Hold Period — Wilmington, DE
Average flip hold-period in Wilmington, DE, broken out by property type.
Fastest-flip states (shortest avg hold)
Longest-hold states
Property type breakdown — Wilmington
Average hold period by property type (sample ≥ 3)
Sorted shortest to longest| # | Property type | Avg hold (yrs) | Avg hold (mo) | Avg gain % | Sample |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | other | 0.55 | 6.7 | +64.4% | 8 |
| 2 | townhomes | 0.79 | 9.7 | +106.6% | 58 |
| 3 | single_family | 0.87 | 10.6 | +105.0% | 124 |
| 4 | Unknown | 0.91 | 11.1 | +105.8% | 153 |
| 5 | multi_family | 0.93 | 11.3 | +170.7% | 9 |
| 6 | condo | 1.21 | 14.7 | +45.2% | 6 |
| 7 | condos | 1.27 | 15.5 | +39.0% | 9 |
What hold period tells investors
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.
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.
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.