When a listing says a home has been on the market for 12 days, how long has it really been for sale? In Albuquerque's MLS, the honest answer is that the 12 days may only cover this round. Those days are counted per listing number. If a home is pulled and put back up with a new listing, the count starts over. That one detail explains the most confusing set of numbers the Greater Albuquerque Association of Realtors has published this year.
The day count on a listing can start over
The Greater Albuquerque Association of Realtors spells out the difference between two MLS fields. Days on Market, or DOM, is "the number of days that a particular listing has been Active in the MLS," and it applies to "a specific listing number." Cumulative Days on Market, or CDOM, applies to the property itself and adds up its time across several listing numbers. GAAR describes DOM as a public field and CDOM as a private one that shows up only on private reports.
GAAR's own example shows how wide the gap can get:
"A listing that has been Active in the MLS for 30 days will show to have 30 DOM. If that same property had 70 DOM from a previous listing, then the current listing will show 100 CDOM."
A later Southwest MLS report from GAAR, dated September 2024, adds that DOM builds up while a listing is "Active" or "Under Contract-Show." It does not count days spent in "Temporarily off Market," "Expired" or "Withdrawn" status. Those definitions come from GAAR documents from 2014 and 2024. The September 2026 report is built by Domus Analytics from Southwest MLS data, so treat them as the MLS's published rules, not a promise about how every 2026 chart is calculated.
What matters this fall is simple. The day count you see on a listing tells you about the current listing. It may not tell you about the home's full time on the market, and in a market where more homes are going unsold, that difference matters more each month.
September's numbers, with both comparisons
GAAR published its September 2026 report on Oct. 13 and says no press release came with it. The figures use data through the end of the day on Oct. 6. These are the detached-home figures:
| Detached homes, September 2026 | Value | vs. Sept. 2025 | vs. Aug. 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median sales price | $386,990 | 0.0% | +0.5% |
| Closed sales | 689 | -12.0% | -9.5% |
| New listings | 891 | -1.3% | -18.0% |
| Active inventory | 2,273 | +4.2% | -0.7% |
| Months supply of inventory | 3.3 | +17.9% | +10.0% |
| Median days on market | 18 | -14.3% | 0.0% |
| List price received | 98.6% | 0.0% | -0.1% |
| Median sold price per sq. ft. | $219 | +0.9% | +1.2% |
Compared with September 2025, fewer homes closed and supply jumped, while the median home sold faster and sellers got the same share of their asking price. Each of those numbers measures something different, and supply is the place to start.
Supply grew mostly because sales slowed
Months supply is a ratio, not a count of homes. GAAR's 2024 Southwest MLS report defines it as the number of homes for sale at the end of the month divided by the average monthly pending sales over the last 12 months.
Apply that to September 2026. Active detached inventory rose just 4.2% from a year earlier, to 2,273 homes. Months supply rose 17.9%, to 3.3. If the top of the ratio grew by about 4% and the result grew by about 18%, most of the change came from the bottom: a slower pace of sales. Closings tell the same story, down 12.0% from September 2025 and down 9.5% from August 2026.
Sellers did not flood the market. New listings fell 1.3% from a year earlier and 18.0% from August. Inventory still grew, because fewer listings left the market through a sale. Homes that would have sold a year ago are carrying over from one month to the next.
National borrowing costs help explain why fewer buyers are signing contracts. Freddie Mac's weekly survey put the average 30-year fixed mortgage at 7.40% as of Oct. 15, 2026, unchanged from the week before and up from 6.27% a year earlier. That is a national average, not an Albuquerque figure. It is still the financing climate every local buyer is shopping in this fall.
Two markets under one median
Now look at the 18 days. Median days on market fell 14.3% from a year earlier and held steady from August. List price received stayed at 98.6%. Those numbers describe a market where a typical deal still moves quickly and close to asking price.
Put that next to the inventory figures and Albuquerque looks like two markets this fall. In the first, homes are priced where today's buyers will pay. They sell in under three weeks for close to asking. In the second, homes miss that price and sit, and they make up a growing share of the 2,273 active listings. A median describes the middle of the homes that moved. It does not show how long the others have been waiting. And because DOM restarts with a new listing number, a home that was withdrawn and relisted can show up looking brand new.
The flat median price fits this picture. At $386,990, it was unchanged from September 2025, and price per square foot edged up 0.9%. Prices haven't dropped across the board. The market has gotten stricter about which homes sell at all.
What that means for you depends on which side of the deal you're on:
- If you're selling, price for the first group from the start. In a fast market, a home that's priced a bit high can wait for buyers to come around. With fewer buyers this fall, an overpriced home is more likely to join the inventory that carries over.
- If you're buying, ask your agent to pull the property's cumulative days on market and listing history. CDOM is a private MLS field, so the public listing may not show it.
- If a home's history shows long or repeated time on the market, you're probably looking at the second group. These sellers have more time to think about price, which can give you more room to negotiate.
- If a home is fresh and priced in line with recent sales, expect it to move like the 18-day median, and plan your financing and inspection timeline to match.
Condos and townhomes show the same split
Attached homes, meaning condos and townhomes, followed a similar pattern in September 2026, with one difference. The median sales price was $279,000, flat from a year earlier. Closed sales slipped 5.7% to 82, active inventory rose 1.8% to 230, and months supply rose 7.7% to 2.8. Median days on market was 19, down 2.6%, and list price received was 98.1%.
The difference is in the last two lines. New attached listings fell 15.4% to 99, and median sold price per square foot dropped 3.8% to $203. The median price held even though the value per square foot slipped. That suggests the attached homes that sold in September were, on average, somewhat larger per dollar, or that buyers paid less for each square foot to stay near the same total price. Either way, buyers comparing townhomes this fall should look closely at price per square foot and not stop at the headline price.
FAQ
Is the Albuquerque market slowing down or speeding up? Both, depending on the measure. In September 2026, detached closings fell 12.0% from a year earlier and months supply rose to 3.3, while median days on market dropped to 18. Fewer homes are selling, and the ones that do sell are moving quickly.
Why can't I see a home's cumulative days on market on the listing? GAAR describes CDOM as a private MLS field that appears only on private reports, while DOM is public. Your agent can pull it for you.
When will October's numbers come out? GAAR released the September 2026 report on Oct. 13, 2026. Expect October figures on a similar monthly schedule, posted on GAAR's market statistics page.
Want to know which group your home or your next home falls into? Carrie Telles can pull the full listing history and cumulative days on market for any Albuquerque property you're weighing, then help you set a price or write an offer based on how homes like it are actually selling this fall. Schedule a free consultation, and bring the addresses you're curious about.
