Best Time to Buy by City

Best Time of Year to Buy a House in San Francisco

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 San Francisco is December. Buyers who went under contract in December paid a median 0.8% below the original asking price, and 51% of homes sold below asking, compared with 8.3% above in September, the most expensive month. That gap is 9.1 percentage points, or about $133,298 on the $1,460,000 median home in San Francisco. The trade-off is choice: September brings about 695 new listings a month, December only about 92. Here is the month-by-month data from 7,572 closings in San Francisco in our MLS feed.

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

Key findings

Best month: December. San Francisco homes that went under contract in December sold for a median 0.8% below original asking, and 51% sold below the original asking price.
Most expensive month: September, at a median 8.3% above original asking, with 23% of homes selling below asking.
Best vs firmest season: Winter (2.0% above original asking) versus spring (7.1% above original asking).
New listings: September brings about 695 new listings a month; December only about 92.
Price cuts: 26.7% of homes that went under contract in December had taken a price cut first, versus 10.1% in September.
Days on market: the typical winter listing sat 26 days, versus 14 in spring.

San Francisco 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 San Francisco 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.

San Francisco 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	432	1.5% above original asking	37.5%	15.0%	$991	14	$1,317,500	433
February	579	5.4% above original asking	27.1%	8.6%	$1,048	14	$1,450,000	415
March	752	6.7% above original asking	25.5%	10.8%	$1,110	13	$1,600,000	533
April	812	6.9% above original asking	26.5%	11.2%	$1,092	14	$1,582,500	564
May	852	7.5% above original asking	27.7%	12.8%	$1,081	14	$1,632,500	535
June	769	5.3% above original asking	29.4%	14.3%	$1,052	17	$1,436,888	379
July	557	1.4% above original asking	37.3%	19.6%	$1,004	22	$1,400,000	349
August	578	4.1% above original asking	30.6%	15.7%	$1,048	14	$1,382,500	395
September	795	8.3% above original asking	22.9%	10.1%	$1,124	13	$1,550,000	695
October	432	4.4% above original asking	31.3%	14.6%	$1,039	17	$1,500,000	510
November	625	at original asking	41.9%	22.7%	$976	27	$1,349,000	201
December	389	0.8% below original asking	51.4%	26.7%	$931	49	$1,200,000	92

New listings swing just as hard. September averages about 695 new listings in San Francisco, while December averages about 92.

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 San Francisco

Best season to buy a house in San Francisco, 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% above original asking	38.7%	16.8%	26	313
Spring	7.1% above original asking	26.6%	11.6%	14	544
Summer	3.6% above original asking	32.4%	16.5%	18	374
Fall	4.2% above original asking	32.0%	15.8%	19	469

Winter was the best season to buy in San Francisco: the median home closed 2.0% above original asking, and 38.7% of homes sold below asking. Spring was the firmest, at 7.1% above original asking with 26.6% below asking. Listings sat a median 26 days in winter versus 14 in spring.

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

Which neighborhoods in San Francisco get cheaper in the off-season

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

Which neighborhoods in San Francisco get cheaper in the off-season, data table
Neighborhood	Closings	Median sale price	Spring	Summer	Fall	Winter
South of Market	851	$930,000	1.2% below original asking	1.0% below original asking	1.4% below original asking	3.6% below original asking
Sunset District	714	$1,700,000	21.0% above original asking	24.5% above original asking	21.7% above original asking	21.3% above original asking
Western Addition	455	$1,225,000	3.5% above original asking	0.9% above original asking	at original asking	1.0% above original asking
The Richmond District	430	$2,052,500	15.2% above original asking	14.3% above original asking	12.1% above original asking	12.0% above original asking
Inner Mission	363	$1,250,000	3.9% above original asking	0.8% above original asking	3.0% above original asking	at original asking
Eureka Valley	337	$1,825,000	12.3% above original asking	13.0% above original asking	10.9% above original asking	9.8% above original asking

South of Market was the softest of San Francisco's busiest neighborhoods, with the median sale at 3.6% below original asking in winter. Inner Mission moved the most with the seasons, from 3.9% above original asking in spring to at 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 San Francisco

San Francisco is the most seasonal market in our feed. Spring and September are bidding-war season: in September buyers paid a median 8.3% over the original asking price and only 23% of homes sold below it, because listings in the Sunset, the Richmond and Eureka Valley are deliberately priced low to draw multiple offers. December flips that script: the median home closed below asking, half of sales went under the original list price and the median listing had sat 49 days. South of Market condos are the exception that proves the rule, selling below asking in every season, with winter the softest at 3.6% under.

Is winter a good time to buy a house in San Francisco?

Yes, on price. San Francisco contracts signed in winter (December to February) closed a median 2.0% above original asking, versus 7.1% above original asking in spring, and 38.7% of winter sales went below the original asking price. December on its own closed a median 0.8% below original asking, with 51.4% of homes selling below asking.

The trade-off is thin inventory. Winter brings about 313 new listings a month versus 544 in spring, and December only about 92. The typical winter listing in San Francisco sits 26 days versus 14 in spring, so winter sellers have usually had time to rethink their price.

Does the season matter more than mortgage rates?

In San Francisco, the spread between the best and worst month to sign a contract was 9.1 percentage points on price, about $133,298 on the $1,460,000 median home. A 0.5 point move in the 30-year mortgage rate changes the monthly payment on a $1,460,000 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 San Francisco

Get pre-approved before the slow season. In San Francisco that is winter, and a pre-approval lets you move the day a stale listing gets interesting.
Target homes past the median of 15 days on market in San Francisco. 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 September, use the neighborhood table above to find parts of San Francisco, such as South of Market, that still sell below asking.
In the slow months, ask for credits and repairs, not only price. In December, 26.7% 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 92, and sellers in San Francisco who list then are usually motivated.

Methodology

We looked at closings of single family homes, condos and townhouses in San Francisco 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 7,572 closings, that ratio was 1.0435 (4.4% above original asking), 31.1% of homes sold below original asking, 14.5% had a price cut before selling, and the median home sold for $1,460,000 at $1,047 per square foot after 15 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 San Francisco?

December. San Francisco homes that went under contract in December sold for a median 0.8% below original asking, and 51% sold below the original asking price. The median listing had been on the market 49 days.

What is the worst month to buy a house in San Francisco?

September is the most expensive month. San Francisco homes that went under contract in September sold for a median 8.3% above original asking, only 23% sold below asking, and the median listing sat 13 days.

Is winter a good time to buy in San Francisco?

Yes, on price. Winter contracts closed a median 2.0% above original asking, 38.7% of homes sold below asking and the typical listing sat 26 days. The catch is choice: about 313 new listings a month, versus 544 in spring.

How much can I save by timing my purchase in San Francisco?

The gap between the best and most expensive month was 9.1 percentage points, about $133,298 on the $1,460,000 median home in San Francisco. That is a median across 7,572 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 San Francisco?

September brings the most new listings, about 695 a month. December brings the fewest, about 92.

Buy in San Francisco with a flat-fee buyer's agent

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