Blog > Best Month to Sell a House in Foster City: 14 Years of Sales, Month by Month
Best Month to Sell a House in Foster City: 14 Years of Sales, Month by Month
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When do Foster City homes sell best? We sorted the 3,436 Foster City sales that closed from January 2012 through December 2025, as reported to the MLS with repeat records removed, by the month they closed. May closings sold over asking most often: in an average year, 76.7% of them went over, against 54.8% of December closings.
The short answer
- Most bidding: May closings (76.7% sold over asking, median sale-to-list 106.1%), then April (73.4%) and June (72.0%).
- Least bidding: December (54.8% over asking, median sale-to-list 102.3%), then January (60.1%).
- Price per square foot: highest against the same year’s median in October (+4.1%) and lowest in February (−5.2%).
- Busiest month: May, with 10.4% of a typical year’s closings; the slowest is January (3.9%).
- Seasons: March–May closings averaged 74.0% over asking, September–November 67.3% and December–February 61.7%.
- Timing a listing: closing usually comes about a month after the accepted offer, and the home was on the market before that, so a May closing typically means an accepted offer in April, with the listing before that.
Next steps in Foster City
- What’s my Foster City home worth? Request an estimate, and ask us for the recent sales on your street.
- See Foster City homes for sale, then use Save Search to get new listings by email.
- Book a strategy call with a Property Nerd.
Month by month
Each figure is worked out year by year for the month, then averaged over 2012–2025, so a hot year like 2021 or a cool one like 2023 counts once. The strongest month is in bold. January had 10 usable years.
| Closing month | Sold over asking | Median sale-to-list | Price/sq ft vs. that year | Share of year’s sales | Sales, 2012–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 60.1% | 102.1% | −3.3% | 3.9% | 135 |
| February | 70.2% | 104.8% | −5.2% | 5.5% | 188 |
| March | 71.9% | 105.8% | +1.2% | 8.4% | 292 |
| April | 73.4% | 106.3% | −0.6% | 9.2% | 319 |
| May | 76.7% | 106.1% | +1.3% | 10.4% | 356 |
| June | 72.0% | 105.5% | +2.5% | 9.5% | 327 |
| July | 65.2% | 103.8% | +0.4% | 9.9% | 341 |
| August | 69.3% | 104.3% | +1.5% | 9.6% | 330 |
| September | 69.8% | 103.7% | +1.3% | 9.1% | 315 |
| October | 68.0% | 103.7% | +4.1% | 9.1% | 310 |
| November | 64.0% | 102.5% | −1.8% | 8.2% | 282 |
| December | 54.8% | 102.3% | −0.6% | 7.0% | 241 |
If you’re buying
The flip side: December closings went over asking least often (54.8%) and sold at −0.6% per square foot against the year’s median. Choice isn’t especially thin then: December brings 7.0% of a typical year’s closings, a little under the average month’s 8.3%.
Reading it right
- Closing month isn’t listing month. The calendar is by closing date, which trails the offer by about a month.
- Averages, not a promise. Any one year can break the pattern, and the homes for sale and buyers in your price range at the time matter too.
- The mix changes. Different homes sell in different months, so part of a month’s price per square foot is which homes sold, not only demand.
- All home types. Houses, condos and townhomes are counted together.
- Not a forecast or the value of any one home.
How we counted
Closed sales reported to the MLS in Foster City, January 2012 to December 2025: houses, condos and townhomes, with repeat records removed and sales under 50% or over 200% of list left out. For each closing month, the share sold over asking and the median sale-to-list ratio are worked out year by year (a month needs at least 8 sales in a year to count) and then averaged. Price per square foot is each month’s median against the same year’s median, averaged across years. Sales share is the share of each year’s sales that closed in that month, averaged across years with 60 or more sales.
Go deeper
Best Month to Sell shows this calendar for every city we cover. Before you list, the Prep Lab helps get the house ready, the Launch Lab plans how it goes on the market, and the Seller Playbook walks through the whole sale. For Foster City, see where homes sell over asking, neighborhood by neighborhood; the Foster City guide page links every guide.
Common questions
What is the best month to sell a house in Foster City?
By closing month, May. In an average year from 2012 to 2025, 76.7% of Foster City sales that closed in May went over asking, the most of any month, against 54.8% in December. Closing usually comes about a month after the accepted offer, so the listing goes up earlier.
When is the best time to buy a house in Foster City?
If you want less competition, December: closings that month went over asking least often (54.8%) and sold at −0.6% per square foot against the year’s median. Choice isn’t especially thin then: December brings 7.0% of a typical year’s closings, a little under the average month’s 8.3%.
Do Foster City homes sell for more in spring?
They draw more bidding: March–May closings went over asking 74.0% of the time on average, against 61.7% for December–February. Part of the gap is which homes sell in each season, not only demand.
The Foster City data series: housing market by the numbers · neighborhoods ranked by price per sq ft · where homes sell over asking · ten years of prices by neighborhood · condos and townhomes · house prices by bedrooms · houses under $2M · houses at $2.8M and up · lots by neighborhood
Planning a sale in Foster City?
A Property Nerd can show what homes like yours have sold for, month by month, and build your prep and launch around the season. Call (408) 373-1660 or (650) 383-8606, or book a strategy call. Commissions are negotiable, and we offer bundled services, so ask us what’s included.