach I use with Seattle buyers in the fall.

1. Start early in the season. If you are reading this in early October, you are still in the stretch with the most listings. Tour what is available now instead of waiting for the next batch.
2. Set up alerts and look at the time on market. A home that has been listed for several weeks tells you something that a new listing cannot. Ask your agent for the price history and the reason for any price changes.
3. Negotiate terms as well as price. With less showing traffic per home, you may have room to ask for a credit, a repair, a flexible closing date or a different inspection period. My article on negotiating strategies for Seattle buyers covers what to ask for and when.
4. Use the rain. Fall weather is a free test. After a heavy rain, ask your agent about gutters, grading, crawl space moisture, and water around windows and doors, and ask your inspector what they look for in a wet season. These things are easier to see in October than in July.
5. Do not skip the inspection to compete. With less showing traffic than a year ago, you have less reason to waive protections than you might in a busier month.
6. Compare total cost as well as the price. A lower price with higher monthly costs may not be the better deal. For a full picture, check that you are comparing mortgage payment, taxes, insurance and any association dues.

My free home buyer webinar replay goes through the full buying process, so you can see each step before you start touring.

When is fall not the right time to buy?

Sometimes waiting is the better call, and I will tell you when I think that is true.

• Your finances are not ready. If you are still building your down payment, working on credit, or waiting on a job change, a season is not a reason to rush. Buy when the numbers work for you.
• You need to sell first. If you own a home you have to sell before you can buy, the timing depends on your sale. My guide to selling before buying in Seattle explains the options.
• You are unsure about buying versus renting. If the choice is still open, run the numbers for your situation. My article on renting versus buying in Seattle shows how I compare them.
• You want a very specific home. If your search is narrow and nothing fits, a thin winter market will not produce more. Keep alerts on and check again as new listings arrive.

I can tell you what the data showed in the past, and I can tell you what it shows now. I cannot tell you where prices or rates will be in the spring, and neither can anyone else. A choice to wait for spring is a bet on the future, and it comes with competition. This spring, the median Seattle home sold in 6 days from March to May, with 548 to 565 pending sales a month, compared with 10 days and 502 pending sales in September. Spring was busier than September.

Fall or spring: how do the two compare?

Here is a plain comparison for Seattle based on the numbers in this article.

	Fall (September 2026)	Spring (March to May 2026)
Median days on market	10 days in Sept 2026	6 days each month
Pending sales per month	502 in Sept 2026	548 to 565
Homes for sale	1,495 in Sept 2026	919 to 1,291
What it tends to mean for a buyer	More choice and less showing traffic, then a shrinking window	Fewer homes, faster sales, busier showings

Source: Northwest MLS/InfoSparks, Seattle, previously owned residential, compiled by HomePro Associates.

Neither season is better in every case. Fall favors buyers who value choice and time. Spring favors buyers who want to see what comes after the winter and are comfortable with a faster pace. If you are already pre-approved and see a home you like, the calendar matters less than the home.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is fall a good time to buy a house in Seattle?

It can be. In Seattle, September and October have the most homes for sale, less showing traffic per home, and homes that take slightly longer to sell than in spring. The window narrows quickly, because homes for sale fell by roughly half from September to December in each of the last three years.

Are Seattle home prices lower in the fall?

Not reliably. In my Seattle data, the median sales price in December was 8% to 9% below September in 2023, 2024 and 2025, but October’s median was higher than September’s in two of those years. Median prices also shift with the mix of homes that sell, so I look at days on market and sale-to-list ratio instead.

Will there be fewer homes to choose from in winter?

Yes. Seattle’s homes for sale dropped between 47% and 64% from September to December in 2023, 2024 and 2025. New listings fall off sharply after October as well. If selection is your priority, September and October give you the most to look at before the holidays.

Should I wait until spring to buy in Seattle?

It depends on your goals. Spring brings more listings than winter but also more buyers and faster sales, and Seattle’s median days on market was 6 days this spring. If you have the pre-approval and a home you like, I would not wait for a season.

Can I still close before the end of the year if I start shopping in the fall?

Often yes, but it depends on your contract and your lender. Count back from your target date: a rate lock of 30, 45 or 60 days, and a Closing Disclosure you must receive at least three business days before closing. Holiday schedules can add time, so ask your lender and escrow officer for current timelines.

Plan Your Seattle Home Purchase With Me

If you are thinking about buying this fall, I will walk you through your options, your timeline and the homes that fit your budget. Call or text Emily Cressey at 206-245-8813, or start with my guide to buying a home in Seattle on HomeProAssociates.com. The numbers in this article come from Northwest MLS and InfoSparks and reflect past results, which do not guarantee future ones. This article is general information, not lending, tax or legal advice, so confirm your specifics with your lender before you act.