Learn the best and worst months to negotiate your home purchase in Atlanta.

What is the best time to buy a home in the metro Atlanta market? Not every month is great for buying a home in Metro Atlanta. But I’m here to share the best and worst months to maximize your real estate dollars if you're a buyer.

What is the best month to buy a house? December is the best month to buy to maximize your position as a buyer and save the most money. This means you're closing in January, which comes with some caveats. You will be left with leftover inventory that nobody else wanted from spring and fall, and you're going to be moving at a time of year when, frankly, most people just want to cozy up in their family rooms and spend time in front of their Christmas trees or holiday decorations.

However, if you want to negotiate the most with the seller, then the December to January timeframe is the best time to do that. In fact, over the last six years, the average sales price to the original list price in the metro Atlanta area in December and January is about 96.2%.

What is the worst month to buy a house, and why? The worst time to buy a home if you want to negotiate the most is the month of May, which means that you're likely going under contract in April. 

“The best time to buy a home in Atlanta is December to January, while the worst is between April and May.”

It should be no surprise because this is also when everybody else wants to buy. This puts more buyers into the market with limited inventory, which we continue to have and have had for more than 14 years. In Atlanta, you are setting yourself up for more competition and less negotiation power.

Homes sold in May have averaged 99.8% of their original listing price in the past six years. For example, if you're looking at a $800,000 house, you could save nearly $30,000 by waiting to buy in December or January instead of April or May. Just keep in mind that you'll need to find a home you like among the options at the end of the year.

Most buyers I work with focus more on finding the right location and must-have features within their budget than just trying to negotiate the lowest price.

So, there you have it. The best time to negotiate in Atlanta is December to January, while the worst time to buy is between April to May. I hope you found this helpful. If you need guidance about the market, call or send a message at (404) 800-7111 or kelly@kellysellsatlanta.com.