Ever feel like every good home in Carlsbad sells before you even see it? You’re not imagining things. But it’s probably not the market. It’s when you’re looking. I’ve sold homes in Carlsbad for about 20 years. A woman came to me a few weeks ago with this exact problem. One simple question told me why she kept missing out. In this post, I’ll share what she was doing wrong, what most buyers get wrong about listings, and the simple search plan I’d use if I were buying a home here today. It takes a lot of stress out.
Wednesday and Thursday Are the Best Days to Look at Homes in Carlsbad
If you're searching for a home in Carlsbad, California, most new listings hit the market on two days. Wednesday and Thursday.
If you look at homes on the weekend, I got news for you. You're probably already behind.
I'm Steve Olson. I've been a real estate agent in Carlsbad for about 20 years. We've sold thousands of homes. My goal is to help you make better decisions, so you can find the home you want, at the right price, on the right terms, with a little less stress.
The story that got me thinking
A few weeks ago, a woman came to me. She was thinking about hiring me. She said, "Every time I look at homes, it seems like everything good sells right away."
I told her the market is a little slower right now. Homes are not selling in one day. So something else had to be going on.
Then she said, "Well, I check the listings on Sunday and Monday. Those are my two days off."
That was it. She was looking on the wrong days.
Why Wednesday and Thursday?
Agents who have done this a long time don't want a gap between the day we list a home and the day showings start. Most showings happen Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Tuesday and Wednesday get some, but fewer.
So if we list on a Sunday or Monday, we wait a whole week for showings to pick up. That's why I would never list on a Sunday or a Monday. I would never list on a Friday, either. You just cheat yourself out of time.
The best listings come from agents who know that good process gets good results. Those homes hit the market on Wednesday or Thursday.
And the good ones go fast. A home that is priced right, fully remodeled and move-in ready is often under contract by Monday. It happens that quick.
So if you want to see the most homes, look hard on Wednesday and Thursday. Look first thing in the morning. Look at every listing you can. Then book a showing on the ones you like.
You can look on Friday too. You'll see everything that's ready for the weekend. But Wednesday and Thursday give you the head start.
Related: New Carlsbad homes for sale listed this week:
What "days on market" really means
Lots of buyers see a home that has been listed for a while and think, "Something must be wrong with it." They figure more days means the home is worth less.
Sometimes that's true. Most of the time it's not. It usually means one of two things. There's no buyer for that home yet, or the price is a little off.
Here's an example. When I made this video, there were seven or eight gorgeous homes for sale in Carlsbad. They were all over $4 million. A couple were over $7 million. Some had been on the market a long time. That doesn't mean they're bad homes. There may just not be a $7 million buyer in Carlsbad right now.
We're not La Jolla. We're not Del Mar. We're not parts of Encinitas. And we're definitely not Orange County. That $7 million price point is a little shaky here.
What "coming soon" means
You'll see a "coming soon" tag on Zillow. It means the home can be marketed to the public, but it can't be shown yet.
Here's what most people don't know. A coming soon home can still accept an offer at any time. The rule only controls when showings can start.
Also, days on market don't add up while a home is coming soon. So why would a seller do it? To test the price before the home goes on the open market.
Why test the price? Can't we just look at the comps? Not always. Sometimes the comps are in a different condition. Sometimes they're much older and sold in a different market. Sometimes a home has a feature that adds value or takes some away.
Sometimes we nail the price right away and get an amazing offer. Other times the market doesn't respond, because the buyer for that home just isn't out there right now.
Check the open houses on the weekend
The second thing I would search for is what homes are being held open this weekend.
I'm not a big believer in open houses, and maybe not for the reasons you'd think. If a home is priced right, marketed right and shown to the right people, an open house doesn't do much. The one time it works well is when you pack a bunch of showings into one time, so buyers compete. Very few agents do it that way. Most put up 10 signs, update the MLS and sit there for three hours.
But people do buy homes from open houses. It's not a huge number. It's more than you think. So for you, it's a good way to see homes.
More is not better
You've probably heard "less is more." When it comes to buying a home, I'd say more is not better.
