DOM Heat Index: Where Homes Move Fastest by Price Band

Days on market is the truest lie detector in real estate. It ignores hype and tells you, in plain time, where buyers are saying “yes.” In Chester County this fall, the clock is clearest at the edges: entry-level inventory still moves quickest, mid-market homes move steadily when presentation is tight, and the high end needs precision on pricing and photography to keep momentum.

Start with the baseline. Countywide, recent reads show a typical ~36 days to sell with a $560,000 median sale price, and roughly three in ten listings using a price reduction to find the market. That’s slower than last year but still solid when listings are clean and priced to the nearest cluster of comps. Live mapping shows ~770–790 homes already under agreement at any moment, which is why the best-prepped listings still go quickly once they hit the feed. Zillow’s model points to an average value near $561,629 and estimates that dialed-in homes can reach agreement rapidly—directional proof that the problem isn’t demand; it’s friction. 

Now layer in price bands—the heat map inside the averages:

Sub-$450K: Fastest lane. Affordability plus broad buyer pools keep these homes moving, especially when they deliver parking, laundry, and neutral finishes. Nationally, starter-tier demand has outpaced other tiers through late summer, and we still feel it here—clean listings at this level often sort in the first two weekends.

$450K–$700K: Core family segment. Time to agreement tracks the county median when the home is move-in ready and school-adjacent. Miss the price by 2–3% or ship lackluster photos and you add an extra week; hit the mark and you hold velocity.

$700K–$1M: Selective, not slow. Buyers are payment-sensitive at today’s rates, so they trade up for condition and location, not square footage alone. Expect longer marketing if the house needs immediate capital work or backs to noise. Here, clarity wins: floor plans, daylight-true photo sets, and crisp disclosures compress the timeline.

$1M+: Precision market. Unique homes can outrun the median if they’re turnkey and walkable; otherwise expect extended time to find the right buyer. Nationally, upper-tier sales have lagged mid-tier volume this year; the local echo is that price and presentation must be exact.

The listing behavior backs this up. When roughly 30% of actives cut price in a month where the typical home still closes around asking, what you’re seeing is calibration: sellers using reductions to meet the market while well-prepped homes sell near list. That’s why “days until first reduction” has become a key tell—if a new listing trims price inside two weeks, the launch missed the mark; if it holds and tours stay strong, it’s on-track for a normal timeline. County and nearby submarkets like West Chester are a good read on this: recent snapshots show ~27–31 days to sell with healthy median prices; the faster performers are the listings that removed buyer friction up front. 

How to use the heat index:

Sellers: Price to the nearest cluster of real sales in your micro-location and condition band. Treat the first 10 days like opening weekend—hero photo first, daylight-true interiors, upgraded copy that explains the floor plan, and a Thursday launch to ride peak tours. If tours are light after two weekends, adjust quickly and specifically (a targeted reduction or a crisp credits message) rather than letting time carry the cost.

Buyers: Use days on market as a negotiation roadmap. In the sub-$450K lane, expect quicker decisions and consider using seller-paid credits to lower your monthly payment instead of chasing large sticker reductions. In the $700K+ tiers, look for listings that crossed 30–45 days without a meaningful update—those are where well-documented offers (strong pre-approval, clear timelines) can trade speed and certainty for concessions. County baselines—~36 days to sell, ~101% sale-to-list for well-prepped homes—set expectations; the band you’re shopping sets your tactics. 

Investors/Landlords: Vacancy math is your yield math. Each week a $2,800 target rent sits is ~$700 lost. In the fast bands, pay for turn speed: neutral finishes, durable flooring, pet policy aligned to your yard/parking, and online tours to cut dead time between showings. In the slower bands, underwrite a longer marketing tail or use concessions (e.g., half-month equivalent) to protect absorption and renewal rates.

The short-term outlook is tight and local. With county medians steady and a sizable chunk of actives reducing price to meet buyers, the next two weeks favor well-presented listings in the sub-$700K lanes and crisp, lifestyle-forward presentations above that line. Watch Thursday listing volume to gauge pressure on the weekend and track how many brand-new listings cut within 14 days—those two tells will confirm whether time to sell is tightening or stretching.

Let’s move Pennsylvania forward.