Glossary · Pricing & valuation
Days on Market (DOM)
Days on market (DOM) is the number of days a property has been actively listed for sale before going under contract. Measured from the listing date in the MLS, it signals demand and how well a home is priced. A low DOM suggests strong interest or sharp pricing, while a high DOM often points to an overpriced, poorly marketed, or flawed listing.
Also known as: DOM
How is days on market calculated?
DOM counts the days a listing is active in the MLS, from the date it goes live until it goes under contract or sells. Calculation rules vary by MLS. Canceling and relisting a property can reset the count, which some sellers use to make a stale listing look fresh.
The clock starts when the listing becomes active and pauses when it moves to pending or under contract. Some systems keep counting through closing.
Because rules differ, cumulative days on market (CDOM) exists to capture the full history across relistings, closing the reset loophole.
Why does days on market matter?
DOM signals demand and pricing accuracy to both sides. Buyers read a high DOM as leverage to negotiate, suspecting the home is overpriced or has problems. Sellers watch it to know when to adjust price or marketing. Average DOM across an area gauges overall market speed.
A home that lingers loses its early-momentum advantage. Buyers wonder what is wrong and expect a discount.
Rising area-wide DOM warns of a cooling market, while falling DOM signals heating demand. Agents track it to time listings and set expectations.
What is considered a high number of days on market?
There is no fixed threshold; a high DOM is relative to the local average. If similar homes sell in two weeks and yours has sat for two months, that is high for the market. Comparing a listing against the area median matters more than any absolute day count.
In a hot market, a few weeks may already feel long. In a slow market, several months can be normal.
The most useful benchmark is the neighborhood median DOM. Measuring against it tells you whether a listing is truly lagging.
Worked example. For example, a home is listed on the MLS on day one and accepts an offer on day 18, giving a DOM of 18. If the area median is 12 days, this listing lagged slightly. Had the seller canceled and relisted at day 40, the DOM might reset to zero while CDOM still showed 40.
Common mistakes with Days on Market
- Assuming a low DOM always means a great home rather than aggressive pricing.
- Overlooking that canceling and relisting can reset DOM but not cumulative days on market.
- Judging a listing by absolute days instead of the local median.
- Believing a high DOM proves a home is defective when overpricing is the usual cause.
- Ignoring that MLS calculation rules for DOM vary from one market to another.
List Price
The price at which a property is publicly advertised for sale by the seller.
Define TermAbsorption Rate
The rate at which available homes sell in a market during a given period, often expressed
Define TermUnder Contract
A property with an accepted offer whose sale has not yet closed.
Define TermActive, Pending, and Sold Status
The core MLS statuses that describe where a listing stands in the sales process.
Define