Hold Period — Cities of Delaware

Cities of Delaware ranked by average flip hold-period.

Public Record

Currently viewing: Delaware · View nationwide

National avg hold

0.88 yr

Fastest-flip state

—

Longest-hold state

—

Flip pairs analyzed

4,181

Fastest-flip states (shortest avg hold)

Longest-hold states

City ranking — Delaware (avg hold period)

Cities in Delaware (sample ≥ 20 flips)

Sorted shortest to longest

#	City	Avg hold (yrs)	Avg hold (mo)	Avg gain %	Sample
1	Middletown	0.70	8.6	+236.2%	229
2	Selbyville	0.71	8.7	+260.5%	116
3	New Castle	0.73	8.8	+113.6%	218
4	Lewes	0.77	9.4	+281.1%	258
5	Newark	0.77	9.3	+109.6%	315
6	Clayton	0.79	9.6	+192.1%	46
7	Frankford	0.79	9.6	+223.4%	67
8	Magnolia	0.82	10.0	+184.3%	108
9	Harbeson	0.83	10.1	+344.6%	20
10	Ocean View	0.85	10.4	+247.1%	81
11	Claymont	0.86	10.5	+90.0%	54
12	Dagsboro	0.88	10.7	+244.7%	69
13	Millsboro	0.88	10.7	+230.3%	243
14	Dover	0.88	10.7	+137.0%	288
15	Smyrna	0.88	10.7	+183.8%	158
16	Harrington	0.88	10.8	+199.2%	50
17	Delmar	0.88	10.8	+194.2%	38
18	Felton	0.89	10.8	+158.5%	95
19	Milton	0.90	11.0	+222.7%	100
20	Bear	0.90	11.0	+81.6%	69
21	Wilmington	0.92	11.2	+104.9%	643
22	Lincoln	0.93	11.4	+403.7%	30
23	Townsend	0.94	11.4	+193.5%	50
24	Bridgeville	0.94	11.5	+246.6%	25
25	Seaford	0.98	11.9	+262.9%	86
26	Milford	0.99	12.1	+150.6%	77
27	Georgetown	1.04	12.6	+261.9%	59
28	Millville	1.04	12.6	+142.9%	23
29	Rehoboth Beach	1.04	12.6	+87.5%	170
30	Laurel	1.04	12.7	+177.6%	65
31	Hockessin	1.06	13.0	+92.4%	26
32	Hartly	1.07	13.0	+241.5%	26
33	Frederica	1.11	13.5	+194.6%	52
34	Camden Wyoming	1.12	13.6	+172.2%	64
35	Greenwood	1.17	14.2	+230.9%	28
36	Bethany Beach	1.31	16.0	+119.4%	43

What hold period tells investors

Liquidity signal

Short average holds (under 2 years) indicate a liquid market — properties trade often, exit timing is flexible, and capital recycles quickly. Long holds (5+ years) suggest fewer buyers, slower exits, and higher carry-cost risk.

Flipper vs. landlord markets

Markets where typical investors hold 3–9 months are dominated by fix-and-flip operators. Markets averaging 5–10 years are dominated by buy-and-hold landlords. Choose the strategy that matches the market — don't fight it.

Caveats

This metric reflects only properties that resold. True buy-and-hold landlords who never sold during the data window are invisible here. Treat the numbers as a relative ranking across states, not an absolute hold-period truth. Source: public record. Data through July 2024.