Days on market (DOM) measures how long a home has been listed on the MLS before going under contract. For home buyers in Los Altos, this single number can signal whether a listing is a fresh opportunity, a hidden bargain, or a property with problems worth investigating before you write an offer.

You know how it is when you walk into a bakery and everything smells fresh? You grab something without hesitating. But if you notice something has been sitting on the shelf for three days, you start to wonder. What is wrong with it? Why has nobody else taken it?

A home listing works exactly the same way. And if you are searching for homes right now, understanding what those days on the market actually mean and why they matter could be the difference between a smart offer and a costly mistake.

So here is the question worth sitting with: when you browse listings, are you paying attention to how long a home has been available, and what that number is actually telling you?

What Does “Days on Market” Mean and How Is It Counted?

Days on market, often shortened to DOM, is defined by the National Association of Realtors as the number of days from when a property is listed on the local MLS to the date the seller signs a purchase contract. It is sometimes called “time on market,” and it is one of the most revealing numbers attached to any listing.

Think about what that number represents. Every day that clock ticks forward, the story of that listing changes a little. The question is: are you reading that story correctly?

In the Los Altos market, where buyer demand and inventory levels can shift quickly, DOM is not just background data. It is a signal. And home buyers who know how to read it are working with information that most people scroll right past.

So what does all of this actually mean for you, right now, in your search? If you are a home buyer who has been browsing listings and feeling like you are always a step behind, or confused about why some homes linger while others vanish in days, DOM is part of the answer. It is not just a number. It is a window into the seller’s situation, the home’s pricing history, and your potential leverage at the negotiating table.

What would it mean for your offer strategy if you knew, before you ever submitted a price, that the seller had been sitting on that property for 72 days with no activity? Can you see how that one piece of information changes the whole conversation?

And on the flip side: if you have been waiting on the sidelines thinking you have time to circle back to that fresh listing you liked, what happens if you check tomorrow and it is already under contract? What does that cost you, not just financially, but in terms of restarting the search, re-adjusting your expectations, and losing another few months?

Those are not hypothetical questions. They are the actual decisions that separate buyers who close on the right home from buyers who are still searching a year later.

If you would like to look at a specific property’s full DOM and CDOM history, or talk through what current days on market numbers mean for Los Altos homes for sale, that is exactly the kind of conversation Timothy Alston is set up to have with you. No pressure, no pitch, just a clear look at the numbers and what they mean for your situation.

Would that kind of conversation be useful to you right now? If so, reach out to Timothy Alston, Broker, at (408) 207-4593. The next step is yours to take.