- From 2017 to 2025, Long Island had the most homes for sale from July through September and the fewest from December through February. From 2023 to 2025, the peak came later, in September.
- New listings surged from April through June and dropped hardest in December, when they ran 41–44% below the yearly average.
- Homes sold fastest in April and May, when listings spent roughly 14–24% fewer days on the market than average. January was the slowest month.
- Price cuts were most common from June through October. October was the top month in Suffolk, and from 2023 to 2025 it led both counties.
- These are historical averages, not a forecast. Being pre-approved and ready matters more than the calendar.
The short answer
There isn’t one best month. Each season has traded one advantage for another. Spring has brought the most new listings and the fastest sales, which also means the most competition. Summer and early fall have had the biggest selection and the most price cuts. Winter has had the fewest homes for sale, but listings sat the longest. The right time for you depends on whether you need choice, less competition or room to negotiate, and on when your own finances and plans are ready.
I wanted actual numbers for Nassau and Suffolk rather than national rules of thumb, so I went through nine years of county listing data. Here is what it shows.
How I measured this
I used Realtor.com’s monthly county data for Nassau and Suffolk from January 2017 through December 2025, nine full years. It covers MLS-listed homes for sale, single-family and condo/townhome together. For each year, I compared every month with that year’s own average, then averaged those comparisons across the nine years. Comparing each month with its own year keeps one unusual year, like 2020 or 2021, from swamping the pattern. A reading of +10% means that month has typically run 10% above its year’s average.
I left out the five county-months Realtor.com flagged as outside their typical range: April 2020 and April and May 2021 in Nassau, and April and October 2021 in Suffolk. Realtor.com also revised its methods in November 2021 (how listing statuses are mapped) and September 2022 (how time on market is calculated and how duplicate listings are handled), and it restated the full history each time. The series is consistent with itself, but it may not match older Realtor.com reports. As a check, I re-ran everything using only 2017–2020 and only 2023–2025. The same broad shape showed up in both, with two shifts I note below: both the inventory peak and the price-cut peak have moved later in the year.
When inventory is highest and lowest
Active listings are the homes for sale on a typical day in the month. On Long Island they have built from late winter through summer and stayed high into early fall. In Nassau, June through September ran 11–13% above the yearly average. In Suffolk, July through October ran 8–10% above, with September the high point. The low point in both counties was January and February, 10–15% below average, with December close behind. The peak has moved later in recent years. From 2017 to 2020, active listings peaked in July in both counties. From 2023 to 2025 they peaked in September in both, 15% above average, and Suffolk was still 12% above average in October.
See the numbers
| Month | Nassau | Suffolk |
|---|---|---|
| January | −15% | −10% |
| February | −14% | −10% |
| March | −9% | −8% |
| April | −6% | −6% |
| May | +2% | 0% |
| June | +11% | +6% |
| July | +13% | +9% |
| August | +12% | +9% |
| September | +11% | +10% |
| October | +6% | +8% |
| November | +1% | +2% |
| December | −12% | −10% |
New listings show when fresh homes come on the market, and that surge comes earlier. In Nassau, April through June ran 24–28% above average. In Suffolk, May and June ran 20–23% above. December has been the quietest month by far, 41–44% below average in the two counties, with November and January also well below.
See the numbers
| Month | Nassau | Suffolk |
|---|---|---|
| January | −16% | −22% |
| February | −9% | −2% |
| March | +12% | +8% |
| April | +24% | +8% |
| May | +25% | +23% |
| June | +28% | +20% |
| July | +8% | +11% |
| August | +4% | +9% |
| September | +1% | +6% |
| October | −6% | −2% |
| November | −18% | −18% |
| December | −44% | −41% |
Put together: spring is when the newest homes appear, but the biggest total selection has come a little later, in summer and early fall, as spring listings that haven’t sold stack up with the new ones.
When price cuts are most common
The price-cut share is the percentage of homes for sale that had their asking price reduced during the month. It has climbed through the summer and stayed high into October. In Nassau, July was the top month, 23% above the yearly average, with June, October and August close behind at 16–18% above. In Suffolk, October was the top month at 23% above average, followed by July and September at 20% above.
Here is the second shift. From 2017 to 2020, price cuts peaked in July in both counties. From 2023 to 2025, October was the top month in both. December has consistently had the fewest price cuts, roughly 27–34% below average, and the share has stayed below average from January through April.
See the numbers
| Month | Nassau | Suffolk |
|---|---|---|
| January | −19% | −16% |
| February | −21% | −16% |
| March | −15% | −16% |
| April | −12% | −15% |
| May | +2% | −1% |
| June | +18% | +14% |
| July | +23% | +20% |
| August | +16% | +17% |
| September | +13% | +20% |
| October | +17% | +23% |
| November | +2% | +3% |
| December | −27% | −34% |
A price cut is a signal, not a bargain by itself. It usually means a home was listed above what buyers were willing to pay and the seller adjusted. It still deserves the same scrutiny as any other listing.
When homes sell fastest
Median days on market measures how long listings stay up, from the day a home is listed until it goes under contract, closes or comes off the market. Spring is the fast season. In Nassau, April listings spent 24% fewer days on the market than the yearly average, and May listings 21% fewer. In Suffolk, May was fastest at 19% fewer days, with June and July close behind. January has been the slowest month in both counties: 30% more days than average in Nassau and 35% more in Suffolk.
See the numbers
| Month | Nassau | Suffolk |
|---|---|---|
| January | +30% | +35% |
| February | +13% | +26% |
| March | −18% | −7% |
| April | −24% | −14% |
| May | −21% | −19% |
| June | −18% | −17% |
| July | −14% | −16% |
| August | −4% | −10% |
| September | +5% | −5% |
| October | +7% | −2% |
| November | +10% | +5% |
| December | +26% | +23% |
Fast markets cut both ways. A home that goes under contract quickly usually had several interested buyers, which is exactly when being fully prepared makes the difference.
