What Is the 'Days on Market' (DOM) Metric and Why Does It Matter to Investors?
Days on market measures how long listings take to sell in an area. Here's what a rising or falling DOM can — and can't — tell an investor.
What is the ‘days on market’ (DOM) metric?
Days on market (DOM) measures how long, on average, property listings take to sell in a given area over a given period — typically counted from the day a property is first listed to the day it goes unconditional, though methodologies vary. A shorter average DOM means listings in that area are selling faster than usual; a longer one means they’re sitting for longer. On its own, DOM is a speed measurement, not a value judgement, and it isn’t a signal to buy or sell anywhere.
Who calculates and publishes DOM figures?
DOM is calculated and published by commercial real estate data providers — as at July 2026, Cotality (formerly CoreLogic), Domain and REA Group (realestate.com.au) are the three main ones in Australia — each drawing on its own listings data, and each with a slightly different methodology for what counts as the start and end point. Because the methodologies differ, a DOM figure from one provider isn’t directly comparable to another provider’s figure for the same suburb and period.
Current days-on-market data for any specific market is published by the commercial providers named above — check Cotality (formerly CoreLogic), Domain or REA Group (realestate.com.au) directly for the latest suburb-level DOM figures, as current market data is never recalled from memory in this article.
What does a falling DOM indicate?
A shortening average DOM in an area generally indicates buyer demand is catching up with, or outpacing, the supply of listings coming onto the market — properties are attracting offers faster than they used to. It can also reflect fewer listings overall (less choice can mean faster decisions on what is available), rather than a genuine jump in demand. DOM doesn’t distinguish between the two causes by itself.
What does a rising DOM indicate?
A lengthening average DOM generally indicates the opposite: supply building up relative to demand, buyers taking longer to commit, or sellers pricing ahead of what the market will currently pay. A rising DOM in one pocket of a city can also coincide with a falling DOM a few suburbs over — an average calculated at the state or city level can hide very different conditions street to street.
Why does DOM matter to an investor specifically?
At a glance: what a DOM trend can and can’t tell you
| DOM trend | What it can indicate | What it doesn’t tell you on its own |
|---|---|---|
| Falling | Buyer demand catching up with, or outpacing, supply | Whether it’s genuine demand growth or simply fewer listings on the market |
| Rising | Supply building relative to demand, buyers taking longer to commit, or sellers pricing ahead of the market | Whether nearby suburbs are moving the same way — a city or state average can hide very different local conditions |
DOM is one input into a broader supply-and-demand picture, not a standalone signal. It’s most useful alongside other indicators — vacancy rates, auction clearance rates, and confirmed infrastructure or planning changes — because together they show whether an area’s current conditions are tightening, loosening, or holding steady. Read alone, a single DOM number for a single month tells you very little: it needs a time series (is it moving, and in which direction?) and a comparison point (how does it sit against that area’s own longer-term average, not against a different suburb’s number).
Is there a DOM number that means ‘buy now’ or ‘wait’?
No — and it’s worth being wary of anyone who tells you there is. There’s no verified threshold at which a rising or falling DOM becomes a buy or sell signal; the meaningful number varies by property type, price bracket and location, and shifts over time as overall market conditions change. Treat DOM the way you’d treat any single indicator: informative in context, misleading in isolation.
Where can I check DOM for a specific area?
Each of the three commercial providers named above publishes suburb-level DOM data, usually as part of a broader market report or suburb profile — some free, some behind a subscription. Moneysmart’s property investment guidance is a useful independent starting point for the broader research process; for judgement calls on a specific market or purchase, a licensed buyer’s agent has access to more granular data than most public reports show. Our guide to property investment in Australia covers the wider set of mechanics, costs and risks DOM sits alongside.
