Best Time to Buy by City

Best Time of Year to Buy a House in Los Angeles

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 Los Angeles is December. Buyers who went under contract in December paid a median 2.8% below the original asking price, and 64% of homes sold below asking, compared with 0.8% below in April, the most expensive month. That gap is 2.0 percentage points, or about $22,962 on the $1,171,537 median home in Los Angeles. The trade-off is choice: January brings about 1,516 new listings a month, December only about 626. Here is the month-by-month data from 14,112 closings in Los Angeles in our MLS feed.

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

Key findings

Best month: December. Los Angeles homes that went under contract in December sold for a median 2.8% below original asking, and 64% sold below the original asking price.
Most expensive month: April, at a median 0.8% below original asking, with 53% of homes selling below asking.
Best vs firmest season: Fall (2.2% below original asking) versus spring (1.1% below original asking).
New listings: January brings about 1,516 new listings a month; December only about 626.
Price cuts: 31.1% of homes that went under contract in December had taken a price cut first, versus 20.9% in April.
Days on market: the typical winter listing sat 30 days, versus 20 in spring.

Los Angeles 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 Los Angeles compared with the original asking price in each contract month, and the table below it has every figure.

Below original asking

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

Los Angeles 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	1,008	2.2% below original asking	59.4%	27.3%	$744	32	$1,150,000	1,516
February	1,221	1.2% below original asking	54.6%	21.0%	$752	19	$1,155,000	1,228
March	1,422	1.3% below original asking	54.4%	23.9%	$755	21	$1,180,000	1,439
April	1,342	0.8% below original asking	52.9%	20.9%	$763	19	$1,192,500	1,459
May	1,358	1.2% below original asking	54.1%	24.3%	$773	21	$1,250,000	1,480
June	1,319	1.1% below original asking	53.7%	23.7%	$760	21	$1,217,000	1,445
July	1,290	1.8% below original asking	57.7%	25.8%	$756	24	$1,192,860	1,466
August	1,334	2.6% below original asking	61.8%	30.1%	$734	26	$1,150,000	1,317
September	1,168	2.1% below original asking	59.6%	27.1%	$736	25	$1,120,000	1,505
October	685	2.3% below original asking	60.4%	26.9%	$775	27	$1,275,000	1,346
November	1,056	2.1% below original asking	59.5%	31.3%	$733	29	$1,125,000	818
December	909	2.8% below original asking	63.8%	31.1%	$730	39	$1,050,000	626

New listings swing just as hard. January averages about 1,516 new listings in Los Angeles, while December averages about 626.

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 Los Angeles

Best season to buy a house in Los Angeles, 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	2.0% below original asking	59.3%	26.5%	30	1,123
Spring	1.1% below original asking	53.8%	23.0%	20	1,459
Summer	1.8% below original asking	57.7%	26.5%	24	1,409
Fall	2.2% below original asking	59.8%	28.4%	27	1,223

Fall was the best season to buy in Los Angeles: the median home closed 2.2% below original asking, and 59.8% of homes sold below asking. Spring was the firmest, at 1.1% below original asking with 53.8% below asking. Listings sat a median 27 days in fall versus 20 in spring.

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

Which neighborhoods in Los Angeles get cheaper in the off-season

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

Which neighborhoods in Los Angeles get cheaper in the off-season, data table
Neighborhood	Closings	Median sale price	Spring	Summer	Fall	Winter
Brentwood	704	$2,600,000	3.6% below original asking	3.8% below original asking	4.0% below original asking	2.9% below original asking
Westwood	625	$1,395,000	2.5% below original asking	4.3% below original asking	4.0% below original asking	3.6% below original asking
Hollywood Hills	484	$1,770,000	2.7% below original asking	4.1% below original asking	5.7% below original asking	4.1% below original asking
Westchester	483	$1,700,000	at original asking	2.0% below original asking	1.3% below original asking	0.8% below original asking
Hollywood Hills West	471	$2,415,000	2.8% below original asking	5.1% below original asking	5.3% below original asking	4.8% below original asking
Mar Vista	420	$2,250,000	at original asking	at original asking	0.9% below original asking	at original asking

Hollywood Hills was the softest of Los Angeles's busiest neighborhoods, with the median sale at 5.7% below original asking in fall. Hollywood Hills West moved the most with the seasons, from 2.8% below original asking in spring to 5.3% below original asking in fall. 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 Los Angeles

Los Angeles is a slow-burn seasonal market rather than a bidding-war one. Spring buyers paid roughly 1% under the original asking price; December buyers paid 2.8% under, 64% of homes sold below asking and the median listing had sat 39 days, nearly double the spring pace. The Westside tells the story best: Brentwood and the Hollywood Hills sell 3% to 6% below asking year round, while Mar Vista and Westchester hold at or near full price until fall.

Is winter a good time to buy a house in Los Angeles?

Partly. Los Angeles winter contracts (December to February) closed a median 2.0% below original asking, softer than spring (1.1% below original asking) but not as soft as fall (2.2% below original asking). December closed a median 2.8% below original asking, with 63.8% of homes selling below asking.

The trade-off is thin inventory. Winter brings about 1,123 new listings a month versus 1,459 in spring, and December only about 626. The typical winter listing in Los Angeles sits 30 days versus 20 in spring, so winter sellers have usually had time to rethink their price.

Does the season matter more than mortgage rates?

In Los Angeles, the spread between the best and worst month to sign a contract was 2.0 percentage points on price, about $22,962 on the $1,171,537 median home. A 0.5 point move in the 30-year mortgage rate changes the monthly payment on a $1,171,537 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 Los Angeles

Get pre-approved before the slow season. In Los Angeles that is fall, and a pre-approval lets you move the day a stale listing gets interesting.
Target homes past the median of 24 days on market in Los Angeles. 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 spring and April, use the neighborhood table above to find parts of Los Angeles, such as Hollywood Hills, that still sell below asking.
In the slow months, ask for credits and repairs, not only price. In December, 31.1% 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 626, and sellers in Los Angeles who list then are usually motivated.

Methodology

We looked at closings of single family homes, condos and townhouses in Los Angeles 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 14,112 closings, that ratio was 0.9829 (1.7% below original asking), 57.2% of homes sold below original asking, 25.8% had a price cut before selling, and the median home sold for $1,171,537 at $749 per square foot after 24 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 Los Angeles?

December. Los Angeles homes that went under contract in December sold for a median 2.8% below original asking, and 64% sold below the original asking price. The median listing had been on the market 39 days.

What is the worst month to buy a house in Los Angeles?

April is the most expensive month. Los Angeles homes that went under contract in April sold for a median 0.8% below original asking, only 53% sold below asking, and the median listing sat 19 days.

Is winter a good time to buy in Los Angeles?

Partly. Winter contracts closed a median 2.0% below original asking, 59.3% of homes sold below asking and the typical listing sat 30 days. The catch is choice: about 1,123 new listings a month, versus 1,459 in spring.

How much can I save by timing my purchase in Los Angeles?

The gap between the best and most expensive month was 2.0 percentage points, about $22,962 on the $1,171,537 median home in Los Angeles. That is a median across 14,112 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 Los Angeles?

January brings the most new listings, about 1,516 a month. December brings the fewest, about 626.

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