DAM, That's Better

Fellow word nerds, that's not a misspelling in the headline.

We're here today to talk about DAM, which now replaces DOM.

It's an MLS thing.

"DOM" = "Days on Market," sometimes pronounced like "Don" (or Dom), and sometimes stated as an acronym: D-O-M.

For as long as we can remember, DOM has been the way we counted how long a listing has been on the market. 

When agents would cancel a listing and immediately re-list it, a tactic we have labeled a "bogus re-list" (still getting grief for that haha), it was always to reset the DOM count to zero.

But DOM is no more.

Meet DAM.

"DAM" = "Days Active in MLS."

This change in terminology was recently rolled out by CRMLS, the main regional MLS for SoCal and much of California.

We've updated the term on listing displays here on MB Confidential.

The idea is that DAM is more accurate.

After all, what did "on market" mean?

With all of the different methods of "pre-marketing" that agents might use before putting a listing live in the MLS – wait, hold that thought, isn't any marketing marketing?

Anyway, with the proliferation of marketing options that may exist prior to a listing going live as an "active" listing in the MLS, there was some call to adapt the label for this measure of days from "DOM."

Consider this. CRMLS has had a "coming soon" status in the MLS for almost 6 years, which allows a listing to be displayed online and marketed to the hilt, as long as it's not shown in person. It can be "coming soon" for up to 21 days.

Well, that time is definitely "days on market," isn't it? The home is listed for sale and being marketed. But, CRMLS does not count those days toward the (formerly) DOM count. That was always the deal for "coming soon."

So DAM is better. It does not purport to measure how many days a property has been marketed. It only counts how many days the property has been "active" on the MLS.

Once people get used to it, we figure this term will probably always be pronounced like DAMN!, although some old-schoolers might continue to say "DOM," like "Dom." If they do, you can just pretend they're softening the A, as if DAM were spelled DAHM.

There's one more corresponding change.

Besides DOM, we've also always had "CDOM," Combined Days on Market, typically pronounced "See-Dom." ("See Dom. See Dom Run. See Dom Jump.")

CDOM measured the number of days "on market" across listings. So, if an agent did cancel a listing and brought it right back – or if anyone re-listed the property within 90 days of the prior listing – the CDOM would toll. This would provide a more accurate measure of how long the property really had been on the market.

Well, now that's CDAM: "Cumulative Days Active in MLS."

Once again, this is somewhat more accurate than the prior term. What was "combined" to make "combined" DOM? What did "on market" mean, again?

As with DAM, we're actually a bit doubtful that the new terminology will be eagerly adopted and used by agents and regular folks. ("Yeah, I see the DAM, but what's the CDAM on this listing?")

But whatever the terms, we do see the MLS striking a blow for greater accuracy, and that's something to welcome.

'Bout DAM time, some might say.

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Editor's note: Dave thoroughly geeks out on MLS policy stuff, serving on local, regional and state panels just to try to satisfy his interest. Maybe you can tell.