Why the median isn’t your timeline
Days-on-market figures describe homes that were repaired, cleaned, photographed, and listed: that preparation happens before the clock starts, at the seller’s cost, and isn’t counted in the median. A house with a bad roof, an unresolved tenant issue, or serious deferred maintenance isn’t competing in that 71-day window; it’s competing for a much smaller pool of buyers who can look past condition, and most of those buyers still need financing.








