Boston Condos for Sale and Apartments for Rent
Boston real estate for sale: What’s the best month to buy/sell a Boston condo?
Every year the answer remains about the same. Typically if the overall market favors sellers, the best time to buy will be August, but if the market is starting to favor buyers (which we expect in 2023), then I would push that back a bit to Sept. or Oct. in order to give more time for prices to drop, while maintaining strong inventory (choices).
| Month | Inventory | Prices that Month | Best time to Buy a Home |
| January | Low | Flat | Since buyer traffic is light, home owners will likely be willing to negotiate. But you won’t have a lot of options to choose from. |
| February | Low, but increasing | Flat | Same as Jan. but with increasing options. |
| March | Low, but increasing from Feb. | Increasing slightly | This is not a good time to buy. Buyer traffic has increased faster than inventory, it is a good time to sell. |
| April | Low, but increasing from March | Increasing slightly | Same as March. Not a good time to buy. |
| May | Medium | Flat or slight increase | Not the best time to buy, but finally you will have a more options. |
| June | Medium – High | Flat or slight drop | Here you will have a lot of options and potentially find some deals, though not many. |
| July | High | Slight drop | This is a great time to buy, but the best is still coming as home owners haven’t gotten desperate yet. |
| August | Higher | Prices are dropping | Great time to buy. |
| September | High or Highest | Prices are dropping | Usually the best month to buy as inventory is high and home owners are starting to worry. |
| October | High or Highest | Prices are dropping | Great time to buy. |
| November | Medium, dropping | Prices are dropping | Good time to pick up a deal, though your options are starting to drop off. |
| December | Low, dropping | Prices are dropping | Good time to find a deal, but not very many options to choose from. |
Boston real estate for sale: What’s the best month to buy/sell a Boston condo? Every year we post a best time of the year to sell a Boston condo, and now we are starting a best time of the year to buy a Boston condo for sale. If you need to sell and then buy again right after selling, make sure to read the real estate advice just for you at the bottom of this article.
Best Time to Buy a Boston Condo – Month by Month Analysis
January Real Estate Market
- Inventory – Low
- Buyer traffic – Low
- Weather – Poor
January isn’t the best time of the year to buy a Boston condo for sale, but its not the worst either. Low inventory means you won’t have a lot of options, and that is not a good thing. The more inventory, the more options you have as a Boston real estate for sale buyer. High inventory leads to price drops and nervous sellers, more opportunity to negotiate the price down for a buyer. Now, the amount of buyer traffic is also important. Count other buyers are your direct competition. If a just hits the market in Jan. you might be one of a few visitors. So while you might need to offer full price (when a Back Bay condo for sale is brand new on the Boston real estate market) mostly likely you will not find yourself in a multiple offer situation.
Bottom line:
January has few options, which is not great, but you won’t have much competition either, so if you find what you want as a Back Bay condo buyer, then you’ll probably be able to get it without too much trouble. Also the weather is terrible, so it is not ideal touring conditions.
Feburary Real Estate Market
- Inventory – Low but rising
- Buyer traffic – Low but rising
- Weather – Mostly awful
February like January is a reasonable time to buy a Beacon Hill condo for sale. You’ll have a few more options than in Jan. but a bit more competition too. Here and there, a few multiple offer situations will occur. If you find what you want – buy now! March begins the best time of the year to sell season and it will get a lot tougher for Beacon Hill condo buyers really soon.
Bottom line:
February still has low Boston real estate for sale inventory which isn’t great, but it is a buy season before it all turns in the seller’s favor.
March Real Estate Market
- Inventory – Low but rising
- Buyer traffic – Medium
- Weather – Decent
March is great for Midtown condo sellers, not Midtown condo buyers. This is the first month of the year where there is often more Boston condo for sale buyers than Boston real estate for sale. Multiple offer situations are common. The nice thing is the weather is better, but that’s why you’re facing all this competition (as a buyer) too.
Bottom line:
Expect to fight for want you want as a Boston real estate for sale buyer in March.
April Real Estate Market
- Inventory – Medium
- Buyer traffic – High
- Weather – Wonderful
April is great for North End condo sellers, not buyers. Multiple offer situations are common. There are more Boston North End condo buyers than homes for buyers to choose from. The weather is fantastic but you’ll have to fight for the Boston real estate for sale you want.
Bottom line:
Not a great time to buy Boston real estate for sale, but since inventory is medium, you might be finally able to find what you want, just expect to have to fight for it.
May Real Estate Market
- Inventory – Medium and rising
- Buyer traffic – High
- Weather – Wonderful
May is a little better for Seaport condo buyers (March – April is the worst) because inventory is climbing. Buyer traffic (your competition) is still high, but as inventory increases there are less fights (less multiple offer situations) than in the last two months. Weather is pretty fantastic.
