Best Time to Buy by City

Best Time of Year to Buy a House in Berkeley

Updated November 2, 2026

By Vinura Abeysundara

Head of Growth at TurboHome

Reviewed by:

Vinura Abeysundara

Head of Growth at TurboHome

Kevin Kretzmer

Head Agent, California · CalDRE #01997822

The best time to buy a house in Berkeley is December. Buyers who went under contract in December paid a median 1.8% above the original asking price, and 32% of homes sold below asking, compared with 22.8% above in July, the most expensive month. That gap is 21.0 percentage points, or about $308,089 on the $1,465,000 median home in Berkeley. The trade-off is choice: April brings about 105 new listings a month, December only about 15. Here is the month-by-month data from 1,075 closings in Berkeley in our MLS feed.

TurboHome Market Analysis · Berkeley, CA · Contracts signed November 2024 through September 2026 · Published November 2026

Key findings

Best month: December. Berkeley homes that went under contract in December sold for a median 1.8% above original asking, and 32% sold below the original asking price.
Most expensive month: July, at a median 22.8% above original asking, with 12% of homes selling below asking.
Best vs firmest season: Winter (10.1% above original asking) versus summer (21.5% above original asking).
New listings: April brings about 105 new listings a month; December only about 15.
Price cuts: 8.1% of homes that went under contract in December had taken a price cut first, versus 8.0% in July.
Days on market: the typical winter listing sat 14 days, versus 14 in spring.

Berkeley home prices by month: what buyers actually paid

"Contract month" is the month the buyer's offer was accepted, not the month the sale closed. That is the date a buyer can actually time. The chart shows how the median sale in Berkeley compared with the original asking price in each contract month, and the table below it has every figure.

Above original asking

Median close vs original asking, by month. Every figure is in the table below.

Berkeley home prices by month: what buyers actually paid, data table
Contract month	Closings	Median close vs original asking	Sold below original asking	Price cut before sale	Median $/sq ft	Median days on market	Median sale price	Avg new listings per month
January	45	11.7% above original asking	17.8%	6.7%	$829	14	$1,460,000	49
February	83	16.8% above original asking	15.7%	4.8%	$911	14	$1,385,000	68
March	119	20.9% above original asking	14.3%	9.2%	$930	14	$1,550,000	79
April	123	21.9% above original asking	9.8%	6.5%	$901	14	$1,599,000	105
May	156	15.7% above original asking	21.8%	11.5%	$876	15	$1,437,500	97
June	117	20.1% above original asking	15.4%	6.0%	$912	15	$1,350,000	70
July	75	22.8% above original asking	12.0%	8.0%	$917	15	$1,470,000	60
August	85	21.6% above original asking	15.3%	4.7%	$890	14	$1,500,000	59
September	98	22.4% above original asking	10.2%	6.1%	$909	14	$1,597,000	95
October	62	19.6% above original asking	24.2%	11.3%	$834	15	$1,327,500	77
November	75	11.4% above original asking	25.3%	20.0%	$830	17	$1,580,000	30
December	37	1.8% above original asking	32.4%	8.1%	$821	14	$1,300,000	15

New listings swing just as hard. April averages about 105 new listings in Berkeley, while December averages about 15.

Avg new listings per month

Average new listings per calendar month over two years. Hover a point for its value; every figure is in the table above.

Best season to buy a house in Berkeley

Best season to buy a house in Berkeley, data table
Season	Median close vs original asking	Sold below original asking	Price cut before sale	Median days on market	Avg new listings per month
Winter	10.1% above original asking	22.0%	6.5%	14	44
Spring	19.5% above original asking	15.3%	9.1%	14	94
Summer	21.5% above original asking	14.2%	6.2%	15	63
Fall	17.8% above original asking	19.9%	12.5%	15	67

Winter was the best season to buy in Berkeley: the median home closed 10.1% above original asking, and 22.0% of homes sold below asking. Summer was the firmest, at 21.5% above original asking with 14.2% below asking. Listings sat a median 14 days in winter versus 15 in summer.

Winter is December to February, spring March to May, summer June to August and fall September to November.

Which neighborhoods in Berkeley get cheaper in the off-season

Median close vs original asking by season in the neighborhoods with the most closings in Berkeley in our feed.

