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Best Time to Buy a Home is Around the Corner

U.S.: The best time to buy a home this fall is just around the corner. Realtor.com says that the period between September 27 and October 3 looks to be the fall “sweet spot” for the best deals. Although prices are higher, economists and industry analysts look at this week as helping qualified buyers with better negotiating opportunities. Among them: sellers willing to drop the price or add closing cost incentives. Also, says Realtor.com, there are 30% more listings than at the beginning of the year and many homes have been sitting on the market longer than sellers have intended. So, inventory and lower prices are key in this period. In late October, sellers will be motivated but inventory could shrink in November and December during the holiday season because many homes not under contract could be taken off the market temporarily. 

U.S.: That “sweet spot” outlook from Realtor.com actually did take into account the most popular mortgage rate that continued to inch upward over the past few months. The current 30-year mortgage rate is hovering around 7%, the highest since last year. Many would-be buyers have remained on the sidelines due to higher prices for homes, mortgages and other everyday products, most notably gas and groceries. And now the Federal Reserve has raised the benchmark federal funds rate that has raised other borrowing costs and brought some concern to Main Street. But Realtor.com sees prospective homebuyers offsetting higher costs with net savings from lower home prices. 

U.S.: The U.S. may be locked in trade wars with several countries, most notably Canada, but that apparently hasn’t had an impact on U.S. real estate. That’s according to Colliers, the Toronto-based international company servicing the commercial real estate industry, which recently released its Global Capital Flows report. Colliers says in the report that global companies have invested more than $28 billion in U.S. real estate between June 2025 and June 2026. That’s a little over $3 billion more than the United Kingdom, which came in second. Also notable in the report is the United States’ neighbor and among its top trading partners. Canadian investors spent nearly $9 billion on real estate in the United States between June 2025 and June 2026. That would include about $5 billion in the first quarter of this year alone. Industry experts say they do not believe the tariffs will have a negative impact on transactions because global investors continue to look for diversified markets, which they say are plentiful across the U.S. 

DFW:  A dense 50-acre site in West Oak Cliff in Dallas could soon be home to several hundred housing units. Onyx Legacy Group, a real estate firm based in Dallas, wants to develop the current wooded acreage into various housing options, including some for rent and some for sale. The property runs along Coombs Creek Drive, Kiest Valley Parkway and South Cockrell Hill Road. The Community at Coombs development will include rentals that will average between $2,000 and $2,500 per month. Single-family homes and townhomes are expected to be offered on the “for sale” option with lower prices starting around $400,000. Developers are continuing to solidify their plans for the property. 

LALALAND: Remember “set it and forget it” or “how much would you pay?” Well, those famous sales taglines belonging to inventor-entrepreneur Ron Popeil, considered the infomercial pioneer, could now apply to his own home. His Mediterranean style estate in Beverly Hills where he worked on some of his gadgets is now up for sale for $25 million. Popeil, the founder of Ronco, and his wife bought the home in 2002 for $7 million. It now has eight bedrooms and 11 baths and many luxe amenities across more than 14,000 square feet. Various parts of the house have sweeping views of both Los Angeles and the Pacific Ocean. Popeil was a pioneer in direct sales, hosting television infomercials featuring his kitchen gadgets and inventions, including a countertop rotisserie oven that amassed over $1 billion in sales. He often told viewers of its ease: “Set it and forget it.” Wondering if that will be the same for the asking price of his 2-acre estate. 

COPYRIGHT © 2024. Allie Beth Allman & Associates, a HomeServices of America, Inc. company. All Rights Reserved.

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