DENVER’S BEST HOME-BUYING WEEK OF 2026 STARTS SUNDAY

More choices, less competition and more negotiating leverage could make September 27–October 3 an unusually good window for Front Range buyers — but there’s one big catch

If you’ve been thinking about buying a Colorado home but waiting for conditions to become a little more buyer-friendly, it may be time to pay attention to the calendar.

According to Realtor.com’s newly released 2026 Best Time to Buy analysis, the week of September 27 through October 3 offers the most favorable overall combination of home-buying conditions nationally.

And Denver isn’t simply following the national trend.

The Denver-Aurora-Centennial metro stands out as one of the more buyer-favorable major markets in the country during that week.

Historically, Realtor.com found that during Denver’s Best Week:

Active listings are 30.4% higher than during an average week.

Buyer competition is 46.2% lower than at the annual peak.

Homes remain on the market approximately 21 days longer than during the fastest part of the year.

And: Median listing prices are 7.5% below their seasonal peak.

Those are significant differences.

But before anyone interprets this as a seven-day Colorado housing clearance sale, there is an important distinction.

The data does not mean every Denver-area home suddenly becomes 7.5% cheaper next Sunday.

These are historical seasonal patterns across the entire metro.

What they tell us is something much more useful: Buyers may be entering the strongest combination of choice, time and negotiating leverage we’ve seen all year.

And current Denver market data suggests that leverage is already showing up in actual transactions.

WHY LATE SEPTEMBER CAN FAVOR BUYERS

Real estate has always had a seasonal rhythm.

Spring and early summer traditionally bring the largest wave of buyers. Families often want to move before the school year begins. Longer daylight hours make touring easier. Landscaping looks its best, and sellers tend to bring more fresh inventory to market.

By late September, much of that urgency has disappeared. But many homes remain.

Some sellers listed during the summer expecting stronger demand. Others have already reduced their price once—or more.

And buyers who remain in the market face fewer competing purchasers.

Realtor.com analyzed six seasonal housing-market factors:

• Active listings
• New listings
• Listing prices
• Days on market
• Buyer demand
• Price reductions

The week of September 27–October 3 produced the best overall balance nationally—and Denver’s statistics are even more buyer-friendly than the national averages.

Nationally, active listings during Best Week have historically been about 13.3% above an average week.

Denver: 30.4% higher.

National buyer competition is historically about 30.1% below its annual peak.

Denver: 46.2% lower.

National listing prices are historically about 3.5% below their seasonal peak.

Denver: 7.5% lower.

That doesn’t make every property a bargain.

It does create something buyers have often lacked during much of the past several years: Options.

THE CURRENT DENVER MARKET IS ALREADY SHOWING THAT SHIFT

This seasonal analysis isn’t occurring in a vacuum. August Denver-area data already show a market in which sellers are encountering more price resistance. Realtor.com reported approximately 12,998 active listings in August, up 2.1% from a year earlier.

New listings increased 6.4% year over year. The median asking price fell 4.2% to approximately $574,900. And perhaps most telling: 31.4% of Denver-area listings had experienced a price reduction.

That compares with only 20.4% nationally. The buyer pool also remains subdued.

Redfin reported that during the four weeks ending September 13, Denver pending sales were running approximately 15% below the same period last year, one of the largest declines among the 50 major metropolitan areas it tracks.

Put those two pieces together:

More choices. Fewer completed transactions.

That creates negotiating opportunities.

And we now have another important piece of evidence.

DENVER BUYERS ARE ALREADY GETTING CONCESSIONS

Redfin’s newest concession study found that 58.4% of Denver-area home sales included a seller concession during the three-month period ending August 31.

Nationally, the figure was 44.7%.

A concession can include seller money toward such things as:

• Closing costs
• Repairs
• Mortgage-rate buydowns

or other expenses that reduce the buyer’s effective cost of purchasing the home.

Redfin tracks price reductions separately, so these concessions are in addition to situations where the seller merely lowered the asking or negotiated purchase price.

That distinction matters. Because it illustrates one of the most important lessons for buyers entering this fall market: Don’t negotiate only the price.

A buyer may be able to improve the economics of the transaction through several different avenues.

