Five numbers on a listing that matter more than the price

The asking price is the least informative number on a listing. It is a hope, expressed numerically. Five other published numbers tell you far more about what is actually going on, and reading them in this order will save you weeks.

1. Days on market

The single most revealing number, and the one every agent checks first. In a normal Wake County market a well-priced home in the $300,000–$600,000 band goes under contract inside two weeks.

• Under 7 days: priced correctly or under. Expect competition and be ready.
• 14–30 days: something is slightly off — price, photographs, or a feature buyers are discounting more than the seller expected.
• 45+ days: there is a reason, and it is usually price. It is also where the negotiating room is.

Watch for a listing that was withdrawn and relisted to reset the counter. The history is visible, and a good agent will tell you when they see it.

2. Price per square foot

Not an absolute measure — it is a comparison tool, and only against genuinely similar homes in the same area. A 1,200 sq ft bungalow always shows a higher price per square foot than a 3,400 sq ft two-storey, because land, kitchens and bathrooms do not scale with floor area.

Where it earns its keep is against the immediate comparables. If four similar homes on the same streets are trading at $265/sq ft and this one is asking $310, either it has something they do not, or it is optimistic. Both are worth knowing before you tour.

3. The HOA fee

A $419,000 condominium with a $512 monthly fee and a $460,000 townhome with a $165 fee do not cost what their prices suggest. At the same rate and down payment, the condo is the more expensive home to own by a clear margin.

But the comparison is not that simple either, because the fee often covers water, sewer, trash, exterior maintenance, roof, and the building's insurance — all of which you would otherwise pay separately on a detached house. The only honest comparison is the whole monthly number with the fee included, which is why the estimator on every listing page here has an HOA line in it.

Two follow-up questions, always: what does the fee cover, and when did it last go up.

4. Year built

Not for style. For systems, and for what an inspector is going to find.

• Pre-1978: lead-based paint disclosure applies. Also, plaster, original windows and possibly knob-and-tube remnants.
• 1950s–70s: cast-iron drain lines reaching end of life; original electrical panels; popcorn ceilings that should be tested before removal.
• 1990s–2000s: the original HVAC, roof and water heater are all now at or past their service life, often at the same time.
• Post-2015: systems are young, but check the builder and get an independent inspection anyway — municipal inspection is a code check, not a quality check.

Year built tells you which repairs are due, and that is a budget line, not a deal-breaker.

5. The tax rate

The number people forget entirely until the escrow analysis arrives. Property tax in Wake County is the county rate plus your municipality's, and it lands around 1% of assessed value a year. On a $500,000 house that is roughly $420 a month, every month, forever.

Cross a county line and it changes materially. Clayton is in Johnston County, where the combined rate is higher than Wake's — the same house costs meaningfully more to hold. That is not a reason to avoid it, but it is a reason to run the number before you fall in love.

Also worth knowing: Wake County revalues on a four-year cycle. A recent revaluation can move your tax line even though nothing about your house changed.

Reading them together

Take our own listing at 512 Polk Street. Sixty-two days on market, in Historic Oakwood, at a price per square foot below its neighbours, on a double lot, with a kitchen from 2008. Those numbers together tell a coherent story: the house is fine, the kitchen is dated, the market has priced that in, and there is room. That is a completely different conversation from a home that has been sitting for sixty days with no visible reason — which usually means something the photographs are not showing you.

All five numbers are published on every listing on this site, including the ones that make a home look worse.