What’s the Most Popular Time to Browse Home Listings in Seattle?

As competitive as our housing market was in 2021, it sure didn’t deter legions of would-be home-buyers from seeking that elusive combination of price, location, and perfect (or good enough) property. And seek Seattleites did—on the clock apparently.

According to a recent report from brokerage firm and real estate listings site Orchard, the most popular time to browse home listings in Seattle is Tuesdays at 4pm. We’re not alone in the, er, multitasking: Portlanders peruse on Thursdays at 10am, San Antonians on Thursdays at 2pm, and Denverites on Fridays at 3pm.

There are some cities where weekends appear to be the home-buying jam: In Atlanta, folks prefer Sundays at 3pm, while in the DC area it’s Sundays at 6pm. Are these habits due to smart shopping savvy or simply workplace doldrums and Sunday scaries? We suspect a little bit of all three.

According to Redfin, the best time to list a home is on Wednesday, a sweet spot before early home tours on Thursdays and Fridays and the weekend crush of open houses. Redfin later notes that Tuesdays are another popular day for agents to preview homes for their clients, so perhaps, here in Seattle, we’re just flagging listings during our Tuesday afternoon scrolling. 

And elsewhere in real estate news…

Seattle’s single-family home rentals rank 10th in the country

Unless you’ve been hiding under a trust fund, you know rent is bonkers expensive in the Seattle area. It’s not just apartments. Rental agency Dwellsy recently revealed we’re the 10th most expensive market in the country for single-family home rentals with a median rent of $3,030 in July.

Signs of stabilization

ICYMI: The Seattle housing market is balancing out at last. According to recent data from the Northwest Multiple Listing Service, the year-over-year gains in neighborhoods aren’t quite nearly as astronomical as they once were, and some are even falling. That’s good news for potential buyers.

Did the suburban housing bubble finally pop?

We know that of all places, the suburbs experienced the most housing market frenzy, with some communities literally doubling their median home prices year over year. Hence the gasp of surprise when NWMLS numbers revealed some former winners—Kirkland, Redmond, Sammamish—actually showed a decline in price growth.