BUT THERE IS ONE BIG PROBLEM: MORTGAGE RATES

The real-estate side of the equation is becoming friendlier. The financing side isn’t.

Freddie Mac reported that the average 30-year fixed mortgage reached 6.95% on September 17, up from 6.76% the prior week.

The 15-year fixed average climbed to 6.26%.

That creates an unusual market: BETTER REAL-ESTATE LEVERAGE BUT TOUGHER FINANCING AFFORDABILITY

And that is why strategy matters more than ever.

One of the easiest mistakes buyers can make right now is allowing the entire purchase decision to become a prediction about mortgage rates.

Should we buy at 6.95%? Wait for 6.5%? Wait for 6%? What if rates move above 7%?

No one can reliably know the answer in advance.

But buyers can evaluate the opportunity that exists today. The house. The asking price. The comparable sales. The days on market. The seller’s motivation. The condition. The financing available. And what else the seller may be willing to negotiate.

A future mortgage rate might eventually be refinanced if circumstances improve. A particularly favorable purchase—or a uniquely desirable property somebody else buys—cannot be recreated later.

That does not mean buying today is automatically the right decision. It means the property decision and the interest-rate forecast should be analyzed separately.

WHERE WE WOULD LOOK FIRST

For buyers trying to take advantage of this fall window, we wouldn’t focus exclusively on today’s newest listings.

We would also look carefully at stale inventory.

That means identifying properties that have:

• 30+ days on market
• 45+ days on market
• 60+ days on market
• 90+ days on market
• or already experienced one or more price reductions.

But days on market alone do not make a house a bargain. We would divide those properties into three categories.

FRESH AND COMPETITIVE

• New listing.
• Excellent condition.
• Good location.
• Realistic price.
• These homes can still generate competition.
• A slower overall market does not make a great property undesirable.

STALE BUT ATTRACTIVE

• Good house.
• Weak initial pricing.
• Extended market time.
• Perhaps one or more price reductions.

This is often where negotiations become interesting. The seller may now be more receptive to:

• A lower price
• Closing-cost assistance
• Financing concessions
• Inspection items
• or more favorable timing and contract terms.

STALE FOR A REASON. Sometimes the market is correctly rejecting the property. There may be:

• Poor condition.
• Inferior location.
• Major repair issues.
• HOA problems.
• Insurance concerns.
• Structural issues.
• Or simply a price that remains unrealistic.

The opportunity comes from determining why the house hasn’t sold.

PRICE IS ONLY ONE NEGOTIATING CURRENCY

This may be the biggest lesson buyers should take from the current market. A purchase negotiation can include much more than sales price. Depending upon the transaction and financing program, negotiations might involve:

Purchase Price- The most obvious lever.

Seller-Paid Closing Costs- Potentially valuable to a buyer trying to preserve cash.

Financing Assistance- Permitted seller contributions may sometimes be used toward allowable mortgage expenses or rate strategies, subject to lender and loan-program requirements. Repairs or Credits Instead of simply accepting an inspection problem.

Closing Date - A seller may place substantial value on timing.

Possession- Useful where the seller needs time to transition. HOA-Related Costs

Where permitted and appropriate. Included Personal Property

Sometimes appliances, furnishings or other negotiated items matter.

This does not mean buyers should automatically demand everything.

The objective is to determine: Which negotiating terms improve this particular buyer’s outcome the most?

That is very different from simply asking: “How much below list should we offer?”

DON’T GIVE AWAY YOUR DUE DILIGENCE JUST BECAUSE YOU FOUND A DEAL

A buyer-friendly market offers another benefit that is easy to overlook: Time.

During the pandemic-era frenzy, buyers sometimes felt compelled to shorten inspection periods, waive protections or accept significant risks simply to compete. The coming fall market is different.

Realtor.com’s Denver data show homes historically remaining available approximately 21 days longer than at peak market speed during Best Week.

• Use that breathing room.
• Review the inspection.
• Study comparable sales.
• Read HOA documents.
• Investigate insurance.
• Understand property taxes.
• Check for metro-district obligations where applicable.
• Review permit history where appropriate.
• Understand the roof.
• The sewer.
• The HVAC system.
• The foundation.
• And any expensive deferred maintenance.
• A buyer-friendly market is valuable partly because consumers have an opportunity to perform better due diligence, not merely negotiate harder.

