When is the best time to buy a house? Is it when prices are low? Is it when rates are low? Is it when we are in an election year or leap year or recession or right after an election? The answer is yes. And no. The best time to buy a house is when you are ready to buy a house. 

Timing the market is just almost impossible. And, unlike something like stocks, the “investment” in your home is not just a monetary thing. That asset is also providing a basic human need and a societal need. It is giving you shelter and is housing your memories, your family, your connection to the community. Because of this, if you are ready and you have the means, you should not on some perceived barometer to buy. 

We can get into all the strategies and the timing aspects. We can try to analyze this from a strictly financial perspective and can probably come up with a model to show just about any desired outcome. We can also throw in experienced anecdotes on upcoming events and what they mean to the market. We can talk about economic human behavior and why this is a good time or maybe 3 months from now is going to be better. But the reality is, we can’t know. And we can’t base the prediction of this coming market environment on the happenings of just about any time in our past. We have evolved (or some would say devolved) to the point where our market is truly unique. There are some indicators and we can speculate, but it is just that, speculation. 

So don’t be afraid to buy or sell right now. But don’t be afraid to wait either. If you feel compelled to wait, then you aren’t really ready. So make the move when you are. But definitely don’t put the decision to move or not move on the shoulders of the market. Do it when YOU are ready.