Average Days on Market by State (Current Data)

The national median days on market for existing homes ranged from roughly 24 to 47 days across recent reporting periods, according to the National Association of Realtors -- but that single number hides enormous variation by state, metro, price tier, and season. A correctly priced home in a tight Western market can go under contract in under two weeks. The same home in a rural Plains county might sit for three months. Knowing where your market falls on that spectrum, and why, is the most practical thing you can do before you set a list price or a move-out date.

What "Days on Market" Actually Measures -- and What It Does Not

Days on market (DOM) counts calendar days from when a listing activates on the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) to when a purchase contract is accepted and the property is marked pending. The number has two meaningful variants that sellers and buyers frequently confuse.

DOM resets every time a listing is withdrawn and re-entered on the MLS. An agent who takes a listing down after 45 days and re-lists it under a fresh entry can show a DOM of 3 days on a property that has been sitting since spring. This practice is legal in most states, though some MLSs have closing windows as short as 24 hours before a re-list is permitted.

Cumulative days on market (CDOM) is the number most agents know exists but few buyers think to ask about. CDOM tracks total calendar time since the property first entered the current MLS system, including any re-list gaps. When you are evaluating a listing -- or when you are the seller deciding how long you have actually been on the market -- CDOM is the honest figure.

Neither number captures pre-MLS marketing time. If a home sat for six months before going live (as-is sales, estate situations, pre-listing work), none of that appears in DOM or CDOM.

For comparative market analysis, agents and appraisers typically use median DOM for a specific price range and zip code over the past 90 days. That is the figure worth asking for to understand how your local market is actually moving.

What Drives Days on Market -- The Four Variables That Matter

DOM is a summary number that absorbs the effect of several underlying forces. Understanding which ones apply to your situation lets you calibrate expectations instead of guessing.

Price Relative to Comparable Sales

Pricing is the single largest driver of DOM. A home priced within 2 to 3 percent of what recent comparable sales support will attract offers in most markets. A home priced 8 to 10 percent above comparable sales will wait -- sometimes indefinitely -- for a buyer willing to overpay. Redfin Data Center analysis has consistently shown that overpriced listings require price reductions that push total DOM past twice the market median before they close.

This matters more than any other variable because it is within the seller's control. Overpricing to "test the market" extends DOM and, once a listing accumulates days, buyers start asking why no one else has bought it -- a self-reinforcing stigma that further extends the timeline.

Inventory Level

When there are more homes on the market than qualified buyers searching, buyers take their time. When inventory is thin, buyers move quickly because hesitation risks losing the listing.

The National Association of Realtors uses months of supply as the benchmark -- the number of months it would take to sell all current inventory at the current pace. A balanced market runs 4 to 6 months. Below 3 months produces fast DOM and above-asking offers; above 6 months produces extended DOM and price concessions.

Season

DOM follows a reliable seasonal pattern in most U.S. markets. Buyer activity peaks from late March through June, driven by families wanting to close before the school year ends. Correctly priced listings during this window typically see the year's lowest DOM. Activity slows in summer, recovers through September and October, then falls again from mid-November through February.

The seasonal effect is flatter in markets where school-year timing matters less -- parts of Florida, Arizona, and Southern California see more year-round buyer activity, so the summer slowdown is real but shallower.

Property Condition and Presentation

A home that requires visible deferred maintenance, has clutter that makes square footage feel smaller, or photographs poorly in listing images will accumulate more DOM than a comparable property in move-in condition. This is not an abstract observation -- properly staged homes consistently show lower DOM than comparable unstaged listings in the same price range. Presentation affects how quickly a buyer converts from "interested" to "making an offer," which is what DOM actually counts.

States Where Homes Sell Fastest -- and Why

Markets with low median DOM share common characteristics: high population density or strong in-migration, limited housing supply relative to demand, and income levels that sustain buyer qualification at current rates.

The fastest-selling markets in recent Redfin Data Center reports have clustered in the Mountain West, Pacific Coast, and parts of the Mid-Atlantic. Nevada, Idaho, Utah, Colorado, and Washington have shown median DOM in the low teens to low twenties during peak spring periods. New England metros -- Boston and Hartford in particular -- have also produced fast DOM despite the region's reputation for slow sales, driven by constrained inventory.

These markets move fast because of supply, not always demand. A market at 1.5 months of inventory has no choice but to produce short DOM on correctly priced listings. Entry-level and mid-market homes show the shortest DOM within these states -- the buyer pool thins out sharply at upper price tiers, and luxury listings in fast states often take two to three times as long to sell as the statewide median suggests.

States Where Homes Take Longer to Sell -- and What That Means for Sellers

Slower markets are not broken markets. They are markets where supply exceeds current demand, where the buyer pool is smaller, or where price expectations have not yet adjusted to current conditions.

