Buy or Sell a San Antonio Home During the Holidays: The Data

If you are weighing a holiday purchase, this is the video I send relocators who want to find the deal in a balanced market.

On my channel: How to Find GOOD Deals in the San Antonio Market Right Now as a Relocator

What the national data says about winter buying

ATTOM's best-day analysis, built on more than 59 million sales from 2011 through 2023, has consistently found winter yields the best buyer pricing, with the week around Christmas running the lowest premium above estimated market value. The National Association of Realtors' seasonal research paints the same winter picture from the other side: about 11,380 homes sell per day in December through February versus spring peaks, and median days on market stretch to about 49 in winter compared with 31 in spring. Fewer buyers and longer days on market are the two conditions that put negotiating power in your hands.

What the Texas data says about holiday pricing

The Texas Real Estate Research Center's Texas Housing Insight for March 2026 put the statewide median price at $330,000 in December, with a 2.7% softening to $321,000 in January, which it calls normal seasonal softening rather than a market break. Texas-focused reporting from the holiday season consistently finds listings drop about 30% while median prices stay stable, meaning the homes that do come to market are priced to sell and the buyers shopping them are ready to close.

What it means for San Antonio buyers right now

San Antonio enters the holidays from a balanced position: SABOR's August 2026 report showed 5.87 months of supply, homes selling at about 92.8% of list price, and a median near $299,000, unchanged year over year. In a balanced market that tips seasonally toward buyers, the holidays add leverage on top. Sellers with year-end deadlines, job relocations with fixed start dates, and builders clearing inventory are the most motivated people you will ever negotiate with. A December contract often closes in January, which is a clean moving month.

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What it means if you are selling through the holidays

The honest seller math is the mirror image: fewer showings, longer days on market, and the same balanced market that makes buyers patient. But the buyers who do show up in December are serious, often relocating with a deadline, and holiday staging, warm lighting, a clean house that photographs well, quietly tells them this home is loved. Price to the current market from day one, because the first two weeks carry the most traffic, and the 82-day average timeline SABOR reported in August punishes overpriced listings far more than it punishes honest ones.

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The timing plan that is honest about trade-offs

Spring brings the most listings and the most buyers, which generally means the best selection and the highest prices. Winter brings the fewest buyers and the best price leverage, with a smaller menu. If you can move on a flexible schedule, the holidays are a genuinely strong window to buy in San Antonio, and I would rather see a buyer close in January at a fair price than chase a frenzy in May. If you are selling, the calendar matters less than the price; in this market, the right number sells a home in any month.