Best Time to Buy by City

Best Time of Year to Buy a House in San Jose

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 Jose is July. Buyers who went under contract in July paid a median 0.9% below the original asking price, and 54% of homes sold below asking, compared with 3.4% above in February, the most expensive month. That gap is 4.3 percentage points, or about $60,620 on the $1,400,000 median home in San Jose. The trade-off is choice: April brings about 882 new listings a month, December only about 206. Here is the month-by-month data from 6,083 closings in San Jose in our MLS feed.

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

Key findings

Best month: July. San Jose homes that went under contract in July sold for a median 0.9% below original asking, and 54% sold below the original asking price.
Most expensive month: February, at a median 3.4% above original asking, with 26% of homes selling below asking.
Best vs firmest season: Summer (0.3% below original asking) versus winter (2.2% above original asking).
New listings: April brings about 882 new listings a month; December only about 206.
Price cuts: 27.3% of homes that went under contract in July had taken a price cut first, versus 9.5% in February.
Days on market: the typical winter listing sat 11 days, versus 11 in spring.

San Jose 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 Jose 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 Jose 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	473	3.2% above original asking	27.5%	12.1%	$848	8	$1,316,350	548
February	567	3.4% above original asking	26.3%	9.5%	$906	8	$1,460,000	651
March	586	3.2% above original asking	26.1%	12.3%	$919	8	$1,486,000	809
April	595	0.4% above original asking	39.7%	18.5%	$904	12	$1,470,000	882
May	608	0.1% above original asking	41.6%	21.9%	$881	13	$1,436,500	812
June	543	at original asking	50.1%	25.8%	$880	16	$1,380,000	663
July	505	0.9% below original asking	54.1%	27.3%	$839	19	$1,335,000	654
August	504	at original asking	47.8%	22.6%	$861	16	$1,345,000	601
September	472	0.6% below original asking	51.7%	27.3%	$872	18	$1,375,000	666
October	247	at original asking	49.8%	27.5%	$870	17	$1,431,000	567
November	610	0.2% above original asking	38.7%	22.3%	$852	15	$1,367,500	322
December	373	0.2% above original asking	40.5%	20.9%	$824	17	$1,300,000	206

New listings swing just as hard. April averages about 882 new listings in San Jose, while December averages about 206.

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 Jose

Best season to buy a house in San Jose, 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	2.2% above original asking	31.4%	14.2%	11	468
Spring	1.2% above original asking	35.8%	17.6%	11	834
Summer	0.3% below original asking	50.7%	25.2%	17	639
Fall	0.1% below original asking	46.7%	25.7%	17	518

Summer was the best season to buy in San Jose: the median home closed 0.3% below original asking, and 50.7% of homes sold below asking. Winter was the firmest, at 2.2% above original asking with 31.4% below asking. Listings sat a median 17 days in summer versus 11 in winter.

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

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

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

Which neighborhoods in San Jose get cheaper in the off-season, data table
Neighborhood	Closings	Median sale price	Spring	Summer	Fall	Winter
Willow Glen	346	$2,190,000	2.4% above original asking	0.6% below original asking	at original asking	3.8% above original asking
Downtown San Jose	289	$965,000	at original asking	2.6% below original asking	3.1% below original asking	at original asking
The Villages	205	$785,000	1.2% below original asking	3.6% below original asking	3.7% below original asking	2.1% below original asking
Communication Hill	126	$1,089,500	at original asking	2.3% below original asking	1.6% below original asking	2.6% above original asking
Willow Glen South / Lincoln Glen	102	$1,990,000	0.5% above original asking	at original asking	0.1% below original asking	8.2% above original asking
Alum Rock	99	$950,000	3.5% above original asking	0.1% above original asking	0.3% above original asking	2.1% above original asking

The Villages was the softest of San Jose's busiest neighborhoods, with the median sale at 3.7% below original asking in fall. Willow Glen South / Lincoln Glen moved the most with the seasons, from 8.2% above original asking in winter to 0.1% 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 San Jose

San Jose's bidding season is the first quarter: January through March contracts closed a median 3.2% to 3.4% over the original asking price with homes going pending in about 8 days, as Willow Glen and Cambrian listings priced to spark competition. The market cools from June onward and July is the single best month, with the median sale 0.9% below asking and 54% of homes selling under the original list. Downtown San Jose condos sell below asking in summer and fall, and The Villages (a 55-plus community) sells below asking in every season.

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

Not on price. Winter (December to February) was San Jose's firmest season: contracts closed a median 2.2% above original asking, versus 0.3% below original asking in summer, and 31.4% of winter sales went below the original asking price. December closed a median 0.2% above original asking, with 40.5% of homes selling below asking.

The trade-off is thin inventory. Winter brings about 468 new listings a month versus 834 in spring, and December only about 206. The typical winter listing in San Jose sits 11 days versus 11 in spring, so good homes still move quickly even in winter.

Does the season matter more than mortgage rates?

In San Jose, the spread between the best and worst month to sign a contract was 4.3 percentage points on price, about $60,620 on the $1,400,000 median home. A 0.5 point move in the 30-year mortgage rate changes the monthly payment on a $1,400,000 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 Jose

Get pre-approved before the slow season. In San Jose that is summer, and a pre-approval lets you move the day a stale listing gets interesting.
Target homes past the median of 13 days on market in San Jose. 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 winter and February, use the neighborhood table above to find parts of San Jose, such as The Villages, that still sell below asking.
In the slow months, ask for credits and repairs, not only price. In July, 27.3% 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 206, and sellers in San Jose who list then are usually motivated.

Methodology

We looked at closings of single family homes, condos and townhouses in San Jose 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 6,083 closings, that ratio was 1.0018 (0.2% above original asking), 40.5% of homes sold below original asking, 20.2% had a price cut before selling, and the median home sold for $1,400,000 at $874 per square foot after 13 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 Jose?

July. San Jose homes that went under contract in July sold for a median 0.9% below original asking, and 54% sold below the original asking price. The median listing had been on the market 19 days.

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

February is the most expensive month. San Jose homes that went under contract in February sold for a median 3.4% above original asking, only 26% sold below asking, and the median listing sat 8 days.

Is winter a good time to buy in San Jose?

Not on price. Winter contracts closed a median 2.2% above original asking, 31.4% of homes sold below asking and the typical listing sat 11 days. The catch is choice: about 468 new listings a month, versus 834 in spring.

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

The gap between the best and most expensive month was 4.3 percentage points, about $60,620 on the $1,400,000 median home in San Jose. That is a median across 6,083 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 Jose?

April brings the most new listings, about 882 a month. December brings the fewest, about 206.

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

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