A Frosty Autumn
Housing has been slowing through both the Spring and Summer Markets, yet the slowdown has picked up its pace since transitioning to the Autumn Market. The Orange County housing market has downshifted considerably since March.
Returning to their classrooms, kids are adjusting to their busy school calendars. Fall youth sports have also resumed with their demanding practice and game schedules. Upon entering the local grocery store, boxes of bright orange pumpkins adorn the entrance. Coffee shops are busy making their most popular seasonal latte, Pumpkin Spice. The sun is setting earlier and earlier by the day. That’s right, Autumn has arrived. It may not officially start until Sunday, September 22nd, but all the signs are here.
These changes also indicate that the start of the housing Autumn Market has arrived. The Autumn Market begins the moment kids go back to school at the end of August, a bit earlier than the fall equinox, and ends a week before Thanksgiving, the start of the Holiday Market. The best time of the year for housing is during the Spring Market. That is when buyer demand reaches a peak. Many people, especially families with children in school, prefer to isolate their home during the spring and close during the summer while the kids are on break. The inventory rises during the spring as well.
Excerpt taken from an article by Steven Thomas.