Holiday Rhythms

The holiday season reshapes the Greater Phoenix market in ways that don’t always show up on the surface. Instead of a clean slowdown, the market breaks into pockets of activity that flare up and quiet down in uneven patterns. December looks calm from a distance, but underneath it, buyers, sellers, and inventory each shift in their own way.

Also Read: Listing Inventory Slide Shakes Up The Valley Real Estate Mood

Shifting Buyer Behavior First

The earliest noticeable change comes from buyers, not sellers. Even with fewer listings, the people who are actively shopping tend to negotiate harder this time of year. Their requests get longer. Their expectations rise. Any dip in rates—no matter how small—brings out motivated shoppers who want to take advantage of the quieter competition.

Buyer patterns right now:

• Stronger push for concessions

• More detailed repair or credit requests

• Longer back-and-forth negotiation cycles

• Smaller pool of shoppers, but more serious ones

Their strategy is simple: use the seasonal lull to gain leverage.

Inventory Thinning Comes Next

While buyers keep moving, sellers slowly step back. Instead of price drops, many owners simply pause decisions. Some suspend showings for family gatherings, others temporarily remove listings, and some leave their homes online without making updates. The result is a thinner supply line—not because demand surges, but because homeowners hold still.

What happens to supply:

• Fewer active properties available

• Price changes stall out

• More temporary withdrawals from the market

• A wave of reactivations appears after holiday weekends

This shrinking inventory unintentionally helps the sellers who stay listed.

Incentives Rise As The Calendar Winds Down

With fewer eyes on the market, incentives become a bigger part of deals. Builders take the lead here, boosting offers to close out the year. Resale homes don’t always advertise concessions publicly, but they show up during negotiations. This is where many buyers find value—and where many deals survive holiday hesitations.

Current incentive climate:

• Builders increase end-of-year perks

• Resale sellers lean into concessions to keep contract momentum

• Negotiation space widens

• Pricing pressure softens, but doesn’t collapse

This is one of the few stretches where motivated buyers and flexible sellers actually align.

Also Read: Holiday Listing Advantages In Today’s Greater Phoenix RE Market

Seasonal Rhythm Shows Up Last

Only after buyer behavior, supply shifts, and incentives change does the broader seasonal pattern become obvious. The market doesn’t suddenly freeze—it just operates in shorter bursts. Thanksgiving week usually marks the first dip, but December settles into a steady, quieter pace. That calm doesn’t last long, because January consistently brings the year’s biggest jolt of new listings.

Seasonal signature patterns:

• Activity softens near holiday weeks

• Contract flow becomes uneven

• December holds a stable but muted tempo

• Early January releases a sharp surge of fresh listings

The transition from December to January is one of the fastest resets Phoenix sees all year.

The Takeaway

Greater Phoenix doesn’t slow down just because the holidays arrive—it changes shape. Buyers sharpen their tactics. Sellers pause decisions. Incentives grow. Supply thins. And then, in early January, everything snaps awake.

If you’re active in the market right now, you’re operating in a narrow, quieter window where the people who remain tend to be the most serious on both sides of the transaction.

Also Read: The Types Of Homes That Can Be Trouble In Greater Phoenix