Best Time to Buy by City

Best Time of Year to Buy a House in Pasadena

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 Pasadena is December. Buyers who went under contract in December paid a median 1.6% below the original asking price, and 62% of homes sold below asking, compared with 1.9% above in February, the most expensive month. That gap is 3.4 percentage points, or about $43,815 on the $1,270,000 median home in Pasadena. The trade-off is choice: May brings about 169 new listings a month, December only about 59. Here is the month-by-month data from 2,008 closings in Pasadena in our MLS feed.

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

Key findings

Best month: December. Pasadena homes that went under contract in December sold for a median 1.6% below original asking, and 62% sold below the original asking price.
Most expensive month: February, at a median 1.9% above original asking, with 35% of homes selling below asking.
Best vs firmest season: Summer (at original asking) versus spring (1.0% above original asking).
New listings: May brings about 169 new listings a month; December only about 59.
Price cuts: 22.5% of homes that went under contract in December had taken a price cut first, versus 14.6% in February.
Days on market: the typical winter listing sat 23 days, versus 18 in spring.

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

Above original asking
Below original asking

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

Pasadena 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	115	at original asking	41.7%	14.8%	$823	17	$1,305,800	124
February	164	1.9% above original asking	34.8%	14.6%	$815	14	$1,252,778	125
March	203	1.8% above original asking	31.5%	14.8%	$839	13	$1,238,000	164
April	198	0.6% above original asking	38.4%	14.6%	$791	20	$1,217,500	151
May	208	0.5% above original asking	39.9%	14.9%	$853	21	$1,338,000	169
June	193	at original asking	39.9%	18.1%	$796	15	$1,325,000	151
July	189	at original asking	50.3%	29.1%	$797	21	$1,300,000	161
August	184	at original asking	48.9%	25.5%	$765	23	$1,177,250	135
September	173	at original asking	45.1%	19.1%	$808	16	$1,185,000	159
October	110	at original asking	49.1%	22.7%	$789	17	$1,300,000	153
November	151	at original asking	43.7%	22.5%	$797	25	$1,360,000	70
December	120	1.6% below original asking	61.7%	22.5%	$744	39	$1,250,000	59

New listings swing just as hard. May averages about 169 new listings in Pasadena, while December averages about 59.

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 Pasadena

Best season to buy a house in Pasadena, 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	0.1% above original asking	46.1%	17.3%	23	103
Spring	1.0% above original asking	36.6%	14.8%	18	161
Summer	at original asking	46.4%	24.2%	20	149
Fall	at original asking	46.0%	21.4%	19	127

Summer was the best season to buy in Pasadena: the median home closed at original asking, and 46.4% of homes sold below asking. Spring was the firmest, at 1.0% above original asking with 36.6% below asking. Listings sat a median 20 days in summer versus 18 in spring.

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

Which neighborhoods in Pasadena get cheaper in the off-season

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

Which neighborhoods in Pasadena get cheaper in the off-season, data table
Neighborhood	Closings	Median sale price	Spring	Summer	Fall	Winter
Playhouse District	131	$750,000	0.3% above original asking	2.2% below original asking	0.4% above original asking	1.1% below original asking
The Verdugos	112	$1,312,500	0.3% below original asking	at original asking	1.5% below original asking	2.9% below original asking
South Lake	109	$739,000	0.3% below original asking	at original asking	3.0% below original asking	1.5% below original asking
Altadena	98	$1,352,500	5.6% above original asking	1.8% above original asking	at original asking	0.8% above original asking
Chapman	93	$1,750,000	2.7% above original asking	1.0% above original asking	1.8% below original asking	3.2% above original asking
Lower Arroyo	87	$1,820,000	0.2% above original asking	at original asking	at original asking	1.5% above original asking

South Lake was the softest of Pasadena's busiest neighborhoods, with the median sale at 3.0% below original asking in fall. Altadena moved the most with the seasons, from 5.6% above original asking in spring to at 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 Pasadena

Pasadena buyers face a short bidding season in February and March, when the median home closed about 1.9% over the original asking price, and a clear December opening when the median sale dropped 1.6% below asking and 62% of homes sold under the original price. Playhouse District and South Lake condos dip below asking in summer and winter, while Altadena and Chapman homes still draw spring overbids. Listings sit 39 days in December versus 13 in March.

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

Partly. Pasadena winter contracts (December to February) closed a median 0.1% above original asking, softer than spring (1.0% above original asking) but not as soft as summer (at original asking). December closed a median 1.6% below original asking, with 61.7% of homes selling below asking.

The trade-off is thin inventory. Winter brings about 103 new listings a month versus 161 in spring, and December only about 59. The typical winter listing in Pasadena sits 23 days versus 18 in spring, so winter sellers have usually had time to rethink their price.

Does the season matter more than mortgage rates?

In Pasadena, the spread between the best and worst month to sign a contract was 3.4 percentage points on price, about $43,815 on the $1,270,000 median home. A 0.5 point move in the 30-year mortgage rate changes the monthly payment on a $1,270,000 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 Pasadena

Get pre-approved before the slow season. In Pasadena that is summer, and a pre-approval lets you move the day a stale listing gets interesting.
Target homes past the median of 18 days on market in Pasadena. 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 February, use the neighborhood table above to find parts of Pasadena, such as South Lake, that still sell below asking.
In the slow months, ask for credits and repairs, not only price. In December, 22.5% 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 59, and sellers in Pasadena who list then are usually motivated.

Methodology

We looked at closings of single family homes, condos and townhouses in Pasadena 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 2,008 closings, that ratio was 1.0000 (at original asking), 42.9% of homes sold below original asking, 19.3% had a price cut before selling, and the median home sold for $1,270,000 at $802 per square foot after 18 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 Pasadena?

December. Pasadena homes that went under contract in December sold for a median 1.6% below original asking, and 62% 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 Pasadena?

February is the most expensive month. Pasadena homes that went under contract in February sold for a median 1.9% above original asking, only 35% sold below asking, and the median listing sat 14 days.

Is winter a good time to buy in Pasadena?

Partly. Winter contracts closed a median 0.1% above original asking, 46.1% of homes sold below asking and the typical listing sat 23 days. The catch is choice: about 103 new listings a month, versus 161 in spring.

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

The gap between the best and most expensive month was 3.4 percentage points, about $43,815 on the $1,270,000 median home in Pasadena. That is a median across 2,008 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 Pasadena?

May brings the most new listings, about 169 a month. December brings the fewest, about 59.

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