CONDO AND TOWNHOME BUYERS NEED AN EXTRA LAYER OF ANALYSIS

Attached housing deserves particular caution. A low purchase price can become much less attractive if the HOA carries:

• Insufficient reserves
• Rapidly rising insurance expenses
• A pending special assessment
• Significant litigation
• Major deferred maintenance
• or financing restrictions.

For condo and townhome buyers, we recommend examining:

• Current HOA dues
• Reserve balances
• Reserve studies
• Recent and planned special assessments
• Master insurance coverage
• Insurance claims history where available
• Pending litigation
• and whether the project satisfies the buyer’s mortgage-program requirements.

A $15,000 negotiating victory can disappear quickly if the buyer inherits a $20,000 special assessment.

SELLERS: “BEST WEEK TO BUY” HAS A MESSAGE FOR YOU TOO

Every advantage on one side of a transaction has a corresponding implication on the other.

If buyers have:

• More choices.
• Less competition.
• Longer decision periods.
• And greater success obtaining concessions.
• Then sellers are competing harder for the attention of the buyers who remain.

That makes aggressive overpricing particularly dangerous.

The traditional strategy:

“Let’s start high. We can always come down.”

can become very expensive in a fall market.

By the time the price is corrected: The initial buyer pool may already have rejected the property. The listing has accumulated market time. It may already display one or more price reductions. And fresh competing properties have arrived.

With roughly 31% of Denver listings already showing price reductions, this is not a theoretical problem.

In a selective market: Your first impression includes your price.

58% OF DENVER DEALS WITH CONCESSIONS SHOULD GET SELLERS’ ATTENTION

The latest Redfin data adds an especially useful reality check. 58.4% of Denver-area purchases involved a seller concession.

That doesn’t mean every seller should automatically give money away. It means buyers are asking. And sellers are agreeing often enough that concessions have become a meaningful part of the competitive landscape.

Sometimes the best seller decision may still be: Hold the price.

Sometimes it may be: Accept less.

Sometimes helping the buyer with closing expenses or financing may generate a better seller net than another substantial price reduction. The correct answer is property-specific.

The important point is that sellers need to evaluate the whole offer, not merely the number on the first line.

A FALL BUYER CAN ALSO BE A MORE SERIOUS BUYER

There is one encouraging point for sellers. Less traffic doesn’t necessarily mean worse traffic. By late September, many casual shoppers have disappeared. Someone still shopping while mortgage rates hover near 7% may have a very real reason to move:

• Job relocation.
• Marriage.
• Divorce.
• Growing family.
• Downsizing.
• Lease expiration.
• Estate circumstances.
• Family needs.
• Or simply finding the right house.
• So the goal isn’t necessarily maximizing the number of people through the front door.

It is attracting and converting the qualified, motivated buyers who remain.

OUR PRIMETIME INSIDER BUYER PLAYBOOK

SEPTEMBER 27 – OCTOBER 3. If you are seriously considering purchasing this fall, preparation should begin before Sunday.

1. UPDATE YOUR FINANCING

• Mortgage rates moved materially this month.
• Get a fresh preapproval.
• Compare lender quotes.
• Understand the payment.
• And know your realistic ceiling before negotiating.

2. BUILD A STALE-INVENTORY WATCHLIST

Identify homes with:

• 30+ days on market.
• Price reductions.
• Back-on-market status.
• Failed contracts.
• Or unusual listing history.
• Those circumstances may reveal motivation.

3. ANALYZE VALUE — NOT THE DISCOUNT

A property listed at $700,000 and reduced to $650,000 isn’t automatically a better deal than one correctly listed at $625,000.

The question is: What is the property actually worth today?

4. RESEARCH SELLER MOTIVATION

• Market time.
• Price changes.
• Previous contracts.
• Vacancy.
• Relocation timing.
• And other observable circumstances can help inform negotiation strategy.