Which neighborhoods in Berkeley get cheaper in the off-season, data table
Neighborhood	Closings	Median sale price	Spring	Summer	Fall	Winter
Berkeley Hills	292	$1,600,000	20.7% above original asking	24.1% above original asking	20.8% above original asking	8.9% above original asking
North Berkeley	142	$1,353,473	25.1% above original asking	14.1% above original asking	10.9% above original asking	24.2% above original asking
West Berkeley	101	$1,230,000	18.1% above original asking	25.8% above original asking	31.9% above original asking	20.1% above original asking
South Berkeley	90	$1,220,000	20.5% above original asking	27.5% above original asking	25.7% above original asking	13.0% above original asking
Berkeley Oceanview	76	$1,060,473	4.0% above original asking	9.5% above original asking	10.4% above original asking	8.3% above original asking

Berkeley Oceanview was the softest of Berkeley's busiest neighborhoods, with the median sale at 4.0% above original asking in spring. Berkeley Hills moved the most with the seasons, from 24.1% above original asking in summer to 8.9% above original asking in winter. Neighborhood figures rest on fewer closings than the citywide numbers, so read them as direction rather than a price quote.

Why the season matters in Berkeley

Berkeley has the most extreme overbidding of any city in our feed: the median home went for 19% over the original asking price over the two-year period, and in July the median was 23% over. Underpricing is the local convention, so a December close at 1.8% over asking is the closest Berkeley gets to a buyer's window, and the Berkeley Hills show the biggest winter drop (9% over asking in winter versus 24% in summer). New listings fall to about 15 a month in December, so winter buyers trade price relief for very little choice.

Is winter a good time to buy a house in Berkeley?

Yes, on price. Berkeley contracts signed in winter (December to February) closed a median 10.1% above original asking, versus 21.5% above original asking in summer, and 22.0% of winter sales went below the original asking price. December on its own closed a median 1.8% above original asking, with 32.4% of homes selling below asking.

The trade-off is thin inventory. Winter brings about 44 new listings a month versus 94 in spring, and December only about 15. The typical winter listing in Berkeley sits 14 days versus 14 in spring, so good homes still move quickly even in winter.

Does the season matter more than mortgage rates?

In Berkeley, the spread between the best and worst month to sign a contract was 21.0 percentage points on price, about $308,089 on the $1,465,000 median home. A 0.5 point move in the 30-year mortgage rate changes the monthly payment on a $1,465,000 home with 20% down by roughly the same order of magnitude. Freddie Mac's Primary Mortgage Market Survey put the average 30-year fixed rate at 7.24% for the week of October 29, 2026.

Watch both. You can't control where rates go, but you can control when you shop and how hard you negotiate, and a flat-fee buyer's agent works the price side in any month.

How to time a purchase in Berkeley

Get pre-approved before the slow season. In Berkeley that is winter, and a pre-approval lets you move the day a stale listing gets interesting.
Target homes past the median of 14 days on market in Berkeley. Sellers who have waited longer than the typical listing are the most open to an offer below asking.
In bidding-season months, shop the soft segments. In summer and July, use the neighborhood table above to find parts of Berkeley, such as Berkeley Oceanview, that still sell below asking.
In the slow months, ask for credits and repairs, not only price. In December, 8.1% of homes that sold had already taken a price cut, so sellers know where the market is.
Keep searching through the holidays. December brings the fewest new listings, about 15, and sellers in Berkeley who list then are usually motivated.

Methodology

We looked at closings of single family homes, condos and townhouses in Berkeley from our MLS feed, with contracts signed November 2024 through September 2026 and closed by October 31, 2026, and removed outlier ratios. "Median close vs original asking" is the median of close price divided by the original list price, so it includes price cuts made before the sale. Across all 1,075 closings, that ratio was 1.1912 (19.1% above original asking), 16.7% of homes sold below original asking, 8.6% had a price cut before selling, and the median home sold for $1,465,000 at $888 per square foot after 14 days on market.

New listings are the two-year average per calendar month. Figures are medians unless stated. Published November 2026.

Frequently asked questions

What is the cheapest month to buy a house in Berkeley?

December. Berkeley homes that went under contract in December sold for a median 1.8% above original asking, and 32% sold below the original asking price. The median listing had been on the market 14 days.

What is the worst month to buy a house in Berkeley?

July is the most expensive month. Berkeley homes that went under contract in July sold for a median 22.8% above original asking, only 12% sold below asking, and the median listing sat 15 days.

Is winter a good time to buy in Berkeley?

Yes, on price. Winter contracts closed a median 10.1% above original asking, 22.0% of homes sold below asking and the typical listing sat 14 days. The catch is choice: about 44 new listings a month, versus 94 in spring.

How much can I save by timing my purchase in Berkeley?

The gap between the best and most expensive month was 21.0 percentage points, about $308,089 on the $1,465,000 median home in Berkeley. That is a median across 1,075 closings, not a guarantee: the home, the neighborhood and your offer still matter more than the calendar.

When do the most homes come on the market in Berkeley?

April brings the most new listings, about 105 a month. December brings the fewest, about 15.

Buy in Berkeley with a flat-fee buyer's agent

About the Author