Can I pause selling my house?

Hi Cheryl, Yes, you can pause selling your home if you need a break, especially around the holidays. Three weeks on the market is still early, and taking a short pause doesn’t mean buyers will think your house isn’t desirable. It’s totally normal to want to enjoy the season without keeping everything “showing ready” all the time. When you’re ready to list again, you can refresh your marketing and relist — sometimes a short break can even make your home feel fresh to buyers. The key is to do what helps you feel comfortable and enjoy your holidays.

There are a couple of different strategies around 'pausing' a listing. In general, I have seen some of my slowest activity between Thanksgiving and the Super Bowl. If people aren't ready to receive the beautiful gift you bear (your home), why should you be penalized with a glut of days on market unfitting of your property?!? Let it be reborn in the 90 day period at the end of year hitting the market with 0 days and a crowd of people ready to view.

Many owners don't want the hassle of showings during the holidays. If that is your main concern, you can either remove the listing entirely or put it in the private network. That's still part of the MLS but does not feed to consumer facing sites like Zillow.

You can absolutely pause showings if you need a break — especially over the holidays — but don’t feel pressured to pull your home just yet. The “old norm” of everything stopping in November has shifted. Serious buyers are still out there, and with less competition, your home might actually stand out this time of year. If you prefer to slow things down, your agent can mark your home as temporarily off-market and relaunch with fresh energy in January. The key is not letting interest rates or timing fears make the decision for you — focus on what fits your long-term goals and peace of mind.