With the expectations for a spring boom in housing market activity higher than ever as of late, a new report from Realtor.com® has outlined the week of April 12-18 as the “best week to sell in 2026.”
The report predicts a rebound in buyer demand as mortgage rates have remained on the lower end of the 6% range, with historical data expecting 16.7% more listing views and 17% faster sales during the week of April 12-18. Sales prices are also historically 1.3% higher than the average week during this window, coupled with homes seeing 18.9% less price reductions.
Danielle Hale, chief economist at Realtor.com, said that “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.”
“This shift doesn’t just mean more options; lower rates and tempered price growth should give buyers’ some budget breathing room,” she continued. “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.”
Looking regionally, Realtor.com Senior Economic Research Analyst Hannah Jones said that the “housing market remains undersupplied,” specifically in the Northeast and Midwest. In those regions, “well-priced, move-in ready homes are likely to find success.”
On the other hand, Jones said that for the more inventory-abundant regions—the South and the West—sellers face “softer conditions,” and that “optimizing timing to this early spring window is even more critical to differentiate a property from the growing competition.”
The report also notes that with regional differences, some areas might have a “best time to sell” that is before or after the overall prediction of April 12-18, with some already having passed that date:
- March 8-14: Denver, Colorado; Boston, Massachusetts; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; and San Jose, California
- March 15-21: Hartford, Connecticut; Baltimore, Maryland; and Minneapolis, Minnesota
- March 22-28: Columbus, Ohio; Chicago, Illinois; Jacksonville, Florida; Kansas City, Missouri; Las Vegas, Nevada; Los Angeles, California; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; New York, New York; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Portland, Oregon; Riverside, California; Sacramento, California; San Diego, California; San Francisco, California; St. Louis, Missouri; and Washington, D.C.
- March 29-April 4: Grand Rapids, Michigan; Cincinnati, Ohio; and Seattle, Washington
- April 19-25: Orlando, Florida; Phoenix, Arizona; San Antonio, Texas; Tampa, Florida; and Virginia Beach, Virginia
- May 3-9: Indianapolis, Indiana; Memphis, Tennessee; and Tucson, Arizona
- May 10-16: Birmingham, Alabama
- May 24-30: Miami, Florida
For those weeks yet to come, Realtor.com noted that prep in advance is essential and that “homeowners should begin the process (of preparing a home to sell) well before their intended listing date.”
While the spring market was originally expected by housing economists to bloom more in March, Bright MLS Chief Economist Lisa Sturtevant previously said the start of the spring market is now delayed, “with sellers holding off on putting their homes on the market and buyers questioning whether it is the right time for them to buy.”
“The conflict with Iran introduced a whole new set of concerns to the economy and the housing market as oil prices surged and a potential resolution of the conflict has become more uncertain,” she continued. “If the conflict is prolonged, the spring housing market could not just be delayed but be much less robust than predicted earlier this year.”
The conflict with Iran has put concern on the minds of many in terms of potential rises in mortgage rates, a concern that was observed when rates moved up 11 percentage points last week from 6.11% to 6.22%, hitting the highest level seen so far in 2026.
Zillow’s recent prediction of the best time to list also leaned more in a delayed direction, naming late May as the best time for sellers to list their homes to see strong demand and return on investment.
