Has your house been on the market for weeks (or months), and you’re wondering why it hasn’t sold?
If you want to know what to do when your home won’t sell, you aren’t alone. Home sales in the U.S. are at a 30-year low, primarily due to high mortgage rates and higher prices, according to The Wall Street Journal.[1]
Inventory is also contributing to the slowdown. A HousingWire report found that the number of available homes increased by 33% to pre-pandemic levels in 2024, and as of May 2025, there are more than 768,000 homes on the market.
The result? Homes are simply taking longer to sell, with MarketWatch data showing that the average time on market is 38 to 51 days, compared to last year’s 32 to 35 days.[2]
However, there are some steps you can take to decrease your time on the market.
Why is my house not selling?
Here are six common roadblocks sellers encounter when entering the market and how you can overcome them.
Outdated features or poor condition
Ask yourself:
- Does my house need repairs?
- Can I improve the curb appeal?
- Are any features visibly outdated?
Answering “yes” to any of these questions can be a solid indicator of what you can change to pique buyers' interest.
Ineffective photography or staging
The way you showcase your home online plays a significant role in the amount of foot traffic you get.
A National Association of Realtors (NAR) report found that all home buyers searched online before purchasing, and 41% said the most valuable part of the listing was the photos.[3]
Poor marketing and pricing strategies
Work with your realtor to display your home on more than just the MLS (or consider a different realtor if they are unwilling to budge on their marketing tactics). Social media and third-party site syndication to Zillow or Realtor.com is a must.
Most buyers pay more attention to new listings than to price reductions. So listing your home competitively from the start is a much better strategy than launching at a high price and counting on price reductions to course-correct.
A slower market
The 2025 market is cooler than in previous years, which naturally increases the time it takes to sell. There are more homes for sale than qualified buyers to purchase them, and that means you can expect longer timelines (and maybe some price reductions if you overshoot your mark when you list).
Seasonality
The overall timing of your sale can impact how long your home stays on the market.
According to NAR, the months between April and June typically experience the highest volume of real estate transactions, and the market normally cools as temperatures drop.[4]
High interest rates
Mortgage interest rates play a significant role in buying patterns, as higher rates mean fewer qualified buyers. In 2025, interest rates have remained well above 6%.[5]
What to do when your house won't sell
The good news is that most homes eventually find a buyer if you can figure out the right strategies and marketing. If your house is lingering on the market and you want to expedite the sale, here's what you should do to get under contract faster.
1. Rethink your real estate agent
Here are a few marketing red flags to look for if your home sale is delayed:
- Limited listing syndication between the MLS and third-party sites
- No promotion on social media, email lists, or other online platforms
- Too much focus on print media like flyers, mailers, or newspaper ads
If you feel like it’s time to make a change, interview agents with recent sales in your area and ask them for a “remarket plan.” This will show you what they would do differently as your agent and how they could speed up the process.
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2. Reduce the price
If your home is well-listed with good photos and a solid marketing strategy, chances are high that it’s overpriced.
These tips can help you lower your listing price to make your home more attractive without raising any red flags:
Lower the price gradually: A sudden price drop might lead buyers to think there’s something wrong with the property.
Use odd pricing and adjust price for search tiers: While round numbers look good on paper, a $500,000 home is less enticing than a $499,000 one. Most real estate listing sites cut off search filters at the “$X99” mark, so lowering your price below that threshold might attract more buyers.
Test your price over time: It’s essential to track the number of potential buyers against your price over a specific period, then use what you learn to inform price reductions. If you list at $500,000 and no buyers request to see the house, then reduce the price to $489,000 and see a few showings but no offers, your price is probably still too high and should be reduced further.
Weighing the buyer’s cost vs. home price
Understanding your neighborhood and the market is crucial to nailing down the right price for your home.
These added costs for buyers could turn them away before they even look at your house:
- HOA fees
- Property taxes
- Repair costs
3. Upgrade your marketing and listing quality
If you aren’t utilizing all the available technology, it could cause your home to sit on the market longer.
Here are a few adjustments you can make to help your home stand out on the market:
- 3D virtual tours and interactive floor plans
- Overhead drone photography
- Social media ads
Matterport, a leader in real estate marketing and photography, found that listings using 3D walkthrough technology can attract four times the number of inquiries and 49% more leads. Additionally, homes with virtual walkthroughs can sell up to 9% higher.[6]
Don’t skip out on professional photography
Professional photography is a must when listing your home. In fact, 83% of buyers report that high-quality photos have a significant impact on their purchasing decision.[7]
4. Fix condition issues & boost curb appeal
Some improvements add significant value. Here are a few good places to start:
Address anything that might make your home “unsellable”
Clean up any clutter around your property
Overgrown yards, children’s toys, or leftovers from improvement projects are easy to overlook. But prospective buyers might decide to keep searching when they pull up to a house that looks poorly maintained.
