Every portal shows the median price and days on market (DOM) for your town. No portal has your slice of the numbers or what you saw at the showings. This guide shows you how to turn your MLS sold data into posts only you can write. It also covers where the numbers come from, which DOM to use, the board rules, and where MLS Import helps.
How do I turn days on market and sold prices into blog posts nobody else has?
You make the numbers yours in three steps. Cut them smaller than the portals do. Work out numbers they never publish. Then explain why the numbers look the way they do. Zillow can copy a median. It can’t copy your notes on the street that floods or the house that sold in two days.
- Go small. Report one subdivision or one price range, not the whole ZIP code.
- Do the math. Work out numbers like sale price vs. list price for each price range.
- Add what you saw. Say how many offers came in and what buyers pushed back on.
- Give a next step. Tell a buyer or seller what to do this month.
Google asks the same thing of every page: “Does the content provide original information, reporting, research, or analysis?” A post that only repeats the countywide median doesn’t pass that test. Your own cut of the data and your notes from showings do.
Where do I get sold prices and days on market for my posts?
You get them from your MLS’s stats and export tools, not from your website. Run a search for closed sales in your area and date range, then export it to a spreadsheet. That export is the raw material for every number in your post.
- Use the closed-sales export from your MLS, not numbers copied from a portal.
- Save each month’s export. Sold homes leave the listing feed, so you can’t count on your website to keep that history for you.
- Write down the date range and the search you used. You’ll need both for the source line.
Name each export file by area and month, like “oak-hollow-2026-10.csv”. In a year you’ll have a history for your town that no portal shows in one place.
Ways to slice the numbers smaller than the portals
Portals mostly report by city or ZIP code. You can report the way people actually shop: One subdivision, one price range, one kind of home. Pick one cut per post, so the headline is clear.
| Cut | Example headline |
|---|---|
| Subdivision | “Homes in Oak Hollow sold in 9 days this quarter” |
| Condo building | “Units at The Palms: how long they really sit” |
| Price range | “Under $400K sells fast. Over $750K is sitting.” |
| Home type | “Condos vs. houses in [town]: who waits longer?” |
| Feature | “Do pool homes sell faster here?” |
| Condition | “Updated vs. original: the real price gap” |
The price range cut matters most for DOM. Starter homes may sell in a week while the top end takes two months, and a citywide number hides that gap.
Numbers you can work out that portals don’t show
You can work out a handful of numbers from your own closed-sales export that most sites never publish. Do it in a spreadsheet. Each one can be the headline of a post.
- Sale price vs. list price for each price range. This is the sale-to-list ratio, or the sale price divided by the list price. Say whether you used the first or the final list price.
- Price cuts. What share of homes cut the price, after how many days, and whether the cut led to a sale.
- The DOM cliff. How much less homes sold for once they passed 30 or 45 days on market.
- First list price vs. final sale price. This shows overpricing better than the last list price does.
- DOM by the month the contract was signed. MLS stats count a sale in the month it closes. Counting by contract month gives you a fresher number than the monthly report.
- Seasons. Which months sold fastest in your town over the last few years.
- What $X buys. Three recent sales at the same price in three different areas.
Not sure what DOM and cumulative days on market (CDOM) mean? Read Understanding MLS metrics, disclosures and listing data.
Which days on market number should my post use?
Use the median DOM from your MLS, and say how your MLS counts it. Most MLSs count from the list date to the contract date. Some count to the closing date. The median is safer than the average, because a few homes that sit for months pull the average up.
Watch out when you compare your town to a national number. Different sources count DOM in different ways:
| Source | Median DOM | How it counts |
|---|---|---|
| NAR existing-home sales report, September 2026 | 33 days | NAR’s monthly report on sales of existing homes |
| Redfin, February 2026 | 66 days | “The number of days a home is listed for sale before going under contract” |
These two numbers are far apart because they measure in different ways and come from different months. If you put one next to your local number, name the source and the month.
Relisting changes the count too. Redfin says public portals start DOM over when a home is relisted. In the MLS, agents can also see CDOM, which keeps counting across relists. Say which one you used.
What can I add that a data feed can’t?
