Every September, I get some version of the same question from sellers in Gilbert, Queen Creek, Chandler, Mesa, and San Tan Valley. “Should we list now, or just wait until spring when there are more buyers?”
It’s a fair question, and it deserves a real answer instead of the usual agent line about how “any time is a good time to sell.” Let’s actually look at what’s happening in each of these markets right now and what it means for your timeline.
WHAT THE MARKET LOOKS LIKE RIGHT NOW
Inventory across the Phoenix metro is up 15 to 20% compared to this time last year. That means buyers have more to choose from, and homes are taking a bit longer to go under contract. In Gilbert, homes are moving in roughly 53 to 63 days right now, which is slower than the frenzy years but still a reasonable window if your home is priced correctly.
Chandler is the market where sellers need to pay closest attention. Median sale prices there are down about 7% year over year. That doesn’t mean Chandler is a bad place to sell. It means pricing has to be grounded in this month’s numbers, not what your neighbor’s house sold for in 2022 or even last spring.
Queen Creek is still moving at a healthy pace, with 148 single family closings in June alone, and interest continuing to build around the Switchyard development downtown. San Tan Valley and Queen Creek builders are also advertising rate buydowns as low as 3.99% through October 31, which matters for you as a seller because it means new construction is actively competing for the same buyers you’re trying to reach.
Mortgage rates are sitting around 6.77% on a 30 year fixed, and most forecasts have them holding in the mid to high 6% range for the rest of 2026. Buyers have made peace with this rate environment. They are house hunting anyway. They’re just being more selective about condition and price than they were a couple of years ago.
THE CASE FOR LISTING BEFORE THE HOLIDAYS
Less competition is the biggest advantage of listing now. A lot of sellers assume they should wait until spring because that’s when “everyone” buys. That assumption is exactly why fall can work in your favor. Fewer new listings hit the market between now and January, which means less noise for a serious buyer to sort through. If your home shows well and is priced to reflect where Chandler, Gilbert, or Queen Creek actually stand today, it gets more attention right now than it will competing against every other seller who waited for March.
Buyers moving in the fall tend to be more motivated. Families relocating for a job in Queen Creek because of the LG Energy Solution buildout, or a transfer that starts before the new year, aren’t browsing. They need to close. That’s a different buyer than the one wandering open houses in April just to see what’s out there.
You also beat the builder incentive deadline. Those 3.99% rate buydowns in San Tan Valley and Queen Creek expire October 31. After that date, some of the pressure pulling buyers toward new construction eases up, which can work in a resale seller’s favor heading into November and December.
THE CASE FOR WAITING UNTIL SPRING
If your home needs real work, condition matters more right now than it did two years ago, because buyers have options and they’re using them. If you need a few months to handle repairs, updates, or simply to get the house ready, spring gives you that runway without rushing.
If you’re emotionally not ready, that matters too. I say this to my downsizing clients often. Selling a home you raised your family in is not just a transaction. If you need until spring to feel steady about the next chapter, that’s a legitimate reason to wait, not a failure to act fast enough.
And if your local micro-market is genuinely soft right now, waiting can make sense. Not every neighborhood in the East Valley is moving at the same pace, and this is where a conversation about your specific street, your specific comps, matters more than any general market trend I can give you in a blog post.
WHAT I'D ASK YOU TO CONSIDER
I’m an empty nester myself, and a young Nana now, so I understand the pull of wanting to make a big move feel like the right move, not just the fast one. But here’s what I’ve seen play out again and again in Gilbert, Queen Creek, Chandler, Mesa, and San Tan Valley. Sellers who wait for “the perfect season” often end up competing with more listings, not fewer, because everyone else was waiting for the same thing.
If your home is ready and your reasons for moving are real, whether that’s downsizing, relocating for family, or simply starting a new chapter, the data right now supports listing before the holidays rather than after. If you need more time, take it. Just take it because your home or your life needs it, not because you’re waiting on a season that may not actually bring you the advantage you’re picturing.
If you want a straight answer about your specific home, your specific street, and what today’s numbers mean for your timeline, that’s exactly the conversation I’d rather have with you before you decide anything.
Cheri Smith
REALTOR® | eXp Realty
480-298-5551
cherismithrealtor.com
@cherismith.azrealtor