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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsIn Zillow’s March 2026 data, homes that sold went pending in a median of 6 days in St. Louis, the fastest listed metro, and 53 days in Miami, the slowest. Nationally, the median was 19 days. Those figures measure time to pending—not time to closing—and they are not the latest available ranking: Realtor.com’s data library reports coverage through September 2026, but its metro file could not be verified here. The comparisons below keep each provider, date and metric separate.
Which U.S. markets sold fastest and slowest?
There is no single ranking that can be called the current fastest-to-slowest list without specifying the data provider, geography, month and definition of “sell.” The most recent explicit metro comparison available here is Zillow’s March 2026 measure of median days to pending among homes that sold.
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| Provider and month | Measure | Fastest reported market | Slowest reported market | National figure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zillow, March 2026 | Median days to pending among sold homes | St. Louis: 6 days | Miami: 53 days among the listed metros | 19 days |
| Realtor.com, August 2025 | Median days on market, top 50 metros | Milwaukee: 32 days | Not stated in the cited report | 60 days |
| Redfin, July 2025 | Days on market for homes going under contract | Not stated in the cited report | Fort Lauderdale: 92 days among analyzed metros | 43 days |
Zillow’s March 2026 figures come from its April 23, 2026 market report. Realtor.com’s August results are from its September 10, 2025 report, which also put Buffalo, Chicago, Grand Rapids and Cincinnati at 37 days. Redfin’s July figures are from its August 18, 2025 analysis.
These rows are useful snapshots, not a head-to-head scorecard: the dates, providers and measures differ. Realtor.com defines days on market as the median time from a listing’s initial appearance until closing or removal, and its monthly figures cover single-family homes and condo/townhomes. Zillow’s days-to-pending figure concerns sold homes; Redfin’s July analysis covers homes going under contract in the 50 most populous U.S. metros, with some metros potentially excluded for data accuracy.
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How should you read “days on market”?
A home going pending or under contract has reached a buyer agreement; it has not necessarily closed. “Days on market” can instead run until closing or listing removal, depending on the provider’s definition. The denominator matters too: a statistic for homes that sold does not describe every home currently for sale.
Pending speed is not active-listing age
Zillow reported a median age of 56 days for all active listings nationally in March 2026, and 104 days in Miami. That is a snapshot of listings still active, unlike the 19-day national median to pending among sold homes. An active listing may eventually sell, be removed, or remain on the market; the two measures should not be compared as if they track the same homes or event.
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Fast sales are only part of the picture
In February 2026, 18.5% of U.S. homes went pending within seven days, according to Zillow. More than one-third did so in St. Louis, Hartford and Seattle; fewer than one in ten did so in Austin, San Antonio, Charlotte and Jacksonville. Zillow also found that 44.3% of homes going pending within seven days sold above asking, compared with 17.1% of all homes. These are observed shares for that month, not a promise about a particular listing.
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Why do some markets move faster than others?
Affordability, available inventory and buyer demand help explain why markets can diverge, but the cited figures do not establish how much any one factor changes a home’s selling time.
Affordability and regional conditions
In its August 2025 report, Realtor.com identified Milwaukee, Buffalo, Chicago, Grand Rapids and Cincinnati among the fastest large metros. It said the relative affordability of less expensive markets had made them more attractive amid high mortgage rates. Milwaukee’s median listing price was $399,900 that month, versus $429,990 nationally. Realtor.com senior economist Jake Krimmel said: “With high mortgage rates and stubbornly high list prices keeping demand and home sales at record low levels in most parts of the country, relatively less expensive markets have become more affordable and more attractive.” That is the economist’s interpretation of the reported conditions, not a causal estimate.
Regional patterns are time-specific. Realtor.com Economic Research reported that in July 2025 the typical U.S. home spent 58 days on market. Relative to pre-pandemic norms, the South was 2 days slower and the West 11 days slower, while the Midwest was 8 days faster and the Northeast 13 days faster. The finding describes that period; it is not a permanent ranking of regions.
Price and listing strategy
Zillow’s analysis of February 2026 found faster pending activity in relatively affordable Midwestern markets such as St. Louis, Cincinnati and Kansas City, where at least three in ten homes went pending within seven days. In the named Sun Belt markets of Austin, San Antonio, Charlotte and Jacksonville, fewer than one in ten did. Zillow attributed the contrast partly to steadier demand in relatively affordable areas and more inventory and options in the named Sun Belt markets. This is Zillow’s reading of its data, not a rule that applies to every neighborhood or listing.
Pricing can matter at the individual-home level, but the available statistics do not quantify its effect across markets. Zillow senior economist Orphe Divounguy said: “Desirability is ultimately a function of price, and getting the pricing strategy right from day one can be the difference between a week on the market and months.”
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to compare two markets fairly
For a useful comparison, match the provider, month and measure. A metro may look fast by one measure and less fast by another because the measures describe different homes or stages of a sale.
- Median days to pending or contract: how long homes that reach that milestone took.
- Share pending within seven days: how common exceptionally quick activity was in the measured month.
- Age of active listings: how long currently unsold listings have been on the market at the snapshot date.
- Price cuts, inventory and sale-to-list outcomes: additional context for whether speed coincides with tighter supply or stronger pricing.
Realtor.com’s metro reporting beginning with January 2025 uses 2023 Office of Management and Budget metro definitions and revised historical data to align boundaries. Changes in metro boundaries, coverage, or inventory definitions can affect comparisons over time; its data library describes its measures and coverage.
Can these rankings tell you how quickly your home will sell?
No. Metro medians summarize many listings and cannot predict an individual property’s timeline. The figures are descriptive measurements, not guarantees or forecasts. A home’s location, asking price, condition, competition and buyer pool may differ substantially from the metro as a whole, and the sources cited here do not provide a universal estimate for the effect of any single factor.
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What is the latest ranking available?
Realtor.com’s data library reports a monthly update dated October 1, 2026, with data through September 2026. Its metro CSV was not readable for this comparison, so the September 2026 fastest and slowest ordering could not be confirmed. Accordingly, the March 2026 Zillow, August 2025 Realtor.com and July 2025 Redfin snapshots above should not be described as the latest available values across all providers. Realtor.com requests attribution to Realtor.com Economic Research when its research or data is used.
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