Best Time to Buy by City

Best Time of Year to Buy a House in San Mateo

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 Mateo is October. Buyers who went under contract in October paid a median 1.2% below the original asking price, and 56% of homes sold below asking, compared with 6.3% above in February, the most expensive month. That gap is 7.4 percentage points, or about $121,681 on the $1,639,900 median home in San Mateo. The trade-off is choice: April brings about 113 new listings a month, December only about 24. Here is the month-by-month data from 989 closings in San Mateo in our MLS feed.

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

Key findings

Best month: October. San Mateo homes that went under contract in October sold for a median 1.2% below original asking, and 56% sold below the original asking price.
Most expensive month: February, at a median 6.3% above original asking, with 38% of homes selling below asking.
Best vs firmest season: Summer (0.5% above original asking) versus winter (2.5% above original asking).
New listings: April brings about 113 new listings a month; December only about 24.
Price cuts: 27.4% of homes that went under contract in October had taken a price cut first, versus 16.0% in February.
Days on market: the typical winter listing sat 14 days, versus 13 in spring.

San Mateo 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 Mateo 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 Mateo 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	54	1.1% above original asking	33.3%	14.8%	$1,011	12	$1,510,000	70
February	81	6.3% above original asking	38.3%	16.0%	$1,150	12	$1,805,000	93
March	88	3.7% above original asking	29.5%	15.9%	$1,059	10	$1,780,000	97
April	111	2.4% above original asking	33.3%	21.6%	$1,100	13	$1,659,500	113
May	96	0.5% above original asking	42.7%	21.9%	$1,052	15	$1,777,500	98
June	106	0.5% above original asking	42.5%	21.7%	$1,126	13	$1,637,475	85
July	75	1.2% above original asking	32.0%	13.3%	$1,038	13	$1,550,000	83
August	96	at original asking	49.0%	22.9%	$1,065	18	$1,506,500	81
September	80	3.8% above original asking	33.8%	12.5%	$1,121	11	$2,100,000	95
October	62	1.2% below original asking	56.5%	27.4%	$937	20	$1,130,000	83
November	83	3.4% above original asking	38.6%	18.1%	$1,106	17	$1,625,000	38
December	57	at original asking	45.6%	28.1%	$854	18	$1,245,000	24

New listings swing just as hard. April averages about 113 new listings in San Mateo, while December averages about 24.

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 Mateo

Best season to buy a house in San Mateo, 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	2.5% above original asking	39.1%	19.6%	14	62
Spring	2.2% above original asking	35.2%	19.8%	13	103
Summer	0.5% above original asking	41.2%	19.3%	15	83
Fall	2.0% above original asking	43.0%	19.3%	16	72

Summer was the best season to buy in San Mateo: the median home closed 0.5% above original asking, and 41.2% of homes sold below asking. Winter was the firmest, at 2.5% above original asking with 39.1% below asking. Listings sat a median 15 days in summer versus 14 in winter.

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

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

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

Which neighborhoods in San Mateo get cheaper in the off-season, data table
Neighborhood	Closings	Median sale price	Spring	Summer	Fall	Winter
San Mateo Village	82	$1,577,500	4.7% above original asking	at original asking	2.4% above original asking	0.6% below original asking
North Central	82	$605,000	at original asking	3.2% below original asking	1.2% below original asking	at original asking
Downtown San Mateo	80	$829,000	3.5% below original asking	8.3% below original asking	7.0% below original asking	0.1% above original asking
Baywood	71	$2,361,000	0.1% above original asking	2.6% below original asking	9.4% above original asking	3.6% below original asking
Fiesta Gardens	60	$1,802,500	3.2% above original asking	1.2% above original asking	0.1% above original asking	5.1% above original asking

Downtown San Mateo was the softest of San Mateo's busiest neighborhoods, with the median sale at 8.3% below original asking in summer. Baywood moved the most with the seasons, from 9.4% above original asking in fall to 3.6% below 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 Mateo

San Mateo's overbidding peaks in February, when the median home closed 6.3% over asking, and fades through the summer; by August the median sale landed right at asking and October was the only month below it. Downtown San Mateo condos are the one consistently negotiable segment, selling 4% to 8% below asking in spring, summer and fall. Peninsula buyers should also note that December brings only about two dozen new listings, so the thin winter market cuts both ways.

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

Not on price. Winter (December to February) was San Mateo's firmest season: contracts closed a median 2.5% above original asking, versus 0.5% above original asking in summer, and 39.1% of winter sales went below the original asking price. December closed a median at original asking, with 45.6% of homes selling below asking.

The trade-off is thin inventory. Winter brings about 62 new listings a month versus 103 in spring, and December only about 24. The typical winter listing in San Mateo sits 14 days versus 13 in spring, so winter sellers have usually had time to rethink their price.

Does the season matter more than mortgage rates?

In San Mateo, the spread between the best and worst month to sign a contract was 7.4 percentage points on price, about $121,681 on the $1,639,900 median home. A 0.5 point move in the 30-year mortgage rate changes the monthly payment on a $1,639,900 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 Mateo

Get pre-approved before the slow season. In San Mateo that is summer, and a pre-approval lets you move the day a stale listing gets interesting.
Target homes past the median of 12 days on market in San Mateo. 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 Mateo, such as Downtown San Mateo, that still sell below asking.
In the slow months, ask for credits and repairs, not only price. In October, 27.4% 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 24, and sellers in San Mateo who list then are usually motivated.

Methodology

We looked at closings of single family homes, condos and townhouses in San Mateo 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 989 closings, that ratio was 1.0101 (1.0% above original asking), 39.3% of homes sold below original asking, 19.5% had a price cut before selling, and the median home sold for $1,639,900 at $1,062 per square foot after 12 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 Mateo?

October. San Mateo homes that went under contract in October sold for a median 1.2% below original asking, and 56% sold below the original asking price. The median listing had been on the market 20 days.

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

February is the most expensive month. San Mateo homes that went under contract in February sold for a median 6.3% above original asking, only 38% sold below asking, and the median listing sat 12 days.

Is winter a good time to buy in San Mateo?

Not on price. Winter contracts closed a median 2.5% above original asking, 39.1% of homes sold below asking and the typical listing sat 14 days. The catch is choice: about 62 new listings a month, versus 103 in spring.

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

The gap between the best and most expensive month was 7.4 percentage points, about $121,681 on the $1,639,900 median home in San Mateo. That is a median across 989 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 Mateo?

April brings the most new listings, about 113 a month. December brings the fewest, about 24.

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

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