What “Days on Market” Really Means

Days on Market (DOM) refers to how long a property has been publicly listed for sale before it goes under contract. It’s one of the key indicators of how active and balanced a market is.

Barry Plant Mitchell Shire has a median DOM at 42 days, compared to the broader market median of 71 days. That means your listings are selling nearly a full month faster than most in your area.

Why Shorter Days on Market Usually Means a Higher Price

There’s a simple relationship here:

The longer a property stays on the market, the less leverage the seller has.
As a property lingers, buyers start to assume there’s something wrong—either it’s overpriced, poorly presented, or the owners are becoming more desperate to sell.
That perception often leads to lower offers

Barry Plant Mitchell Shire’s median sale price of $615,000 versus the market median of $590,000—illustrate this perfectly. Selling faster usually means selling stronger, because active buyers see your listings as fresh, in-demand, and worth competing for.

What Happens When a Property Stays Too Long

Once a home sits on the market past the local average (in this case, around 70 days), interest drops sharply. Online listing views slow down, and the property can become “stale.” Agents may feel pressure to reduce the price to generate new interest, and buyers who do enquire tend to negotiate harder—often well below the asking price.

It’s not unusual to see a home’s eventual sale price fall by 2–5% after extended time on market simply due to lost momentum and perception.

The Takeaway

A shorter days-on-market figure isn’t just a point of pride—it’s proof of a more effective sales process. When an agency prices correctly, markets effectively, and attracts serious buyers early, it protects the seller’s price and reduces stress.

Put simply: the faster your property sells (within reason), the better your outcome is likely to be.

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DOM and median sale price data has been extracted from internal reports provided by www.realestate.com.au

How Long Is Too Long on the Market ?