My home been on the market for 117 days what should I do ?
I’ve changed the price five times and nothing is happening should I price it back up everything works it’s a cute house not sure of my realtors marketing strategy I figured go down on the price but was told that long on the market and lowering the price people will think something is wrong with it. was thinking to relist it
Asked by Rhonda | Folsom, CA| 08-17-2024| 1,107 views|Selling|Updated 1 year ago
Rhonda,
I am sorry to hear that you find yourself in this position. This is my advice and I have been selling real estate in Concord, MA for the past 22 years. I am not in your particular market but do have some thoughts.
1. I would pull up all the houses that are for sale within .25 miles of your home and review their Zillow listings, I would drive by, and potentially go to open houses. How does your home stack up?
2. Ask your Realtor to run an absorption rate analysis which will tell you home many months it takes to sell a home in your market. I remember markets where perfectly priced homes would take 6 months to sell.
3. Are you properly marketed with enough photos?
4. Do you have any condition objections? Did you know you can not get FHA or VA financing if the home has flaking paint?
5. Sometimes it does make sense to higher a new agent and make a change.
Hope this helps, Concord, MA real estate
Little reductions will kill you. If you discount a $500,000 home, say $3,000, yes it shows as a discount on the major sites to capture the eye, but when the consumer actually reviews it, and sees that it’s not significant, they tend to dismiss it. Consumers operate in brackets, meaning they shop up to their next price point. If your home is say, $495,000, they will shop up to $500,000. If you price at $505,000 but are willing to accept $495,000, they most likely won't see you. In this specific price range, a reduction of a minimum of $10,000 would be recommended and ideally $25,000.
Keith Jean-Pierre
Managing Principal
The Dapper Agents
Operations In: NY, NJ, FL & CA
If your home has been sitting on the market for over 100 days, don’t panic — but it’s definitely time to rethink your Irvine home selling strategy. Repeated price drops can create the impression that something’s wrong, even if the house is perfectly fine. Instead of focusing only on price, look at three core factors: presentation, exposure, and positioning.
Start with the basics: are your photos, video tours, and online listing descriptions optimized to compete in today’s Irvine real estate market? High-quality imagery, professional staging, and a refreshed marketing campaign can completely change buyer perception. A property that feels “new” online often regains momentum immediately.
Next, analyze your digital reach. Your Irvine real estate agent should be running paid social ads, email campaigns, and targeted exposure on Zillow, Google, and YouTube — not just relying on MLS. In a competitive city like Irvine, you need a marketing plan that reaches both local buyers and out-of-state relocation audiences.
Finally, consider relisting after a short break with a new MLS number and a compelling relaunch strategy. As top realtors in Irvine, Irene and Ricky Zhang Real Estate Group specialize in reviving stale listings. They audit pricing, reposition the home’s story, and use advanced digital marketing to help sellers sell their home in Irvine faster and for top dollar — even after months on the market.
When a home has been on the market for over 100 days, it usually means something in the selling strategy needs to change — not necessarily the home itself. In the Irvine real estate market, well-prepared and well-marketed listings typically receive strong activity within the first 1–3 weeks. If your home has been active for 117 days with multiple price drops, the issue may be a combination of pricing, presentation, and the quality of your agent’s marketing.
Rather than lowering the price again or raising it back up, the best move is often a strategic reset. Taking the listing off the MLS temporarily and relaunching it with updated staging, new photography, a refreshed description, and stronger marketing can reset buyer perception. A relaunch helps your home appear “new” again and avoids the negative impression created by frequent price changes.
Buyers often assume repeated price cuts indicate hidden problems — even when the home is perfectly fine. Relisting allows you to eliminate that concern and come back to the market with renewed momentum.
As top realtors in Irvine, Irene and Ricky Zhang Real Estate Group frequently revive stale listings by identifying what went wrong the first time — whether it's pricing strategy, lackluster marketing, poor presentation, or insufficient exposure. With the right relaunch plan, you can generate fresh interest, attract qualified buyers, and finally sell your home for the price it deserves.
Great question—and you’re not alone in this situation.
In some cases, letting the listing expire and then relisting can help reset the momentum. Just keep in mind that many agents and buyers will still be able to see the property’s history, so it’s not always a complete “fresh start.”
Before making that move, I’d take a step back and look at a few key things:
Has your agent walked you through the most recent comparable sales and your current competition? How does your home show compared to those properties, and how is it priced relative to them?
If you’ve had multiple price reductions with little activity, it’s usually a sign that either the pricing, presentation, or marketing strategy needs to be adjusted—not just the number itself. Sometimes small changes in staging, photos, or positioning can make a big difference.
At the end of the day, you want to make sure your home stands out as the best value in its price range. That’s what ultimately drives showings and offers.
Hi Rhonda,
It sounds like you’ve been patient, but 117 days on the market is definitely frustrating. Constantly changing the price can sometimes confuse buyers, and yes, a long time on the market can make people wonder why it hasn’t sold. Relisting with a fresh approach can actually be a smart move — it makes your listing feel new again and can attract buyers who may have overlooked it before.
Also, take a close look at the marketing strategy. Sometimes small tweaks — better photos, virtual tours, or new exposure online — can make a big difference.
If you’d like, I can give you some ideas to refresh your listing and get it moving again. Reach out and let’s see how we can get your house sold!
Hopefully it sold by now, I see this post maybe 9 months ago?! How did it go? Market has been slow the last year due to affordability and rates being at their highest. A lot of homes that should have sold are not unfortunately. Well priced homes, and well presented with photos and stagging are still selling. Let us know what you did if you took it off and relisted ?
117 days is frustrating—I get why you’re second guessing everything at this point.
The first thing I’d say is this:
At that point, it’s usually not just one issue—it’s how everything is coming together.
When a home sits that long, buyers start to form a story in their head… even if nothing is actually wrong with the house.
And price drops alone usually don’t fix that. In fact, after multiple reductions, buyers sometimes start wondering why it hasn’t sold instead of feeling like they’re getting a deal.
If this were my client, I’d pause and look at three things together:
How the home is positioned compared to others (not just price, but how it shows)
What buyers are actually seeing online first—photos, description, overall feel
And how much real exposure it’s getting beyond just being on the MLS
Sometimes it’s not that the home isn’t “cute” or well maintained—it’s that it’s not standing out the way buyers need it to.
Relisting can help in some situations, but only if something meaningful changes. Otherwise, it’s the same result with a new date.
I actually put together a breakdown of how homes sell faster (and what tends to slow them down) that might help you look at this from a different angle:
https://pillarrealestate.com/how-to-sell-a-home-fast
At this stage, it’s less about doing more—and more about doing the right things in the right order.
Hi Rhonda, lowering your price once may be ok, but more than that you are sending the wrong message to the public. Depending on your contract with your agent, it might be best to take it off the market, take new photos/drone and re-list at the sweet spot.
So there are several factors that are important to consider. First, how is the home presented? Second, how is the home priced compared to active comparable homes on the market? Third, are you getting showings? Forth, have you received any offers. If you are getting showings and no offers it is most likely price? If you are not getting showings, it could be price or presentation. Have you received any feedback from the individuals that have previewed your home?