By Jim Armstrong, REALTOR® · Armstrong Field Group at Aluxety Real Estate · September 2026

If you have spent much of 2026 waiting for a better opportunity to buy a home, you may want to pay closer attention to the final week of September.

Realtor.com has identified September 27 through October 3 as the national “Best Time to Buy” in 2026. Its analysis suggests that buyers may encounter an unusually favorable combination of more homes for sale, less competition, softer prices and a greater likelihood of finding a seller willing to negotiate.

That is encouraging news. But it does not mean every home will suddenly be discounted, every seller will accept a lower offer or every Massachusetts buyer should arrange their life around one seven-day period.

Real estate is local, and the North Shore does not always follow the national market. The better way to read this report is as evidence that the early-fall market may offer buyers a more comfortable combination of selection and negotiating power than they faced during the spring and summer.

Realtor.com arrived at its conclusion by examining seasonal patterns in listing prices, inventory, new listings, time on the market, price reductions and buyer activity. It scored each week according to the combination of conditions that historically benefits buyers.

Mortgage rates were not part of the scoring. That is an important limitation because interest rates do not follow a reliable seasonal calendar—and the monthly payment can matter more to a buyer than a modest change in the purchase price.

Why Early Fall Can Favor Home Buyers

The spring market usually begins with a wave of motivated buyers. Competition builds through late spring and summer as people try to purchase and move before the start of another school year.

By early fall, some of those buyers have either purchased a home or paused their searches. Meanwhile, properties that did not sell during the busiest part of the year remain on the market. New fall listings may also appear as homeowners make one more attempt to sell before winter.

That creates an interesting overlap: buyers may still have a reasonable selection, but they are not necessarily competing with the same number of people they encountered in May or June.

Sellers whose homes have been listed for several weeks have also received direct feedback from the market. If buyers have repeatedly passed on a property, the seller may become more realistic about the price—or more willing to consider repairs, closing-cost assistance, a mortgage-rate buydown or a flexible closing date.

What This Could Mean on the North Shore

Buyers in Beverly, Salem, Danvers, Peabody, Marblehead, Swampscott, Gloucester, Ipswich and surrounding North Shore communities should be careful about applying national figures directly to a local purchase.

Massachusetts—and especially much of the Northeast—continues to have meaningful supply constraints. Well-priced, move-in-ready homes can still attract strong interest. That is particularly true when a property offers a desirable combination of condition, location, lot, layout and access to transportation or local amenities.

In other words, a North Shore buyer may gain negotiating leverage this fall without gaining complete control of the transaction.

A home that has been sitting on the market for 30 or 45 days may present a very different opportunity from a newly listed home that is accurately priced. The first property may invite a conversation about price, repairs or concessions. The second may still generate multiple offers during its first weekend.

That is why days on market, recent comparable sales, listing history, competing inventory and the seller’s likely motivation matter more than a national calendar date.

Where Buyers May Find Real Negotiating Opportunities

The most promising fall opportunities are not always the newest or most attractive listings online. They are often properties that the market has already rejected at their original price.

A home may have been overlooked because it needs cosmetic updating, has less-than-perfect photographs, returned to the market after a failed transaction or was initially priced too aggressively. None of those circumstances automatically makes it a good purchase, but each one can create room for a well-researched offer.

Negotiating power can also take forms other than a lower price. Depending on the property and seller, a buyer might ask for:

• A contribution toward allowable closing costs
• Funds for a temporary or permanent mortgage-rate buydown
• Repairs or credits for documented property issues
• A closing date that better fits the buyer’s schedule
• The inclusion of appliances or other agreed-upon property items

The best combination depends on the buyer’s financing and priorities. A seller concession that reduces the buyer’s interest rate or cash needed at closing could be more valuable than a small reduction in price. Those options should be reviewed with a qualified Massachusetts lender before the offer is written.

Do Not Wait Until September 27 to Get Ready

A favorable buying window is not very useful if you spend it looking for a lender, gathering financial documents or trying to decide which towns you would consider.

Buyers who want to take advantage of the fall market should prepare before the week begins. That means establishing a comfortable monthly housing budget, obtaining a current mortgage preapproval, identifying the features that genuinely matter and setting up a focused listing search.

Your budget should be based on the complete monthly cost—not merely the purchase price. Mortgage principal and interest, property taxes, homeowners insurance, condominium fees, flood insurance where applicable and likely maintenance expenses all affect affordability.

If you are still working out your price range, read How Much House Can I Afford? What North Shore Buyers Need to Know .

What About Mortgage Rates?

Mortgage rates remain one of the biggest challenges for 2026 home buyers. The Realtor.com ranking does not attempt to predict whether rates will be higher or lower during the final week of September.

A lower purchase price helps, but it does not automatically make a home affordable if the monthly payment is still uncomfortable. Likewise, waiting for a lower rate can bring its own risk. If rates fall noticeably, more buyers may return to the market, reducing the negotiating advantage available today.

You can explore that decision more fully in Mortgage Rates Are Back Near 7%: Should You Buy Now or Keep Waiting?

Should You Buy During the “Best Week”?

It may be an excellent time to look seriously, but a calendar should never be the primary reason to purchase a particular home.

The right time to buy is when you are financially prepared, expect to remain in the home long enough to justify the transaction costs and find a property that meets your important needs at a payment you can comfortably manage.

If those pieces are in place, the week of September 27–October 3—and the surrounding fall market—could give you more choices and a little more breathing room. If they are not in place, buying simply because a report identified a promising week would be a mistake.

Source: Realtor.com, “Best Week To Buy Is Almost Here—and It Could Save Home Shoppers $14K,” September 14, 2026 . National statistics are historical projections and should not be interpreted as guarantees for an individual property or local market. This article provides general real estate information and is not legal, financial, tax or lending advice.