Looking for the best time to buy in 2025? It’s the week of Oct. 12–18, says Realtor.com. 

The National Association of Home Builders said its monthly builder-confidence survey indicated rising optimism that lower interest rates could spur new-home buying activity. 

The feature aims to help buyers more easily visualize homes and give agents a stronger marketing tool. 

So far in 2025, home prices have grown at about half the pace of 2024.

The surge comes as the rate on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage fell to its lowest level since October 2024. 

The rate of home-price appreciation slowed to just over half the rate of inflation in July, Cotality noted. 

Despite the decrease in borrowing costs, the Mortgage Bankers Association’s Market Composite Index showed a decrease in mortgage applications in the week ended Aug. 29. 

Despite a slowdown in single-family construction activity, newly built homes are becoming increasingly accessible to American buyers, in terms of both availability and affordability. According to data from the New-Construction Insights report released by Realtor.com, in the second quarter

Signed contracts declined despite lower interest rates and improved affordability and inventory, the National Association of REALTORS® said.   

The pace of home-price appreciation declined to its slowest pace in two years, according to the S&P Cotality Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price Index. 

The upside surprise came despite monthly and yearly declines in the pace of sales. 

The association said the housing market is making a definitive swing back in the direction of the buyer thanks to wage growth, slowing home-price gains and rising inventory. 

The single-family sector managed to eke out a slight monthly gain, according to the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. 

The NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index slid a point to 32, reflecting ongoing negative sentiment in the homebuilding industry. 

The gain in the average buyer’s agent commission is the third quarterly increase since the National Association of REALTORS® changed its commission rules last August. 

As the spring homebuying season ended, U.S. home price growth softened significantly, opening the door to improved affordability.