Liquidity conditions in the nation’s residential for-sale market are generally improving, according to a report released this week by mortgage technology company FNC. The report, built from FNC’s For-Sale-Observations Database that captures more than 60 percent of the for-sale market, indicates the median asking price among for-sale properties is up 8.6 percent since January and 6.1 percent over this time last year.

“We’ve seen seven consecutive months of positive year-over-year growth,” said Robert Dorsey, an FNC founder and chief of data and analytics. “Additionally, there’s a narrowing gap between asking price and closing price; homeowners are generally breaking even in recent re-sales; and the average days on market has declined consistently throughout the year.”

The report indicates that homes sold in October at 6.6 percent less than the asking price; a year ago, they were selling at 9.7 percent less. Days-on-market fell below 147 days in recent months, and the average annualized holding period appreciation rate is approaching positive for the first time in five years.

While that sounds like great news, especially for certain markets, others continue to struggle. Among the nation’s top housing markets, liquidity conditions are best in San Francisco and worst in Chicago. In the Golden Gate City, for example, buyers negotiated the smallest price cuts from sellers’ asking prices at 0.1 percent, while in the Windy City, homeowners continue to cut prices (13.9 percent). Or, look at the days-on-market numbers: in San Francisco it’s 77; in Chicago, homes are on the market an average of 196 days (almost seven months), second only to New York at 217 days.

Here are a few more highlights from FNC’s report:

• Cities where buyers negotiated the smallest price cuts from sellers’ asking price: after San Francisco are Sacramento, Calif. (no price cut), Vegas (1.7 percent), San Diego (1.9 percent), Los Angeles (2.1 percent), and Phoenix (2.2 percent).

• Cities where homeowners slashed prices: after Chicago are Cleveland (13.5 percent), St. Louis (12 percent), Cincinnati (11.3 percent), Atlanta (11.1 percent), Philadelphia (10.6 percent), and Detroit (10.5 percent).

• Cities where homes are selling quickly: after San Francisco at 2.5 months are Phoenix and Denver, both at 3 months.

• Cities where homes linger on the market: in New York, they hang around more than seven months and in Chicago and Miami, more than six.