Home Characteristics & Days on the Market: What Agents Need to Know

It isn’t always easy to predict which listing and home characteristics will impact how long a home stays on the market. You’ve probably heard — and maybe shared with sellers — some of the most common ones: listed on major websites, the number of photos, appropriate pricing.

Fortunately, Zillow Research did the legwork for you! The team analyzed key variables that can impact the probability a home will sell in a given amount of time. Their data findings can help you plan a marketing strategy that will minimize the time your clients’ homes stay on the market — and get you a quicker sale.

Here’s what you need to know.

Get more eyes on the prize

Homes with more page views in their first week on Zillow sell more quickly. Nationally, a home with more than 280 page views is three times more likely to sell in 60 days than a home with fewer than 100 page views. You can help increase the number of eyes on your listing by including compelling details that draw in buyers who are browsing the website. Start by posting your listings on Zillow, then flesh out the description and add photos. Or, create a free agent profile and connect your active listings automatically.

Paint a thousand words

Home with more pictures in their profile also sell more quickly; the sweet spot is between 22 and 27 photos. Homes that feature more than 28 photos tend to sell less quickly, as do homes with fewer than nine photos. When you post the home on Zillow, include a selection of professionally taken listing photos to attract as many buyers as possible.

Price it right

Homes priced 12 percent or higher than their estimated market value sell more slowly — nationally, almost 50 percent less likely to sell in 60 days than homes whose list price is closer to the estimated value. Work with the home owner to identify an appropriate list price. It might take some convincing since every seller wants to get the most money for their home, but doing your research and educating them on what’s realistic for the market can help identify a price that will sell.

Take a middle-of-the-road approach

In most cities, mid-tier homes sell fastest and high-end homes slowest. While there are exceptions to this rule, the highest and lowest priced homes don’t sell as quickly. For mid-tier homes, find a price that reflects its value, but isn’t at the extreme end of the spectrum.

Zillow’s analysis of listing and home characteristics includes the number of bedrooms, finished square feet, number of photos, page views in the first week on Zillow and many more. Use our interactive chart to explore the different variables and see what the data reveals at a national level or for a particular city on our list. While certain home characteristics such as the number of bedrooms, square footage and lot size are out of your control, you can influence the number of photos, list price and level of detail on the home page — helping to attract buyers and sell your clients’ homes faster.