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What does days on market mean?

What does days on market mean? Is it important? What does it mean if there's more days on market or less days on market?

Asked by Shilo | Albuquerque, NM| 09-27-2023| 1,212 views|Terms & Definitions|Updated 2 years ago

Answers (6)

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Josephine & Raj Sharma

Legacy Homes Realty · Lake Elsinore, CA

(150 reviews)
Hi, Days on market is a time the house has been on the market for sale, longer the days on market the longer it has been listed for sale on the market and not sold. Hope this helps.
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09-27-2023 (2 years ago)··
Barrett Henry

RE/MAX Collective · Tampa, FL

(6 reviews)
Days on market, usually shortened to DOM, is the number of days a property has been listed for sale on the MLS. The clock starts the day the listing goes active and stops when the seller accepts an offer and the status changes to pending or contingent. It matters because DOM is one of the clearest indicators of how a home is performing relative to the market. A low DOM means the home attracted a buyer quickly, which usually signals strong demand, good pricing, or both. A high DOM means the home is sitting, which typically points to overpricing, condition issues, poor marketing, or a combination of all three. For buyers, DOM is a negotiation tool. A home that's been on the market for 7 days is in a completely different negotiating position than one that's been sitting for 90 days. The longer a home sits, the more leverage you have as a buyer because the seller knows every agent and every buyer looking at their listing can see that number. A high DOM invites lowball offers because buyers assume something is wrong or that the seller is getting desperate. For sellers, DOM is a scoreboard. The first two weeks on market are typically when you get the most traffic, the most showings, and the most serious buyers. If you're not getting offers in that window, something needs to change, usually the price. Every week that passes without an offer makes the next offer harder to get because buyers start wondering why nobody else wanted it. What counts as high or low depends on your local market. In a hot market where the average DOM is 10 to 15 days, a home sitting at 45 days stands out. In a slower market where 60 days is normal, 45 days is fine. Always compare a specific listing's DOM to the average for that area and price range rather than judging the number in a vacuum. One thing to watch for is agents who cancel and relist a property to reset the DOM counter to zero. Some MLS systems track cumulative days on market to prevent this, but it still happens. If a home looks brand new on the market but the photos look dated or the description mentions a price reduction, it may have been relisted.
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03-27-2026 (1 month ago)··
Amanda Courtney

REP Realty Group · Fort Myers, FL

(13 reviews)
It’s the number of days a home has been listed for sale before it goes under contract (or sells), shown as DOM.
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01-20-2026 (3 months ago)··
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Austin Pelka

Keller Williams Shore Properties · Toms River, NJ

Days on market is how long a home has been listed before going under contract. It is one of the most useful signals in real estate. Low days on market means buyers are moving fast, competition is high, and the home is priced right. In hot markets homes can go under contract in days. High days on market tells a different story. The home may be overpriced, have condition issues, or be in lower demand. After 30 to 60 days most buyers start wondering what is wrong with it. As a buyer, a home sitting for 60 or 90 days gives you real negotiating leverage. The seller knows the market has spoken and is more likely to move on price. As a seller, a high DOM number works against you and is almost always a pricing problem more than anything else.
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04-08-2026 (2 weeks ago)··
Julianne Clark

Charter One Realty · Beaufort, SC

(48 reviews)
Day on market means how many days the home has been listed for sale. Cumulative days on market is how many days its been on market and not sold. For example -- if the Seller lists with one agent/brokerage and then changes to another agent/brokerage without selling. The time from the first exposure to the open market is where the count starts.
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09-29-2023 (2 years ago)··
Kelly CalkinsNovice6 Answers
Kelly Calkins

Keller Williams · McKinney, TX

(1 review)
Days on market, or "DOM" on many sites, are the number of days between original listing date and the current date.
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03-28-2026 (1 month ago)··
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