Why is right now one of the best times of year to be buying a home?

A: In many local real estate markets, summer is an active, busy time. In San Francisco, the data shows otherwise.

Days on market and sales price dip slightly in July and August. But why?

The weather is warm outside of the city and there are several long weekends, holidays and festivities … all of which draw San Francisco residents — and potential competition — out of town.

The Realtor community also vacations heavily from the end of July to the middle of August.

Knowing these facts, sellers often choose to wait until the weekend after Memorial Day to list their properties for sale, which limits the premium inventory’s availability on the open market.

Essentially, the homes you see on the market in summer are either highly motivated, timesensitive sellers who couldn’t wait until September, or listings which have been on the market since May or June, with no success of sale.

Serious buyers who actively tour homes and work with an agent can acquire properties offmarket.

I advise buyers to be mindful about any property. But in summer, buyers must consider that more inventory is on the way and make sure they make the right choice.

Justina Colunga, Vanguard Properties, 4159371043, justina@vanguardsf.com.

A: Timing is everything. This axiom rings especially true in regards to real estate.

While summer is generally the peak selling season in many other parts of the country, that isn’t generally the case in San Francisco. Spring and fall are our peak sales seasons.

From Independence Day until Labor Day, the supply tends to drop, as many people take much needed vacations (including us Realtors).

Why then is this a good time to buy? Because there are sellers who need to sell now and there may not be as many buyers actively looking.

Also, sellers may be willing to test the waters by allowing their home to be shown offmarket at a “buymenowprice”.

This can be a win/win, as sellers may be able to close a deal without staging, holding open houses or other tasks associated with presenting a home for sale. Buyers may be able to swoop in and buy without as much competition.

But there’s a catch. Scenarios like these require working with a topproducing, pluggedin Realtor, such as yours truly.

Mary Fenton, Level 5 Real Estate, 4152055218, mary@level5realestate.com.

A: This is a smart time to buy because many buyers elect to exit the market during the summer months, as they depart the city for vacation.

Right now, savvy buyers can capitalize on overlooked properties or snap up a home that recently fell out of contract. There’s also those listings that were priced incorrectly and have sat on the market for an extended period of time as a result.

While inventory may decrease in the summer, there is also less competition. This can more than offset the fact that there may be fewer homes for sale.

Perhaps most importantly, a seller tends to be more reasonable with their expectations if their property has been sitting for a while, making for a potentially good buying opportunity.

Ron Abta, Polaris Realty, 4155957661, ron@polarisre.com.