Housing Market 2024: When is the Best Time to Buy a House in Florida?
Written by
Vance Cariaga
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Buying a home in Florida is not like anywhere else in the country. The Sunshine State routinely places cities among the hottest U.S. housing markets, driven by an influx of new residents. This leads to heavy demand (and high prices) all over Florida. And because of its warm climate, Florida doesn’t see the same weather-related buying and selling patterns as most of the rest of the country.
Even so, there are better times than others to buy a home in Florida. The challenge is figuring out which times because you’ll get different answers, depending on the source.
For example, a blog on the Eaton Realty website noted that the cheapest time to buy a house in Florida is fall or winter, based on pricing patterns from 2022 and 2023. As of late 2023, the median sales price for a home in Florida was $403,700. Here’s how median sales prices looked during a 12-month period ending in September 2023:
- October 2022: $392,000
- November 2022: $391,000
- December 2022: $384,000
- January 2023: $386,100
- February 2023: $389,800
- March 2023: $400,300
- April 2023: $401,100
- May 2023: $407,300
- June 2023: $409,300
- July 2023: $403,700
- August 2023: $403,800
- September 2023: $402,300
Based on those numbers, you would think the best time to buy a home in Florida is winter (December-February) when prices are lowest. But that’s not necessarily the case. As Eaton Realty noted, winter is the peak tourist season in Florida, so there is “often less inventory” on the market. Many people also stay put and focus on the holiday season.
In some respects, spring is the best time to buy a home in Florida. As in other states, many homes go on the market in spring and many people are looking to buy then, according to Eaton Realty. More houses tend to be available — but they’re also more expensive. Many house hunters want to buy a home before the weather gets too hot and steamy, which leads to greater competition and higher prices.
But a separate analysis by the Houzeo real estate platform told a slightly different story. According to its research, April is when you’ll find the most discounted home prices in Florida. Houzeo determined spring is the best season for a “low-on-cash home buyer” to purchase a house in Florida.
Sellers are “less demanding” in the spring due to the higher number of home listings and fewer buyers in the market, according to Houzeo. In addition, sellers want to unload their homes quickly so they can relocate before the school year starts, which gives buyers greater negotiating power.
So when should you buy a home in Florida? Spring is probably best if you want the most inventory to choose from. If you’re looking for the cheapest prices, however, you might be better off house hunting over the winter.
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