How Can Homes Sell Quickly When Inventory Is Rising?

One of the more interesting things about today’s market is that two numbers can seem to tell different stories.

For example, how can average CDOM be around 26–28 days, while months of inventory is 2.3 months?

At first, that sounds contradictory. If homes are selling in less than a month, why do we have more than two months of inventory?

The answer is that these two statistics measure different parts of the market.

CDOM, or cumulative days on market, tells us how long the homes that actually sold were exposed to the market.

That is important, but it only reflects the listings that successfully attracted a buyer.

Months of inventory tells us how much available supply exists compared to the current pace of sales.

In the April King County single-family report, there were 3,967 homes for sale and 1,690 closed sales. That equals 2.3 months of inventory. The same report showed average CDOM at 28 days.

So both things can be true.

A well-prepared, well-priced, well-presented home can still sell relatively quickly.

At the same time, there can be a growing number of homes on the market that are not moving as fast. Those homes may be priced too aggressively, need more preparation, lack strong presentation, or be in a segment where buyers are taking more time to decide.

This is why I often say we are not in one single market.

We are in a market where condition, price range, location, and presentation make a big difference.

For sellers, the message is not that the market is bad. It is that the market is more selective.

Buyers are still buying, but they are comparing options carefully. They are looking at photos, condition, layout, updates, commute, neighborhood, financing costs, and overall value.

That means sellers need to compete thoughtfully.

The right strategy is not simply to list the home and hope.

It is to prepare the home well, price it correctly, present it professionally, and watch the market feedback closely.

That is how sellers can still succeed in a market where good homes are moving, but competition is higher than it was.