Is This Really the Best Week to Buy in the Lowcountry?

Have you read what several national real estate sites are calling this week? September 27 to October 3 is supposed to be the best week of the year to buy a home in the US. Realtor.com even put a number on it: buyers could save around $14,000 compared to summer prices, because there are more homes for sale, less competition, and slower buying activity. That is a nice headline. But I always ask myself the same question when I read something like this: does it actually hold true here, in Hilton Head, Bluffton, and Beaufort?

What the national numbers say

Realtor.com looked at years of seasonal housing data across the whole country. Their research shows that in the last week of September, there are usually about 30 percent more homes for sale than at the start of the year, buyer competition drops by about 30 percent compared to the busiest weeks, and listing prices sit close to 3.5 percent below their summer peak. Put together, that adds up to real savings for a lot of buyers across the country.

Why the Lowcountry tells a different story

Here it gets more interesting. In Hilton Head and Bluffton, we do not actually have more homes for sale than last year. Single family home inventory on Hilton Head Island was down about 20 percent in August compared to a year earlier, and Bluffton was down about 17 percent. So the "more homes to choose from" part of the national story does not really apply here.

What is true here is that homes are taking a lot longer to sell than they used to. On Hilton Head, homes averaged 129 days on the market in August, up from 100 days a year earlier. In Bluffton, the year to date average went from 80 days to 136 days. That is a real shift, and it gives buyers something valuable: time.

Prices, though, have not dropped the way people might expect. Hilton Head's median home price actually went up slightly, to about $1.1 million. Bluffton's year to date median stayed almost flat. Beaufort's median price went up a little too. So this is not a market where everything suddenly got cheaper. It is a market where buyers have more room to think, ask questions, and negotiate, without the pressure of five other offers on the same day.

What this means if you are buying

If you are house hunting right now, I would not wait for a magic date on the calendar. What I would do is look closely at homes that have already been sitting for a while, ask why, and use that time on the market as a starting point for a conversation about price, repairs, or closing costs. A slower market is not the same as a cheaper market, but it is a friendlier one for buyers who do their homework.

And if you are looking at something rare, like a deepwater lot, an oceanfront condo, or a home in one of our smaller gated communities, do not wait at all. Those do not come back on the market often, no matter what week it is.

My honest take

I have learned over the years that the perfect week to buy rarely exists. What matters more is finding the right home and understanding what the local numbers actually mean for your situation, not the national headline. That is the part I love helping with.

Connect with me

Warm regards,
Loni

If you are thinking about buying on Hilton Head Island, in Bluffton, or in Beaufort this fall, reach out anytime. I am happy to walk you through what is happening in the neighborhoods you are interested in.

This article was created with the help of AI and reviewed by Loni Lueke, The German Realtor.