{"id":28150,"date":"2026-02-17T04:19:28","date_gmt":"2026-02-17T12:19:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/?p=28150"},"modified":"2026-02-17T20:51:06","modified_gmt":"2026-02-18T04:51:06","slug":"how-long-should-a-house-sit-on-the-market","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/how-long-should-a-house-sit-on-the-market\/","title":{"rendered":"How Long Should a House Sit on the Market Before Selling?"},"content":{"rendered":"

If it feels like it\u2019s taking forever to sell your house, perhaps it\u2019s time to reevaluate a few things. We asked <\/span>Clarissa Marshall<\/span><\/a>, an agent in Asheville, North Carolina, \u201cHow long should a house sit on the market?\u201d We also did some digging to find out the <\/span>average number of days houses are staying on the market<\/span><\/a>, why, and what can be done to shorten that time.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

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\n \"homelight\n <\/div>\n \n

Minimize Days On Market: Sell With a Top Agent<\/h3>\n

HomeLight analyzes millions of real estate transactions to find top real estate agents \u2014 agents who sell homes faster and for more money than average agents. To minimize the number of days your house sits on the market, connect with an agent who knows your area and will go above and beyond.<\/p>\n \n

\n Find Agent<\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
<\/div>\n

The DOM (days on market) factor<\/h2>\n

According to the <\/span>National Association of Realtors<\/span><\/a> (NAR)<\/span>, DOM \u2014 <\/span>days on market <\/span><\/a>\u2014 indicates the number of days from when the property was first listed for sale on the Multiple Listing Service (<\/span>MLS<\/span><\/a>) to the date a seller signs a <\/span>contract of sale<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

DOM can signal <\/span>market liquidity<\/span><\/a>. In a <\/span>seller\u2019s market<\/span><\/a> where inventory is lower than demand, the days on market are expected to be few in number. In a buyer\u2019s market where <\/span>inventory exceeds demand<\/span><\/a>, days on market are expected to increase.<\/span><\/p>\n

But other factors can impact DOM. If the <\/span>property is overpriced<\/span><\/a>, in a <\/span>less desirable location<\/span><\/a>, or <\/span>needs a lot of work<\/span><\/a>, it may sit on the market longer.<\/span><\/p>\n

At the end of 2025, with <\/span>inventory and mortgage rates improving<\/span><\/a>, homes have spent an average of <\/span>73 days<\/span><\/a> on market, and prices are <\/span>lower<\/span><\/a> than they were a year ago, when DOM averaged 70.<\/span><\/p>\n

Because buyers may use DOM to negotiate a lower price, it\u2019s important to work with an experienced real estate agent<\/a> to offer advice and strategies to get the most out of your home sale.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Does it feel like your house has been listed on the market forever? We\u2019ll tell you how long is too long and what to do about it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":215,"featured_media":52456,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[323,319],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28150","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-quick-tips","category-selling-advice"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nHow Long Should a House Sit on the Market Before Selling?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Does it feel like your house has been listed on the market forever? We\u2019ll tell you how long is too long and what to do about it.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/how-long-should-a-house-sit-on-the-market\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How Long Should a House Sit on the Market Before Selling?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Does it feel like your house has been listed on the market forever? We\u2019ll tell you how long is too long and what to do about it.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/how-long-should-a-house-sit-on-the-market\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"HomeLight Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/gohomelight\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-02-17T12:19:28+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-02-18T04:51:06+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Untitled-design-2025-01-10T003654.393.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"563\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Lori Lovely\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@MontroseFarms\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@gohomelight\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Lori Lovely\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"10 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How Long Should a House Sit on the Market Before Selling?","description":"Does it feel like your house has been listed on the market forever? 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