The Best Time to Buy in 2026 Is Coming: Here's What It Means for Hampton Roads

Realtor.com just released its 2026 "best time to buy" report, and this year it points buyers at the last week of September. The report names September 27 through October 3 as the prime buying window of the year: more homes on the market, list prices running about 3.5% below their seasonal peak, and fewer buyers competing for the same house. On a median-priced home nationally, that works out to roughly $14,000 in savings. Here is what the window actually means if you are shopping the Virginia Beach real estate market or anywhere else in Hampton Roads.

What the 2026 Report Says

The report, published Monday, September 14, uses a decade of national data to find the one week each year when buyers get the most for their money. This year that week is September 27 through October 3. Three things line up in that window. Inventory is at its seasonal high because sellers who listed through the summer rush are still on the market. Buyer activity has started to cool after the back-to-school push, so there is less competition for each home. And list prices historically sit about 3.5% below the spring and early-summer peak, which is the roughly $14,000 figure on a median-priced home.

One honest caveat: those are national numbers, and no market behaves exactly like the average. What matters is how the calendar lines up with Hampton Roads in particular.

Where Hampton Roads Stands Right Now

Here is what the local data looked like through the summer, and it lines up with the report's direction. Months of supply across the region has stayed under three months all summer, running from about 2.6 in May to 2.85 in July. For context, a balanced market sits more in the five-to-six-month range, so we are still on the seller's side of the ledger. But supply has clearly loosened: total active listings climbed past 6,000 in July, the first time that has happened since May of 2020.

The loosening shows up in the two cities most buyers compare first. Virginia Beach detached homes ran about 1.5 to 1.9 months of supply through the spring and summer, while Chesapeake's active listings climbed from roughly 489 in April to about 781 in August. Buyers who could not find anything to write an offer on this spring are finally seeing real choices across the Southside. I walk through the bigger regional picture in my latest monthly market update.

The Price Reality for Buyers

Now for the honest part. More inventory does not mean discounts. Detached sellers in Virginia Beach closed the summer collecting about 99.3% of their original list price in July, after running 99.6% in May and a hair over 100% in June. What that tells you: a well-priced, well-kept home still sells for close to full price in this market.

The opportunity in this window is real, but it is about selection and patience more than lowball offers. When supply loosens, you can be pickier about the floor plan, you can book an inspection without a bidding war breathing down your neck, and you are shopping at the softest part of the price cycle. That is how the week of September 27 can put money back in your pocket even in a market that still favors sellers.

What to Do Before the Window Opens

If you want to move in the last week of September, do not start from zero on September 27. Three things have to be in place first:

• Get pre-approved. A pre-approval letter is what separates a real offer from a wish. VA buyers, make sure your lender knows your situation; timing a VA loan close in this window is very doable when you are pre-approved and ready.
• Know your neighborhoods. The wider selection only helps if you know which areas fit your commute, your schools, and your budget. Have your shortlist ready before the listings hit.
• Be ready to write a clean offer. Homes that sit through the fall are usually the ones with an issue. The good ones still move, so have your earnest money and your terms decided ahead of time.

If You're Buying and Selling at the Same Time

Part of the reason this window is so valuable here is that it also feeds the move-up market. If you need to sell your current home before you can buy your next one, sellers still collecting near their full list price lowers the risk of a painful gap between the two deals. Start with a free home valuation so you know where you stand before you start negotiating on the other side.

The Bottom Line

Realtor.com calls September 27 through October 3 the best time to buy in 2026, and this year the local timing runs in the same direction. More inventory, a cooler price cycle, and the same strong fundamentals that have carried Hampton Roads for decades. If you are a first-time buyer, a military family timing a PCS move, or someone trading up, the last week of September is a smart window to be serious. I've got you.

Buying is a process, and the data only helps if you act on it. If you want to see what this window looks like for your price range, start with my buying guide, or just call me. I know these neighborhoods, I know how the offers go, and I will tell you straight what a home is worth. Talk soon!