Days on market real cost.

Days on market (DOM) cost calculator quantifies the financial impact of property selling slowly. 400k property unsold for 90 days: holding costs (mortgage, taxes, insurance) 1,500/month = 4,500. Plus opportunity cost: 400k × 7% / 365 × 90 = 6,904. Total cost of 90 days on market: 11,404. Time really is money in real estate.

Example: 400k property, 1,500/month holding costs, 90 days on market. Holding cost: 4,440 (90 days × ~49/day). Opportunity cost: 6,904 (capital tied up earning nothing). Total: 11,344. Equivalent to selling 11k below asking. Pricing slightly aggressively (5-10% below recent comps) to sell in 30 days often nets more than chasing every penny over 6+ months.

DOM impact strategies: (1) Price aggressively to sell fast - 30 days vs 180 days saves 30k+ in costs. (2) Pre-listing improvements (paint, staging) - 5k spend often returns 15k in faster sale and higher price. (3) Multiple offer week strategy - underpriced listing creates urgency. (4) Off-season listing patience - selling in winter often takes 60% longer. (5) Cash buyer accommodation - 14-day close vs 60-day mortgage close worth significant discount.

Run it with sensible defaults

Using property value of 400,000, monthly holding costs of 1,500, days on market of 90, expected sale price of 0, the calculation works out to 11,341.98. Nudge the inputs toward your own situation and the output recalculates instantly. The defaults are meant as a starting point, not a recommendation.

The levers in this calculation

The inputs — Property Value, Monthly Holding Costs, Days on Market, and Expected Sale Price (informational) — do not pull with equal force. Frequency and unit price pull the total in different directions. The biggest surprise for most people is how small recurring amounts compound into large annual figures — that's where this calculation earns its keep.

How the math works

Holding costs over period + opportunity cost (7% alternative return on capital). The working is transparent — you can verify every step yourself in the formula section below. No black box, no opaque "proprietary model".

Why investors run this

Most people's intuition for compounding is wrong — not because the math is hard, but because linear thinking doesn't account for curves. Running numbers through a calculator like this one is the cheapest way to recalibrate that intuition before making an irreversible decision about contribution rate, asset mix, or retirement age.

What this doesn't capture

Steady-rate math ignores real-world volatility. Actual returns are lumpy; sequence-of-returns risk matters most in drawdown; fees and taxes drag on compound growth; and behaviour changes in drawdowns can reduce outcomes below the projection. Treat the number as one scenario, not a forecast.