Barbara Corcoran’s 3 Tips To Buying a Home in This ‘Impossible’ Market

Given her tremendous following as a real estate mogul, when Barbara Corcoran offers advice on buying a home, people tend to listen.

 

As the housing market continues to be a challenge nearly three months into 2025, the "Shark Tank" star took to Instagram to share her advice on how to make the dream of buying a house a reality.

 

And considering that Corcoran just lost her own home in the Pacific Palisades wildfires in January, she knows the difficulties firsthand.

 

Days on market is defined as the number of days a home takes to sell; but if it’s still listed as “for sale,” then it may make for a hidden-gem investment, according to Corcoran.

 

“Look at listings that have been sitting on the market," she advises. “When a house is on the market, but six months or longer, nobody's paying attention. They're all ready for the new listing in town.”

 

The benefit of this strategy is that, if the seller is motivated to sell, making an offer on an “old listing” might actually give you some negotiating power. Corcoran believes that “a lower offer will be accepted” if you can find a house that’s been left to languish.

 

And it's a strategy that could work, particularly now. Homes spent 73 days on the market in January 2025, according to the most recent Realtor.com® housing report. While that’s the slowest January since 2020, it also is five days more than last year (2024) and three more days than last month (December 2024).

 

Starting in April, the real estate selling season will be in full swing, which means prices will be high—as will the competition. But Corcoran suggests that if you find a property “off-season,” you’ll not only get a much better deal, but you’ll have to fight less to land the house.

 

“Everybody's out in the spring and summer, so you should be shopping in the winter,” she explains. “That's always where the best deals are taken, in the wintertime.”

She acknowledges that, while buying a house in this market “feels impossible,” it can still happen if you have some flexibility when you move.

 

And our own team agrees.

 

“The best time to sell tends to arrive mid-spring as home prices climb and time on market falls,” explains Hannah Jones, senior economic research analyst with Realtor.com®. “However, late winter/early spring may appeal to sellers who are looking for relatively high buyer attention and low competition from other sellers.”

 

Lastly, Corcoran advises to think big with your purchase. While Jones admits that “small homes” are currently “highly desirable” in this market due to their lower price point, Corcoran suggests that making the investment in a bigger house could actually help you pay your mortgage off faster.

 

If you’re willing to have a renter.

 

“Look for a house with a separate entrance,” Corcoran recommends. “A separate entrance allows you to make a separate unit, which you could rent to offset the cost of your mortgage.”

 

With mortgage rates unlikely to decrease anytime soon, taking in renters or embracing a multigenerational living situation is a strategy many homeowners are embracing.

 

"A recent survey suggested that many buyers would be willing to move in with their parents or other relatives to save up for a home purchase," says Jones. "A significant majority (83%) of respondents said they would even consider co-buying and living with a family member to afford a home purchase."

 

But if you're looking to bring in a tenant instead, make sure you understand everything that comes with making the leap into renting out a room.

 

“By renting out a room in your home, you're becoming not only a landlord but a roommate as well,” says Brad Twiss, a licensed broker and tenant services manager at Living Room Property Management in Portland, OR.

 

“This is a personal choice—are you ready to share your personal space with someone else? Is the potential rental income worth the headache of sharing your home with a potential stranger?”