States with historically higher median DOM include much of the Great Plains, rural Mountain West, Deep South, and parts of the upper Northeast outside major metros. North Dakota, Wyoming, West Virginia, Mississippi, Vermont, and Maine have shown median DOM of 60 days or above in multiple recent reporting periods, according to Redfin and Realtor.com Research.

In a slow market, pricing precision matters more than in a fast one. Competing offers in tight markets correct minor over-pricing. In a 70-day-DOM market, a home priced 5 percent above comparable sales may sit for months without a showing because buyers have the time to wait for the correctly priced alternative.

Presentation also matters more in slower markets. When buyers can take their time, they will favor the move-in-ready option over one that needs work -- because they know they can afford to wait.

Representative Days on Market by State -- Recent Typical Ranges

The table below shows typical median DOM ranges drawn from Redfin Data Center and Realtor.com Research reports. These are representative ranges, not current point-in-time figures. DOM shifts with interest rates, inventory levels, and seasonal patterns -- sometimes significantly within a single quarter. Treat these as orientation, not precise current data. Check your local MLS or ask your agent for the current 90-day median DOM in your specific price range and zip code before making pricing or timing decisions.

Source: Redfin Data Center and Realtor.com Research, multiple reporting periods. Ranges represent the span across recent quarters; actual current figures may fall outside these bounds depending on prevailing interest rates and local inventory at the time you are reading this.

How to Read Your Local Number -- And When Statewide Averages Are Useless

The statewide median DOM is one of the least useful numbers for practical decision-making. Texas has a statewide median that blends Austin's near-instant velocity with the extended timelines of rural West Texas -- the result is accurate to neither market.

The number you actually need: median DOM for homes in your price range, in your zip code or competing sub-market, over the past 60 to 90 days.

Your listing agent can pull this from your local MLS in a few minutes. Price ranges matter because lower-priced homes sell faster in almost every market -- they have a larger qualified buyer pool. Zip codes matter because school districts, commute patterns, and neighborhood dynamics create micro-markets that diverge sharply from county or metro medians.

When reading your local DOM figure, three comparisons are most useful:

• How does your price range compare to the tier above or below? If entry-level homes are moving in 22 days and mid-market homes are averaging 55, knowing which pool you are competing in changes how you price.
• How does the current 90-day figure compare to the same period last year? Rising DOM signals loosening inventory or weakening demand. Direction of change is often more useful than the absolute number.
• What share of recent sales closed above, at, or below asking price? DOM paired with the sale-price-to-list ratio tells you far more than either figure alone.

If your listing sits longer than the local median for your price range without a price reduction, that is statistical evidence of a pricing problem -- not a presentation or staging problem. The data is telling you something.

How to Sell Your Home Faster -- What the Data Supports

None of the following suggestions are certain to reduce DOM in your specific market, because no seller fully controls buyer demand. What the data supports is that these actions increase the probability of generating an offer quickly, all else equal.

Price to comparable sales, not to aspiration. This is the most consistent finding across every market analysis. Homes priced within 2 to 3 percent of recent comparable sales attract offers faster and close closer to list price than homes that start high and reduce. A price reduction that brings you to market value after 45 days will not recover the DOM you already accumulated -- and buyers will ask why you reduced.

List on Thursday or Friday. Redfin Data Center data has consistently shown that listings that go live on Thursday or Friday receive more showing requests over the following weekend than listings that go live earlier in the week. The first weekend of showings drives the first offers, which sets the tone for the entire listing.

Invest in photography and staging before you list. The evidence on staging's effect on DOM is consistent: staged homes spend fewer days on market than comparable unstaged homes in the same price range. Professional photography drives click-through rates on listing pages, which drives showings, which drives offers. Neither of these investments guarantees a faster sale, but both reduce the probability of slow DOM caused by poor first impression.

Choose your agent on market knowledge, not commission rate. An agent who can pull the 90-day median DOM by price band for your zip code, explain which comparable sales are relevant to your pricing, and walk you through sale-price-to-list ratios is giving you something that directly affects your outcome. The question of whether to use a realtor at all or list FSBO is a separate calculation -- but the fee conversation should come after you have verified they understand your specific micro-market.

Know your closing cost obligations before you set a price. Sellers who do not account for agent commissions, transfer taxes, and prorated property taxes sometimes price to a net proceed number that is above what the market will support. Reviewing your closing costs by state before you finalize a list price prevents a common source of unintentional over-pricing.

Build the DOM into your move timeline. If the 90-day median in your market is 45 days, you cannot list 50 days before your target closing date and expect it to align. Set a realistic timeline using local DOM data -- if it does not fit, something has to change: the timeline, the price, or your contingency plan.

DOM figures shift with interest rate movements and seasonal inventory changes. The ranges cited in this guide reflect recent historical reporting from Redfin Data Center, Realtor.com Research, and the National Association of Realtors. Verify current local median DOM with your agent or directly through your local MLS before making pricing or timing decisions. If you are weighing whether to purchase in a new market rather than sell, the rent vs. buy calculator guide walks through how to factor local market pace into that decision.