Summer Homebuyer Season Is Weird. Here’s How to Market Through It Anyway

Strong clicks, solid leads, packed model homes… but contracts? Still “talking to their spouse.”

This summer’s housing market feels like a group text with lots of enthusiasm and zero follow-through. We’re seeing strong online traffic, high engagement, solid onsite visits — but sales that just won’t commit.

At AdsIntelligence, we market for builders, developers, and multifamily brands who know this rhythm all too well. Summer’s when the serious buyers come out, they’ve got a deadline (school year, lease renewal, avoiding one more winter in that rental) — but they’re also cautious, distracted, and surrounded by resales whispering sweet nothings about hardwood floors and “charming character.”

The good news? No need to hit pause. Just upgrade the strategy.

Here’s how to outmaneuver the weird summer slump:

1. The Traffic Is Real. Don’t Let the Metrics Scare You.

Yes, summer search volume dips. But that doesn’t mean fewer qualified buyers, it means the dabblers have gone to the lake, leaving you with the serious shoppers.

Do this: Stay steady on paid search and display. Lower competition = higher share of serious eyeballs. (And fewer dreamers with zero intent and 14 open Zillow tabs.)

2. Hijack Your Competitors’ Buyers with Resale Geofencing

Most buyers walk through 10 resale homes before they ever consider new construction. Our response? Follow them. Is this brilliant, hyper-targeted tactic a tad creepy? Maybe, but it’s also magical!

Do this: Use Resale Geofencing to serve ads to people physically touring resale homes in your area. It’s your secret weapon to turn “I love this 1985 ranch” into “Wait, I could have brand-new with a warranty?”

3. Paid Social + People on Vacation = Chef’s Kiss

People are traveling. They’re visiting new places. They’re on their phones pretending to care about their cousin’s backyard reno while secretly scrolling Zillow.

Do this: Run geo-fenced paid social in your key markets. Hit visitors with “Fall in love with [City]? We build here.” while they’re mentally packing up their current zip code.

4. Urgency That Actually Helps

Summer buyers are on a timeline, not because you’re turning up the pressure, but because school starts in eight weeks and they’re not about to do another year of drop-off hell.

Do this: Use copy like “Move-in ready before the bell rings.” or “Make this your last summer in a rental.” Show urgency without the panic.

5. Advanced Analytics > Educated Guessing

Most marketers are still using Google Analytics and hoping for the best. That’s adorable. But this summer calls for grown-up data.

Do this: Tap into our Advanced Analytics platform, a first-party, multi-touch attribution system that connects your online campaigns to actual offline sales. Whether you’re a homebuilder, a real estate developer, or really any brand that sells in the real world, this platform tracks the whole journey. No more squinting at dashboards and pretending to “feel good about it.”

6. Palm Tree Energy Only

The market is weird. Rates are moody. Consumer sentiment is a moving target. And yet… here you are, still marketing like a boss. Flexibility is the move.

Do this: Watch performance like a hawk, shift budgets weekly, and rotate creative to keep it fresh. You don’t need to predict the future, you just need to be flexible and more agile than the brand next to you.

Final Word:

This summer, don’t pause your spend or play it safe. Show up smarter. Be where the buyers are (like literally outside that resale open house). Use tools they don’t even know exist. And for the love of ROI, stop guessing and start tracking.

Because buyers are buying — they’re just not settling. And neither should your marketing.