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If you’re chomping at the bit to buy a home this year, January might be your best shot to make a smart move in Jonesboro.
I know what a lot of folks are thinking. “Craig, we’ll just wait until May. More homes hit the market then.”
And you’re not wrong about inventory. Spring usually brings more options.
But it also brings the crowd.
More buyers show up at the same time, which means more competition, more multiple offers, and a whole lot less negotiating power. In real estate, the biggest wins usually go to the first movers, not the late arrivals.
What the research is showing
A new LendingTree study found that buying in January can save buyers over $20,000 compared to buying in May.
They looked at home sales across 2024 and found that buyers who purchased a 1,500 square foot home in January paid about $23,400 less than buyers who bought a similar size home in May.
That is real money.
That can be down payment money. That can be closing costs. That can be the difference between stretching your budget and breathing easy month to month.
Why January is often cheaper
This pattern shows up almost every year.
In 2024, May was the most expensive month to buy, with a national median price of $194.20 per square foot. January was 8.0% cheaper at $178.60 per square foot. February was 5.4% cheaper at $183.70.
On a typical 1,500 square foot home, that gap between January and May adds up fast.
It comes down to behavior.
More buyers shop in the spring and summer. Americans buy about 1.4 times more homes in the summer than in the winter. More buyers equals more competition. More competition pushes prices up.
Even across different home sizes, the pattern holds. Prices per square foot tend to peak in early summer and hit their lowest point in January.
What the market looks like right now (and how that hits Jonesboro)
This “January advantage” is happening while the broader market has been cooling some.
Realtor.com has shown national pricing flattening a bit, and inventory has been improving year over year even though winter always has seasonal slowdowns.
Now, let’s bring it home to Jonesboro.
In Jonesboro, that shows up as a $299,900 median list price, 344 active listings, and 64 median days on the market.
Those numbers matter for one big reason: breathing room.
When homes are taking longer to sell, buyers tend to have more leverage and more options to negotiate.
Why buyers have more leverage in January
When homes sit longer, sellers listen more. Period.
Nationally, newly listed homes spend a median of 75 days on the market in January, compared to around 48 days from April through June. That difference changes how negotiations go.
If a home has been sitting for a couple months, sellers are typically more open to conversations about:
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Price reductions
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Seller paid closing costs
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Repair credits
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Interest rate buydowns
But when the market is hot and a home gets five offers in a weekend, those conversations disappear fast.
What that $23,000 really means for you
A $23,000 difference is not just “nice.” It can change your whole game plan:
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Bigger down payment, which lowers your loan amount and payment
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Better shot at 20% down and avoiding PMI
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More savings left after closing
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Less stress when real life happens (because it always does)
So should you buy now or wait?
Full disclosure, January is not perfect. There are usually fewer homes to pick from. You might not see five versions of the same house pop up in the same neighborhood.
But the tradeoff is leverage:
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Less competition
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More flexible sellers
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Prices are often lower than what spring brings
If you’re planning to buy in Jonesboro this year anyway, it’s worth at least looking now. Sometimes the calendar alone can save you tens of thousands of dollars, and that’s not something you see every day in real estate.
You don’t have to rush.
You just shouldn’t ignore what the data is telling you.
Check out my other blogs!
