November 2026 Rental Market Update: Rent & Days on Market by City

Houses are still on the market longer than a year ago, but the gap is shrinking. Nomad's monthly rental market update tracks rent and days on market across 67 U.S. markets using Zillow Rentals data. In Zillow's November 2026 figures, days on market (DOM) were up just one day from October, less than the three-day rise at the same point in each of the last two years, and average rent slipped 0.7%. In both prior years, the biggest increases came later, between the November and January readings, and that's the stretch a home listed today will be on the market for.

Key takeaways

Zillow's average days on market for houses was 66 as of November 2026, up from 65 in October and 59 a year earlier, according to Zillow Rentals data compiled by Nomad. That's 7 days slower than a year earlier, down from a 9-day gap in October.

Rents eased: the average across the 67 markets was $1,911 as of November 2026, down $13 from October ($1,924) and up 1.5% from a year earlier ($1,883). The median held at $1,800.

In each of the last two years, average DOM rose another 7 to 11 days between the early-November and early-January readings. A house listed this week will be on the market during that stretch, so plan for longer than today's numbers.

What stood out this month

Largest month-over-month days-on-market (DOM) jumps:

Alaska +21%, Maine +15%, San Francisco +14%, New Haven +14%, Sacramento +12%, Milwaukee +12%

Largest year-over-year DOM jumps:

Detroit +67%, Baltimore +47%, Raleigh +46%, New Haven +41%, Charlotte +35%

Markets that sped up month over month:

New Hampshire −29%, Cincinnati −17%, North Dakota −12%, Newark −11%, Providence −11%

53 of 67 markets are slower than a year earlier. Boston, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Montana, Alaska, Newark, Indianapolis, New York and Pittsburgh are faster, and Arkansas, Nashville, Austin, San Antonio and Cheyenne are unchanged.

Five markets now average 100 days or more: Hawaii (149), Baltimore (119), Boston, Detroit and New Haven (117 each).

The winter slowdown: what usually happens next

Rental demand peaks in late spring and summer, when families move between school years and most leases turn over. After Labor Day, fewer renters are out looking, and the homes still on the market sit longer. Nomad's tracking of the same 67 markets shows the same shape in both of the last two years. Each row is Zillow's figure at the start of that month:

A few things stand out.

This fall rose less than usual. In 2024 and 2025, DOM rose 3 days between the early-October and early-November readings. This year it rose 1. Rent followed the usual direction but by less: down 0.7%, against 1.4% in 2025. DOM was already 64 days or more in every monthly reading from May through October 2026, so there was less room to slow down this fall than in years when summer was faster.

The bigger moves come later. Between the November and January readings, DOM rose 7 days in 2024-25 and 11 days in 2025-26, more than it did from October to November in either year. Average rent fell 0.8% between the November 2025 and January 2026 readings.

Plan for the winter numbers, not today's. A house listed now will spend its time on the market in December and January. If your market's DOM reads 50 days today, a home listed this week should plan for longer than 50.

A caution on the evidence: this is two years of seasonal history across one 67-market sample, and this year's November figure is already 7 days slower than last year's. The direction (slower in winter) is consistent with long-running rental seasonality. The exact size of the move this year is a guess.

How Nomad landlords win when DOM stretches

Price to the market from day one - Nomad gives you a rent estimate and pricing recommendations, so your price meets the market from the first day it's listed. In the winter, that matters even more: a price cut in week two usually beats a bigger one in week six.

Photos that sell the home - Professional photos are $189, refunded in your first month's rent when you lease with Nomad, and your listing looks premium on every portal.

Maximum distribution without the headaches - Nomad lists your home on 30+ rental sites, including Zillow, Redfin and Apartments.com, from one workflow. With fewer renters searching in the off-season, more reach means more qualified showings.

Financial confidence that changes your math - Guaranteed rent means once a lease is signed, your cash flow isn't at the mercy of a missed payment.

What a longer vacancy costs

At the average rent as of November 2026, $1,911 a month, each day a house sits empty costs its owner about $63 in lost rent ($1,911 × 12 ÷ 365). Houses in Nomad's 67-market sample show about 7 more days on the market than a year earlier (66 days vs. 59). That works out to about $440 in lost rent per turnover.

