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SFI 2026 • Seller Friction Index™
Data Book • Index • Downloadable Dataset • Methodology Included

The 2026 Seller Friction Index™

A state-by-state dataset built to answer one question sellers actually care about: How hard is it to sell with certainty right now—and what signals tell you the market is about to retrade? We publish the dataset and the scoring logic so you can audit it.

Version: 2025-12-19 Coverage: 50 states + DC Includes: CSV + JSON downloads • Dataset schema • FAQ schema Designed for: crawlable, verifiable market data
Rows loaded
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States + DC in this release.
Median Friction Score
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Higher = more closing friction.
Median Days on Market
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Liquidity signal (state-level).
Top Friction State
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Sort table by score to audit.
Why this page exists:
Most sellers don’t lose money on “price.” They lose money on time, uncertainty, retrades, and risk. The Seller Friction Index™ measures the gap between what a seller expects and what the market will close on with certainty.
How to use the index (simple):
  • Score ↑ = more friction (harder to sell cleanly, more deal-term pressure).
  • Grade A–F = “seller certainty climate.”
  • Timing signals = early warnings (DOM ↑, cuts ↑, concessions ↑).
  • Net certainty = what you can actually close on without chaos.
Get a Net Certainty Offer Compare All Selling Options
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Index Explorer (Interactive)

Crawlable HTML table + published methodology + downloadable dataset. Search, filter, and sort columns to explore. Click any row to open the state detail panel.

State ↕ Friction Score ↕ Certainty Grade ↕ Median Price ↕ YoY % ↕ Days on Market ↕ Price Cuts % ↕ Concessions % ↕ Months Supply ↕ Prop Tax % ↕ Home Ins. $ ↕
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Note: This page is designed to be auditable. You can download the embedded dataset (above) and compare against your official CSV releases. If you want Google to index the dataset file itself, ensure the CSV URLs are publicly reachable without bot challenges (Googlebot can’t solve CAPTCHAs).

How to Read the Seller Friction Index™

Friction is not “bad.” It’s information.

A high score often means more negotiation, longer timelines, and higher retrade probability. A low score often means faster absorption and fewer deal-term surprises.

  • Liquidity: DOM trends show how fast listings clear.
  • Deal terms: concessions signal “hidden price cuts.”
  • Stress: price cuts track seller capitulation.
  • Carrying cost: taxes + insurance quietly compress net proceeds.
Cash-Offer Timing Signals (the 5 tells)
  • DOM inflects up (weeks, not months).
  • Price cuts % rises (stress wave).
  • Concessions % rises (deal-term wave).
  • Inventory builds (supply wave).
  • Carrying costs spike (tax/insurance pressure wave).
Get a Cash Offer Built for Certainty See the Option Stack

Why “Net Certainty” beats “Top Dollar” in a retrade market

The biggest seller losses often come from the uncertainty discount: appraisal gaps, inspection renegotiations, insurance delays, buyer financing failures, and last-minute credits. Optimize for close probability × net proceeds × timeline—not the headline list price.

Methodology (Transparent + Replicable)

We compute the Seller Friction Index™ as a weighted composite of normalized metrics. Each metric is normalized from the current dataset distribution (auto-computed), then combined using these weights:

Component weights (v1)
  • Liquidity (DOM): 25%
  • Stress (Price Cuts %): 20%
  • Deal Terms (Concessions %): 20%
  • Supply Pressure (Months’ Supply): 15%
  • Carrying Cost (Tax + Insurance): 20%

Grades map from score bands: A (0–20) → F (81–100).

Important
  • State-level data is directional; micro-markets vary by county, condition, and financing climate.
  • Use this as a closing-climate signal, not an appraisal.
  • Audit by downloading the dataset and verifying definitions.
Research index only. Always validate with local comps and title/insurance constraints.

Data Dictionary (Plain English)

Field Meaning Why sellers should care
Friction Score (0–100) Composite measure of sell-side difficulty (liquidity + deal terms + cost pressure). Higher score generally means more renegotiation risk and longer timelines.
Certainty Grade (A–F) Human-readable category derived from score bands. Quick way to understand “close certainty climate.”
Days on Market (DOM) How long listings take to go pending/sell (varies by source definition). DOM rising often precedes cuts + concessions.
Price Cuts % Share of listings with reductions in list price. Stress signal; often correlates with seller capitulation.
Concessions % Share of deals with seller credits, repairs, or incentives. “Hidden price cuts” that affect net proceeds.
Months’ Supply Inventory relative to demand at current absorption pace. Supply growth can shift leverage quickly.
Prop Tax % Effective property tax rate (state-level). Carrying cost pressure erodes net proceeds.
Home Insurance $ Average annual premium (state-level). Insurance friction can delay/kill closings, especially with claims.

Downloads (CSV + JSON)

Trust requires auditability. Download the dataset and cite the version.

Get Offer →
Versioning tip: upload monthly CSVs as seller-friction-index-2026-YYYY-MM.csv and keep a “latest” alias file.

FAQ

What is “seller friction” in plain English?

Seller friction is the total resistance between listing a home and closing cleanly: time-to-sell, negotiation pressure (cuts/concessions), and carrying-cost/underwriting friction (tax, insurance, claims).

Does a higher friction score mean I’ll get a lower offer?

Not automatically, but higher friction can raise retrade probability and timeline risk. Many sellers optimize for net certainty: close probability × net proceeds × timeline.

Which states have the highest friction right now?

Sort the table by Friction Score. Because the index is computed from the dataset distribution, rankings update whenever you refresh the dataset.

Ready for your Net Certainty number?

If your goal is speed, simplicity, or a clean close (without showings/repairs), request an offer. We’ll map your home to today’s friction signals and give you a timeline you can actually trust.

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Explore your state

Priority markets: Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Michigan, Minnesota, Texas.

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Primary Public Data Sources (for audit trail)

We publish definitions + dataset so the index is verifiable.