Bottom line:
May is not a bad time to buy a Seaport condo for sale, but if you don’t find anything, don’t worry – June is better.
June Real Estate Market
- Inventory – High
- Buyer traffic – High
- Weather – Wonderful
Boston real estate for sale market is abundant with inventory in June every year as inventory rises up to meet demand. Don’t expect price drops on Boston high rise condos for sale or to negotiate too hard on a seller. Typically you’ll pay close to asking price. Boston high rise condo sellers are still confident in June.
Bottom line:
June is a fine time of year to purchase a Boston high rise condo for sale because there are lots of choices and not many multiple offer situations, but you still cannot expect to buy a deal. The market mostly favors sellers in June.
July Real Estate Market
- Inventory – High
- Buyer traffic – Medium-high
- Weather – Hit or miss
July is nice for Beacon Hill luxury condo buyers because inventory is really high and competition has dropped a bit. Boston real estate buyers will start to see the first signs of seller desperation if that seller has been listed for a while. Some weeks are too hot to want to go on tour (unless you love the heat).
Bottom line:
July is a good time of year to buy Boston real estate for sale with plenty of options and a little less competition, but August is better.
August Real Estate Market
- Inventory – Highest (along with Sept.)
- Buyer traffic – Medium
- Weather – Hit or miss
August is a fantastic time to buy a Charles River Park condo for sale. Inventory is at is peak (it either peaks in August or September each year). Boston real estate price drops are everywhere as sellers that have been sitting for a while are getting nervous. You have tons of options and only moderate competition.
Bottom line: Boston real estate buyers….. What are you waiting for? It doesn’t get (much) better than this.
September Real Estate Market
- Inventory – Highest (along with August)
- Buyer traffic – Low-medium
- Weather – Nice, some rain
September is a fantastic time to a Boston Waterfront condo for sale. Most national Boston real estate portals, like Realtor.com, recommend sometime in late Sept. as the absolute best time to buy a Boston condo for sale. But, buying a home isn’t something you can expect to do in a single week, rather it is best to look for a home in a particular season. That best Waterfront condo buying season runs from August through October. In September you will have tons of Boston Waterfront condos to choose from and not much competition.
Bottom line:
If you could only pick one month to purchase Boston real estate for sale in, September would probably be it. October is good too, but inventory (your options) will start to decrease.
October Real Estate Market
- Inventory – High
- Buyer traffic – Low-medium
- Weather – Nice with rain
October is a fine time to buy downtown Boston real estate. The weather is pleasant typically if you don’t mind a little Boston rain. You have a decent amount of Boston condos for sale to pick from (but less than in Sept. or August).
Bottom line:
if you want to start shopping for Boston real estate for sale in October, go for it. Do yourself a favor though, and pick something, don’t wait too long, inventory is about to get tight.
November Real Estate Market
- Inventory – Medium
- Buyer traffic – Low-medium
- Weather – Hit or miss
November still has some decent Boston West End condo for sale inventory to pick from, but that inventory is declining week to week. There is still a good amount of Boston condo buyer traffic to compete with. Heavy rains and perhaps snow can stop you from touring on occasion, but remember snow is unlikely.
Bottom line:
November is a decent time to buy Boston real estate for sale, but not the best, and is defined by decreasing inventory.
December Real Estate Market
- Inventory – Low
- Buyer traffic – Low
- Weather – Poor
It is hard to find Boston luxury condos for sale you may want in December and the weather won’t help you out either. The only positive for a Boston luxury condos for sale buyer in December is that if you manage to find a Boston luxury condo for sale that you want to buy, there probably won’t be any other competition for it.
Bottom line:
Most people don’t buy Boston real estate for sale around the holidays for a good reason, but if you do find something you like at least you likely won’t have to fight for it.
Need to sell Boston real estate and then buy a Boston condo for sale right after?
When it is hard to sell Boston real estate it is great to buy. When it is hard to buy it is great to sell. So what should you do if you need to do both?
Bottom Line
The number one way people transition that need to buy and sell in the same area is by putting their home on the real estate market for sale first. The seller can accept an offer with a 45 day close and up to a 60 day rent back (short term renter in their own home). This gives the seller the money from the sale of their Boston condo before they actually have to move out. That’s nearly 3 months after they accept an offer on their home before they have to move out. It gives the seller plenty of time to tour and identify and purchase their next property.
If you need to sell and then buy, perhaps the best possible time for this would be to put your home on the market in mid-April to mid-June, an easier time to sell, but by the time you’re sold and buying (after rent back above) you’d be in an easier time to buy (late June – September). I’d say if you’re going to sell and then buy, consider putting your home on the market in mid-April to mid-June. Somewhere in there will allow you to sell in a reasonable selling season and then buy in a reasonable buying season.
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