The trade-off: more choice vs. more competition
Put the four measures side by side and each season has offered a different deal.
| Season | What the data showed, and the trade-off |
|---|---|
| SpringMar–May | New listings surge, homes sell fastest and price cuts run at or below average.The freshest selection, with the most competition. |
| SummerJun–Aug | The most homes for sale, sales still quick, and price cuts climbing (July was Nassau’s top month).The widest choice, with some sellers adjusting prices on homes that didn’t sell in spring. |
| FallSep–Nov | Selection still above average in September and October, new listings fading, price cuts high (October was Suffolk’s top month) and the pace slowing.Historically, the stretch that paired plenty of choice with frequent price cuts and a slower pace. |
| WinterDec–Feb | The fewest homes for sale and new listings, the slowest pace and the fewest price cuts.Less to choose from, but less competition for each listing. |
So which is best? If you need a specific kind of home, the widest selection has been in summer and early fall. If you want less competition, winter has historically been the slowest. If you want room to negotiate on price, cuts have been most common from June through October. And if you are buying in spring, preparation does the heavy lifting.
Where things stood in September 2026
The latest month in the data is September 2026. In Nassau, 11.2% of homes for sale had a price cut, and in Suffolk, 10.4%. That is almost exactly the September average for 2017–2025 (11.1% and 10.3%). The bigger difference was supply: 2,601 active listings in Nassau and 4,086 in Suffolk, 32% and 30% below the average September over those nine years. Median days on market, 58 in Nassau and 59 in Suffolk, ran about three days quicker than a typical September. By those measures, supply was still tighter than the nine-year norm. That describes the market as it was, not where it goes next. For prices month by month, see my Long Island housing market page.
How to use this
- Get pre-approved before the spring rush. New listings start climbing in March, and in April and May homes have sold faster than at any other time of year. If you want to shop in spring, start your pre-approval in January or February so it is done before you find the house. It takes only a soft credit check, so starting early won’t affect your credit score. A pre-approval relies on recent pay stubs and statements, so I refresh it as your search goes on. Start with the affordability calculator, then look at your home purchase loan options.
- Set appraisal expectations in a fast market. When several buyers want the same house in April or May, the agreed price can run ahead of what an appraiser will support. Most loans are based on the lower of the price and the appraised value, so a low appraisal means covering the difference or renegotiating. Decide before you make an offer how much of a gap you could handle, and we can run that scenario together.
- Set inventory expectations by season. If you start looking in January, you are seeing the thinnest selection of the year. That is not a reason to wait, but it is a reason not to judge the whole market by a few winter weekends. If you need a specific kind of home, summer and early fall have historically offered the most to choose from.
- Consider the winter angle. Winter buyers see fewer listings, but those listings have sat the longest, 30–35% more days than average in January, and longer days on market usually mean fewer buyers competing for each one. Price cuts are least common from December through April, so in winter any negotiating room tends to come from how long a home has been listed rather than from a posted reduction. Ask how long the home has been on the market and whether it was listed earlier.
- Plan around the payment, not just the price. Property taxes vary a lot from town to town, so before you shop in any season, estimate the full monthly payment with taxes and insurance included. If this is your first home, my first-time buyer checklist lays out the documents and the timeline.
What this data can’t tell you
- It is listing data, not sales data. It tracks asking-price cuts, not what homes sold for, so it can’t tell you which month has had the lowest sale prices.
- It is countywide. Each county covers many towns, price ranges and property types, and a single town or price range can run on its own calendar.
- It is an average. 2020 and 2021 were unusual years, and any single year can break the pattern. These are historical patterns, not a prediction for 2027.
- Your timing usually matters more than the market’s. A lease ending, a job change or a home to sell often decides the month for you. The data helps you know what to expect when you get there.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best month to buy a house on Long Island?
There isn’t a single best month. From 2017 to 2025, selection was widest from July through September, homes sold fastest in April and May, price cuts were most common from June through October, and January was the slowest month. The best month depends on whether you value choice, less competition or room to negotiate.
When do the most houses go on the market on Long Island?
New listings have run highest from April through June: 24–28% above the yearly average in Nassau, and 20–23% above in Suffolk in May and June. December has had the fewest, 41–44% below average.
Is it better to buy a house in the winter on Long Island?
It can be, if you can live with less choice. Winter has had the fewest homes for sale and the slowest pace, which usually means less competition for each listing. The listing data does not measure sale prices, so it can’t show whether winter purchases close for less.
Is Long Island a buyer’s or a seller’s market right now?
In September 2026, active listings were 32% below the 2017–2025 September average in Nassau and 30% below in Suffolk, while the share of listings with a price cut was close to normal. By those measures, supply was still tighter than the nine-year norm, which generally favors sellers. Individual towns and price ranges vary, and I am happy to look at yours.
How early should I get pre-approved?
Before you start touring seriously. For a spring search, I suggest starting in January or February, ahead of the jump in new listings in March. Starting early also leaves time to sort out anything that comes up with your credit or documents.
- Realtor.com® Economic Research, Real Estate Data Library: Housing Inventory Core Metrics, county historical data (Nassau and Suffolk counties, data through September 2026, accessed October 2026)
- Realtor.com methodology notes on the November 2021 and September 2022 revisions, as published with the series on FRED (Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis)
This article is for general information only and is not a loan offer or commitment to lend. The figures are historical averages of listing data from the source listed, which may be revised, and are not a prediction of future market conditions. Results vary by town, property type and price range. All loans are subject to credit and property approval.