Say you want a four bedroom home for $2 million, with a pool and some kind of view. That's not the easiest thing to find in Carlsbad. But it's not impossible. If those are your must-haves, don't look at $1.4 million homes with no pool and no view. All that does is confuse you. You'll start saying, "I really wish this home had that kitchen." But that home was never an option.
You're allowed to go up in price. But if you can't afford it, you start to get resentful of the home search.
I've worked with hundreds of buyers over 20 years. The most stressed out buyers are the ones who think they have to look at every single option before they decide. I know that sounds backward. It's true.
Get off Zillow and go to the source
Here's what I would do. I'd get off Zillow. I'd get off Realtor.com. I'd get off all of the search sites.
Zillow gets a direct feed from our MLS. The MLS is the Multiple Listing Service, the main database agents use. Sometimes that feed is delayed. I'm not saying Zillow is wrong. It's pretty accurate. The problem is that it lets you search with no boundaries.
If you know what you want, ask your agent for an MLS client portal. We put your exact search in there, and you only get sent the homes that fit.
You can get emails when a home lists, once a day or once a week. If you're in the market right now, get them as the homes list. Yes, that could mean a few emails in one day. Some of you will get annoyed. I get it. I probably would too. But you're getting the news as fast as possible. The email can be about seven minutes behind the MLS. But when you click the link, it's real time.
You get the same access we have as agents. Photos, address, price, all of it. The MLS feeds Zillow, so you see it at the same time Zillow does, and it goes right to your email. We can do text messages too.
Give yourself a little room, too. Plus or minus 10 percent is okay. If the top of your range is $4 million, look at homes up to $4.2 million. We can negotiate that number down.
My action plan
1. Write down your non-negotiables. Use a sheet of paper. How big does the home need to be? How many beds and baths? Do you want a view? A pool? Does it need to be remodeled, or can you put some work into it? Does it need to be in a certain school district or zip code? Does it need to be close to where you work?
2. Learn the neighborhoods. Carlsbad has a lot of them. Old Carlsbad. Bressi Ranch. La Costa. La Costa Greens. La Costa Oaks. Aviara. San Pacifico. Tamarack. Waters End. They're all amazing. They're all totally different. Figure out where the type of home you want shows up the most.
3. Go drive them. You may love how quiet Bressi Ranch is. Except on Halloween. It is crazy back there. You may like that La Costa Oaks is a little warmer, because it's farther in and up the hill. The views are great and there's less vacation traffic. Or you may want the coastal life. More traffic, smaller homes, smaller lots, but you're close to the water.
Look at the cars on the road. Look at the people. Is it busy or quiet? Is the community pool in good shape? Do you want a community pool or your own? Community pools are more common here, because of our lot sizes.
4. Pick your areas and tell your agent. Say you want a four bedroom for $2.5 million with a decent lot. You might look at Old Carlsbad, Bressi Ranch for something newer, and Aviara if you want a view or the golf course life. Maybe add Waters End for a smaller lot closer to the water. Your agent puts those searches in the MLS, and you only see those homes. You never have to wonder if your agent saw something you didn't. You're both looking at the exact same thing.
5. Sort the homes into three groups. In the portal, you can mark what you like and what you don't. You can give each home a rating and take notes. Use it like crazy for a week. Then sort the homes into three groups.
- Group 1: I would buy these. They're a clear fit.
- Group 2: I would buy these if something changed. Location can't change. But maybe the price is off. Maybe the condition is a little off. Maybe you don't want the solar, so you ask the seller to take it down. Maybe the inside isn't your style. Can we work that into the price?
- Group 3: I'm not buying these, and here's why. This is the most important group.
Give your reasons to your agent. There's nothing worse than your agent calling and saying, "I found a home. Can you see it tomorrow at three?" You say yes. You walk in the front door and know right away. "I'm not buying this home. Why are we even here?" That's about as frustrating as it gets. Your notes stop that, and your agent can fix the search as you go.
The stress goes down
Here's what I think you'll find. Even today in Carlsbad, with fewer homes for sale than we're used to and interest rates a little high, this takes out more stress than you think it will.
When you only look at homes that fit, buying gets a lot easier.