5. DECIDE WHAT YOU REALLY NEED TO NEGOTIATE

Is your priority:

• Lowest purchase price?
• Lower monthly payment?
• Cash preservation?
• Repairs?
• Closing timing?
• Every buyer does not need the same strategy.

6. KEEP APPROPRIATE PROTECTIONS

• Use the slower pace to investigate.
• Inspection.
• Title.
• HOA.
• Insurance.
• Financing.
• Property condition.

7. BE READY TO MOVE ON THE RIGHT HOUSE

Buyer leverage does not mean great properties suddenly stop selling. If a home is:

• Well priced.
• Well presented.
• In a great location.
• And genuinely desirable.

Someone else may recognize it too.

OUR PRIMETIME INSIDER SELLER PLAYBOOK

If your home is already listed, now is the time for an objective review. Ask:

• How many comparable homes are currently active?
• Which ones have reduced?
• Which ones went under contract?
• Which returned to market?
• How many showings are we receiving?
• What are buyers repeatedly saying?
• How do our condition and presentation compare?
• And what alternatives—including new construction—can the same buyer purchase?

If the property isn’t competing successfully, simply waiting another month is not a strategy.

It is adding: Days on market.

For new fall listings, the priorities are straightforward:

• Competitive pricing
• Strong presentation
• Professional photography
• Compelling marketing
• Aggressive launch strategy
• and immediate monitoring of buyer response.

IS SEPTEMBER 27 REALLY A DEADLINE?

No. And that is another important distinction. Realtor.com specifically cautions consumers to view Best Week as a strategic window rather than a deadline.

The weeks immediately afterward can remain highly favorable. Buyers who act earlier may find more fresh inventory.

Buyers willing to wait deeper into fall may encounter even greater seller flexibility—but typically with fewer new properties coming onto the market.

So our takeaway is not: “Buy a house by October 3 or miss your chance.”

It is: “Denver is entering one of the most buyer-friendly portions of its annual real-estate cycle.”

The exact opportunity depends upon the individual property.

OUR PRIMETIME INSIDER TAKE

Housing headlines tend to reduce the market to one statistic. Rates are high. Prices are falling. Inventory is rising. Sales are slowing. But consumers don’t actually buy the market. They buy one property.

That property has:

• One location.
• One condition.
• One asking price.
• One seller.
• One competing set of buyers.
• And one negotiating situation.

The opportunity in the upcoming fall window is not that every Denver-area home suddenly becomes inexpensive. It is that buyers may have three things they have often lacked: CHOICE. TIME. LEVERAGE.

The challenge is financing. Mortgage rates remain expensive enough that every purchase needs to be evaluated carefully. That is exactly where good real-estate strategy becomes most valuable.

THE BOTTOM LINE FOR BUYERS

Beginning September 27, historical data suggest Denver enters its strongest overall buying window of 2026.

• Use the opportunity.
• But don’t confuse negotiating leverage with permission to overbuy.
• Know the value.
• Know the monthly payment.
• Understand the condition.
• Investigate the HOA.
• Review the insurance.
• Perform the inspection.
• And negotiate the pieces of the transaction that matter most to your financial situation.

THE BOTTOM LINE FOR SELLERS

Recognize the market you’re entering. Buyers have choices. A substantial percentage of competing listings have already reduced their prices. And nearly six in ten recent Denver-area transactions tracked by Redfin involved some form of seller concession.

The answer isn’t automatically lowering your price. But the buyer needs a compelling reason to choose your property. That reason might be:

• Price.
• Condition.
• Presentation.
• Location.
• Concessions.
• Financing assistance.
• Or some combination of them.
• The market is giving buyers more leverage.
• The sellers who recognize that first may have the best chance of capturing the serious buyers who remain.

IMPORTANT CONSUMER NOTICE

Realtor.com’s “Best Time to Buy” statistics reflect historical seasonal metro-level patterns and do not guarantee lower prices, increased inventory, seller concessions or reduced competition for an individual property.

Mortgage rates change frequently and vary by borrower, lender, property and loan program.

Seller concessions and permitted uses depend upon individual loan programs, underwriting requirements and contract terms.

This article provides general real-estate education and is not individualized lending, legal, tax, insurance or financial advice.