Spruce up your home’s entryway
Pressure washing a concrete porch, knocking down any cobwebs or insect nests, and giving your front door a fresh coat of paint goes a long way.
Fix any structural issues
If your roof looks like it’s sagging or there are apparent cracks in your foundation, it’s a guarantee that your house will sit on the market.
Add a fresh coat of paint
For the interior, it’s best to opt for neutral tones that evoke a sense of peace when prospective buyers enter your home. Some of the most popular colors for living and dining rooms include welcoming warm whites and agreeable shades like greige.
When surveyed, 45% of real estate agents report that off-white siding can increase a home's value and help it sell more quickly.[8]
One of the top paint upgrades you can make for your home is to paint the front door. Research from Zillow found that painting your front door can raise its value by more than $6,000.[9]
Replace your carpet floors
Whether you switch to a hard floor (such as hardwood, laminate, or luxury vinyl) or update your old carpet, it could improve your chances of selling.
New floors can also limit buyer objections as soon as they step in the door.
Make minor kitchen or bathroom updates
Outdated fixtures and appliances are a common item on a buyer’s no-go list.
You don’t always need to go all out with pre-sale remodels and updates. Less expensive options, such as cabinet door replacements, mid-tier stainless steel appliances, and updated faucets can speed up the selling process.
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5. Reconsider listing timing and strategy
Your house may be sitting on the market simply because you chose the wrong time of year to list. Certain times of the year have historically had shorter listing times than others.
Zillow research suggests that the best time to sell a house in the U.S. is typically spring, due to better weather and higher buyer interest.[10]
Conversely, the slowest time to sell a home is late fall into winter, as holidays approach and the weather starts to cool.
6. Consider alternative routes
If you need to move out and your house isn’t selling, you may want to consider some alternatives to selling on the open market.
Rent it out
One option to consider is renting out your home rather than trying to sell it.
While drawbacks may include potential future damages from tenants and maintenance costs, you could still earn monthly income from the rent.
If maintaining the property is your primary concern, hiring a property management company could be a solution.
Consider a short sale (if you’re underwater)
A short sale may be a viable option for homeowners who owe more on their mortgage than their home is worth.
While this may come with complications, it could help you get out of your current home faster.
Sell to an iBuyer or cash buying company
If speed is your top priority, you may want to consider a real estate investment company.
Cash buyers, such as HomeVestors and We Buy Houses, and iBuyers, like Opendoor or Offerpad, pay upfront for homes, saving sellers time and effort.
However, cash buying companies typically pay less than market value, which means you won’t make as much on your sale.
Stay in control: Negotiate and avoid mistakes
It’s easy to become discouraged when your home takes longer than expected to sell. But you shouldn’t take the wait to heart.
Instead, stay proactive by asking your agent for feedback from prospective buyers and their agents on what you can improve and trends they are seeing.
And when an offer does come through, follow your realtor’s advice to negotiate wisely. Be flexible with counteroffers, and don’t delay or ignore feedback from showings or offers.
Listing refresh checklist & timeline to relaunch
Even though you want things to happen as soon as possible, it’s valuable to understand that relaunching your listing will take time.
Here is a breakdown of the steps and a realistic timeline of how long it might take to remarket your home:
- Agent review of listing performance and feedback (1 week)
- Repricing based on new comps and your time on market (1 week)
- Upgraded listing photos, staging, or videos (2 weeks)
- Address minor repairs or buyer objections (2 weeks)
- Relaunch with updated marketing and messaging (1 week)
Once the relaunch is complete, work with your realtor to monitor the performance of your new listing.
If you continue to see no improvements after 6 to 8 more weeks, you may need to make more adjustments or consider an alternative route to selling your home.
Plan your next move to speed up your sale
Every selling situation is unique, which means you should take an objective and detailed look at what might be holding your sale back.
The best part is that you don’t have to go it alone. Working with your realtor to determine a plan (or connecting with a new agent in your area through Clever) can help you make the best informed decisions to get your listing back on track.
With a systematic reset, most homes do sell — even in the toughest markets. Need a local expert real estate agent to get your house sold quickly? You need a Clever agent. Clever agents are the top-reviewed agents that have a track record for providing quality service for a flat rate. Call us today at 1-833-2-CLEVER or fill out our online form to get started.