What days-on-market really measures

Days-on-market — DOM for short — is simply how long a listing has been actively for sale. It is one of the most useful and most overlooked signals a buyer has, because it quietly tells you how a property is being received by the market. Across Ottawa’s active listings, the average sits around 62 days. That city-wide number is your baseline: it is the yardstick you hold every individual listing up against.

Here is the important part. DOM is not a measure of how good a home is — it is a measure of how the asking price is landing relative to demand. A listing that has sat far longer than the 62-day average is often a sign the price has not met the market. A listing that moves quickly usually means the price and the demand are well matched. Read this way, DOM becomes a window into the seller’s situation, and that is where your leverage starts.

Slower markets mean more leverage

Some Ottawa neighbourhoods carry well-above-average days-on-market, and for a buyer that is good news. When homes sit longer, sellers tend to grow more flexible, and you walk to the table with more room to negotiate.

A few of the slower pockets in the active inventory:

• ByWard Market / Lower Town — around 87 days on market, well above the 62-day city average.
• Vanier — around 75 days.
• Sandy Hill — around 74 days.

In areas like these, time is working in your favour. A seller whose listing has been active far longer than the city norm has had more time to recalibrate expectations, and that often shows up as openness on price or terms. It does not guarantee a deal, but it shifts the balance of patience toward you — and patience is leverage.

Fast markets mean discipline

The opposite is just as true. In Ottawa’s faster neighbourhoods, homes move quickly, and that calls for discipline rather than aggression. Push too hard with a lowball or a long list of conditions in a fast market, and you simply lose the home to a more decisive buyer.

Some of the quicker pockets in the active inventory:

• Riverside South — around 47 days on market, well under the 62-day average.
• Stittsville (South) — around 47 days.
• Barrhaven – Half Moon Bay — around 49 days.

When a neighbourhood is running this far below the city average, the message is clear: be ready. Have your financing arranged, know your numbers, and be prepared to act when the right home appears. Negotiating room is thinner here, and the buyers who win are the ones who move cleanly and confidently rather than the ones who try to grind on price.

Asking price vs time on market

DOM is powerful, but it is even better when you pair it with asking price. The two together tell a richer story than either one alone. A home priced ambitiously and sitting well past the 62-day average is a different opportunity than a sharply priced home that has only just listed.

When I look at a listing with a client, I am always reading both at once:

• High asking price + long time on market — often the clearest opening for a price conversation. The market may be telling the seller something they have not yet acted on.
• Sharp asking price + short time on market — expect competition and limited room; lead with a clean, serious offer rather than a low one.
• Long time on market in a slow area — leverage, but check why it has lingered before assuming it is all about price.
• Short time on market in a fast area — be ready to move and keep your terms tight.

Reading them as a pair keeps you from misjudging a listing. A long DOM in a genuinely slow neighbourhood means something different than a long DOM on an overpriced home in a fast one.

Using both signals at the table

When it comes time to write an offer, DOM and asking price quietly shape your whole approach — how much room you have, how aggressive your terms can be, and how quickly you need to move. A few practical habits:

• Anchor every listing to the 62-day average. Faster or slower than the city norm tells you which playbook you are in before you even tour.
• Let slow markets earn you room. Where homes sit, give yourself permission to negotiate on price and terms, and do not rush.
• Let fast markets sharpen you. Where homes move, compete on readiness and a clean offer, not on a low number.
• Always pair DOM with price. The combination, not either signal alone, is what tells you where the real opportunity is.

None of this replaces good judgment about the home itself — a great house at the right price is still the goal. But knowing how to read days-on-market means you arrive at the table with a real sense of where you stand. The “By the Numbers” panel on this page reflects current Ottawa active listings, so you are always reading live signals. When you want to put these reads to work on a specific home, that is exactly what I am here for. Reach out anytime.