For an owner listing today, the headline figure probably understates the cost. A house listed this month will be on the market into January, and in each of the last two years, the January reading was 7 to 11 days higher than the November one. That's another $440 to $690 in lost rent beyond what today's 66 days implies.

These dollar figures are Nomad's estimates, worked out from the Zillow Rentals averages above, not measured directly. To run the math for your own home, divide your monthly rent by 30.4 to get the daily cost, then multiply by the days you expect it to sit.

What we see on homes listed on Nomad

Zillow's figure measures how long homes are on the market. Nomad also tracks a different number: how long a home sits empty between one tenant moving out and the next moving in. The median time between tenants on homes listed on Nomad is 30 days, based on 2,275 turnovers (Nomad leasing data, 2026). About 1 in 4 turnovers takes 60 days or more, and about 1 in 10 takes more than 120.

The first week tells you the most. Homes on Nomad that leased within 7 days in 2026 averaged about 19 inquiries in their first week on the market. Homes that took 30 days or more averaged about 8 (Nomad leasing data, homes listed in 2026). If a listing is quiet after its first week, that's the time to adjust the price or the photos, not week six.

If you list with Nomad, you're notified of every new inquiry and can track each one in your portal, so a quiet first week is easy to spot.

State and market details

Average rent and days on market for houses in 67 U.S. rental markets, as shown by Zillow Rentals market trends on November 1, 2026, compiled by Nomad. Month-over-month change compares against the October 1, 2026 figures; year-over-year compares against the November 2, 2025 figures.

Want to know what your home should rent for? Get a free rent estimate.

Previous months

Each month's 67-market averages, newest first.

Average days on market (houses) and average rent across the same 67 markets, as shown by Zillow at the start of each month. Source: Zillow Rentals market trends, compiled by Nomad. Rent starts in January 2025; the 2024 pulls recorded median rent instead of average rent.

FAQ

How long does it take to rent a house in 2026?

Zillow's average days on market for houses was 66 as of November 2026, across 67 U.S. markets compiled by Nomad. That's up from 59 a year earlier. Across the 12 monthly readings from December 2025 to November 2026, the average was about 66 days. The range is wide: houses in Cheyenne, Wyoming averaged 29 days on the market as of November 2026, while statewide in Hawaii they averaged 149. The market table above has the figure for your area.

Are rents dropping?

A little, month to month. Across the 67 markets, the average rent as of November 2026 was $1,911, down 0.7% from October ($1,924) and up 1.5% from a year earlier ($1,883), based on Zillow Rentals data. The median held at $1,800. Last year, average rent fell 1.4% between the October and November readings and another 0.8% by January, so some further softening this winter would be normal.

Is winter a bad time to list a rental?

It's slower, not bad, but plan for more time than the current numbers show. In each of the last two years, average DOM was 7 to 11 days higher in the January reading than in the November one, and January's figure is the better guide for a home listed now. Whenever you list, pricing to the market from day one is what keeps vacancy short.

How long do rentals sit empty between tenants?

On homes listed on Nomad, the median time between one tenant moving out and the next moving in is 30 days, based on 2,275 turnovers (Nomad leasing data, 2026). About 1 in 4 turnovers takes 60 days or more. That's a different measure from Zillow's days on market, which counts time on the market.

About this data

The 67 markets are 47 metro areas and 20 statewide figures. Rent is the simple average of each market's figure across all bedroom counts, and days on market covers houses only. Zillow labels the figure "Avg. Days On Market" and doesn't say whether it counts homes still listed or homes that have already leased. Source: Zillow Rentals market trends, pulled November 1, 2026. Each figure is what Zillow showed on the pull date; Zillow doesn't say what period it covers. Year-over-year figures compare against Nomad's November 2, 2025 pull. Seasonal comparisons use Nomad's monthly snapshots of the same markets from September 2024 onward; rent comparisons start in January 2025, because the 2024 snapshots recorded median rent. Figures on homes listed on Nomad come from Nomad's own leasing records.