The debate over whether to hide days on market (DOM) from public real estate listings is intensifying, with some brokerages arguing that the metric disadvantages sellers by giving buyers negotiation leverage. However, Mark Gordon, co-owner of Christiania Realty in Vail, Colorado (vailcoluxuryhomes.com), contends that removing DOM undermines market transparency and ultimately harms the transaction process.
Gordon, a nearly two-decade veteran of a market with scarce inventory and high price points, views the push to hide DOM as part of a troubling trend: the erosion of transparent real estate markets. He argues that data is essential for facilitating transactions. “Knowledge, data, is the lubricant that creates transactions,” he says. “Every time we remove that lubricant, what we’re doing is creating metal-on-metal friction and creating roadblocks that keep a transaction from occurring.”
Proponents of hiding DOM claim that the metric signals weakness, encouraging low offers. But Gordon notes that in an era of AI-powered data tools, DOM is easily calculated from listing dates, even if not displayed. The metric will persist, but outside official systems it may lack standardization.
Gordon reframes high DOM as an opportunity rather than a liability. He works with buyers who specifically search for listings with high DOM, seeking value others have overlooked. A low offer, he argues, is not an insult but an invitation to negotiate. “A lowball offer is a million times better than no offer,” he says. “At least now we have a starting point. We have the ability to create something.”
The instinct to hide data reflects a belief that controlling information protects clients, but Gordon argues that silence is the true enemy. A seller with a three-month-old listing benefits from a skilled agent who can use the situation to generate conversations. “Instead of being insulted and upset by a so-called lowball offer, we should be thanking them because they took the time to offer to buy your home,” he says.
The days-on-market debate is a proxy for a larger question: whether real estate’s future lies in more transparency or less. The answer will shape MLS systems, brokerage competition, and consumer trust. For buyers, a high DOM may signal an opportunity; for sellers, transparency is not the enemy. Learn more at vailcoluxuryhomes.com.
This article is based on information provided by the expert source cited above. It is intended for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, financial, or real estate advice. Readers should conduct their own research and consult qualified professionals before making any real estate or financial decisions.
