Should I list my Virginia house this fall or wait until spring?

If your home is ready and you have a reason to move, listing this fall is a reasonable call. In September 2026 the typical home in the Richmond metro sold after 12 days on the market, based on 1,025 closed sales.

That doesn’t mean the season doesn’t matter. It means the better question is what waiting would actually buy you.

What does the fall market look like right now?

Here are the September numbers for the Richmond metro and the Charlottesville area, from our MLS data.

September 2026	Richmond metro	Charlottesville area
Median days on market	12	15
Months of supply	2.8	4.6
Active listings at month end	3,314	786
Share with a price reduction	25.9%	32.9%

Homes were still selling quickly in both places. Supply was higher than a year ago, though: months of supply rose 21.7% in the Richmond metro and 9.5% in the Charlottesville area. Buyers have a bit more to choose from than they did a year ago.

I’d read that as a reason to price carefully, not a reason to stay out. The Charlottesville area had more months of supply and a higher share of price cuts, so I’d expect sellers there to feel the choice buyers have more.

Why do people say to wait until spring?

Spring usually brings more buyers. It also brings more sellers, because everyone else read the same advice. A bigger crowd of buyers is not the same as less competition for you.

Our September data doesn’t show how a listing in October compares with one in April, so I won’t claim a number. What I’d weigh instead is who is shopping now. My read is that buyers who tour in the colder months are more often working against a deadline such as a job, a lease or a school year. That is an interpretation, not a statistic.

What does waiting cost you?

Waiting has real costs that don’t show up on a market report. You keep paying your mortgage, taxes, insurance and utilities on a house you’re trying to leave. If you’re also buying, you may be trying to time two closings through winter.

Waiting also carries a price risk, because no one knows where the market will be in April. It could be stronger, or it could look like today with more listings. Anyone who says they know is guessing.

There are good reasons to wait, too. If the roof needs work or the house has been lived in hard, a few months of preparation can change what you can ask. Our post on which repairs to make before listing can help you decide.

How should you price if you list this fall?

Price from the closed sales of the last couple of months, not from a neighbor’s spring sale. Buyers can see the same listings you can, and with more homes available, an overpriced one gets looked at less. A first price that doesn’t hold up usually leads to a cut later.

Our guide on pricing when there are few comparable sales is useful if your home is unusual. It’s also worth reading how showings work, because holiday showings take some planning.

What should I do next?

Tell us about your house and your timeline, and we’ll show you the closed sales that match it and help you decide whether to list now or prepare for spring. Start on our selling page, or contact the team at our Glen Allen office. See Daniel Keeton.

Source: Keeton & Co analysis of CVR MLS data (Richmond metro) and CAAR MLS data (Charlottesville area), September 2026. Data through October 3, 2026. Days on market is a median of closed sales; active listings and months of supply describe homes for sale at month end. Full figures are on the Richmond metro market page and the Charlottesville market page.