Time in the Fox Cities Real Estate Market Beats Timing the Market

 

Are you wondering if it's better to buy a home in the Fox Cities or surrounding area now or wait? There are many things to think about, including market trends and your current needs. Overall, trying to predict the best time to buy or sell in the market usually isn't a good idea because there are too many things that can affect it.


That’s why experts usually say time in the market is better than timing the market.

In other words, if you want to buy a home and can afford it, it's usually better to do it sooner than later. An article by McMillin (2025) on Bankrate describes the reasons why:

“No matter which way the real estate market is leaning, though, buying now means you can start building equity immediately.” 

Here's some information to help you understand why it's better to buy now instead of waiting, if you can.

Each quarter, Fannie Mae releases the Home Price Expectations Survey. It asks over one hundred economists, real estate experts, and investment and market strategists what they expect for home prices over the next five years (Pulsenomics, 2025). In the latest update, experts expect home prices to keep increasing until at least 2029. However, the increase will be slower and more typical compared to the rapid growth seen in recent years for most markets, including those in the Fox Cities areas (see the graph below):

What does that mean for you? The graph below shows how the value of an average home might increase over the next few years based on HPES projections. If you buy a home in early 2025, this is how much money you could start making in equity.

 

For this case, imagine you buy a home for $400,000 this January. According to expert predictions from HPES, you could increase your home wealth by over $83,000 in the next five years (Pulsenomics, 2025). That's a large amount. If you continue to rent, you're missing the chance to build wealth.

Even though today's real estate market has some problems, buying now will be beneficial in the long run. Keep trying if you want to buy a home. We can find creative ways to help you make your purchase. There are ways to help you make it happen, like looking at cheaper places, thinking about condos or townhomes, or checking out programs that assist with down payments.

You can choose to wait. But if you’re just waiting it out to perfectly time the Fox Cities real estate housing market, this is what you’re missing out on. The choice is yours.

In Conclusion

If you can’t decide whether to buy now or wait, remember that staying invested in the market over time is more important than trying to pick the perfect moment to buy. Reach out if you want to discuss how to start the process today.

References:

McMillin, D. (2025, January 13). Should I buy a house now, or wait? Bankrate. Retrieved from https://www.bankrate.com/real-estate/should-i-buy-a-house-now-or-wait/#buy-now

Pulsenomics LLC (2024). Home Price Expectations Survey (HPES) | Fannie Mae. Retrieved from https://www.fanniemae.com/research-and-insights/surveys-indices/home-price-expectations-survey-hpes