You add the why. A feed tells people a home sat for 60 days. Only you know it needed a roof, or that the seller turned down two offers. A portal can’t copy that part, and it’s what makes a reader trust you.
- Why the slow sales were slow, and why the fast ones were fast.
- What you saw at showings and on offers, like how many offers came in and whether appraisals came in short.
- What the numbers can’t show. A median sale price can jump just because a few big homes closed that month, not because values went up. Say so when it happens.
- One clear call: “Offer at list in X. Negotiate in Y.”
As one agent put it: “Zillow and others have not yet gotten into the specifics of our local area, that’s where each agent has the advantage.” For more on writing what an AI summary can’t, see why a brokerage website gets no traffic or leads.
A simple monthly market post routine
Pick one area and update the same page every month. Keep the same layout and put in new numbers. Readers come back, and the date on the page shows it’s fresh.
- Export last month’s closed sales for your area from your MLS.
- Sort them by area and price range. Find the median price, median DOM and sale-to-list ratio.
- Pick the one surprising number and make it the headline.
- Write 600 to 900 words with the takeaway, one or two charts, your reasons, and advice for buyers and sellers.
- Add a source line, the date range and how many sales you counted.
- Update the same post next month.
Link each monthly post to the area page for that neighborhood. See how to show up for homes in your neighborhood for how area pages and a dated market update work together.
Can my website show the sold homes behind the numbers?
Yes, if your board allows it and your feed sends closed listings. MLS Import can keep closed listings on your WordPress site when you add Closed to Select Status and Protected Statuses on the import task. It can’t show a sale price your feed does not send, and you still work out the stats and charts yourself. The setup steps, recent-sales pages and price rules are in Closed and off-market listings.
To keep an eye on what just sold or just got cut in your areas, Alerts: the daily listing changes email sends you price drops, under-contract and sold changes from your MLS. MLS Import costs $49 a month or $504 a year, after a 30-day free trial.
What MLS rules apply when I publish market stats?
Your own board’s rules apply, and they vary a lot. Ask your MLS before you publish. The safe default is totals and medians, a source line, and addresses only for your own deals.
Compare two boards:
- Canopy MLS says it “must be cited as the source of the statistical information.” Your note must give the date range and the area, plus this exact line: “Properties may be listed or sold by various participants of the MLS.”
- Houston (HAR) says “The sales price for a particular property address is confidential and may not be displayed” on public sites. Sold data needs a site where visitors log in. See the Houston Association of REALTORS page.
Good habits for every post:
- Add a source line with your MLS name and the dates. Use your board’s exact wording if it has one.
- Show your method, including the date range, how many sales, and what you left out.
- With few sales, say so: “Only 8 sales this month.”
- Follow fair housing rules. Describe homes, prices and places. Don’t describe who lives there, and don’t call an area “safe” or “family-friendly.”
In some states, like Texas, sale prices are not public record, and boards there set tighter limits. More in MLS/IDX compliance rules for WordPress sites.
Frequently asked questions about market stats blog posts
Can’t people just get days on market from Zillow?
Yes. That’s why the plain number is not enough. Your post wins on the cut (one subdivision, one price range) and on your reasons behind the number.
Why does Redfin show a different days on market than my MLS?
They count it in different ways. Redfin counts days until a home goes under contract, and portals start the count over when a home is relisted. Your MLS may count to closing and also shows CDOM, which keeps counting across relists.
Can I publish sold prices from my MLS on my blog?
It depends on your board. Some allow totals and medians with a source line. Some, like HAR in Houston, don’t allow a sale price shown next to an address on a public site. Check your MLS rules first.
How often should I post a market update?
Monthly works for most agents. Use the same page and layout each time, so readers know where to look and the date stays current.
Will imported sold listings rank in Google on their own?
No. Every site on your MLS has the same listing text. Your own market posts and area pages are what can bring you visitors. Read SEO for imported listings.
Can I use AI to write the post?
Yes, for a first draft from your spreadsheet. Check every number yourself, and write the “why” part yourself, because that’s the part readers can’t get anywhere else.
Can I turn the post into a seller lead page?
Yes. Put a “What is my home worth?” form under your recent sales. Related reading: Real estate comps and What is a CMA?
Which cut of the numbers got your readers talking? Tell us in the comments.
