Are you concerned about your house not selling? In this article we highlight when you should begin to worry and what you can do about it. A slow sale is rarely a mystery – the cause is usually one of a handful of things, and most of them can be put right.
We’ll share what a normal pace looks like, the signs that something needs to change and the practical steps that help a home find its buyer.
How long is too long to wait for an offer?
Waiting for the phone to ring is one of the harder parts of selling, and there is no one answer when it comes to how long is too long to wait for an offer.
There is no fixed deadline, but there is typically a familiar, recognisable pattern. Falling behind that pattern is a better signal than the number of weeks on its own.
The first two weeks
A new listing draws a burst of interest when it first appears on portals like Rightmove and Zoopla, because buyers with saved searches are alerted straight away.
You should expect enquiries and viewing requests in this window. If there are none, the price or the listing itself is usually the issue.
Weeks three to six
Viewings should be under way and some buyers should be coming back for a second look.
Plenty of viewings with no offers might point to a gap between what buyers see in person and what they are being asked to pay.
Around two months
This is a sensible point for a full review with your agent as by this stage there is typically clear indication of why a sale might not yet have been secured.
Look at the price, the photographs, the description, the feedback from every viewing and how the listing is performing against similar homes.
Three months and beyond
A listing that has been live this long can start to look stale, and buyers may wonder why it has not sold.
Small tweaks rarely change the outcome at this stage – a considered change of price, presentation or agent might be necessary.
Not all homes follow this pattern
Homes at higher price points and those that need work can take longer than mid-market family homes or those that are ready to move into.
Seek advice from your selling agent and judge your progress against similar properties nearby rather than the market as a whole.
How much do market conditions impact selling a house?
Market conditions affect how quickly homes sell and how much room buyers have to negotiate, but they rarely explain on their own why a home is not selling.
In a slower market buyers have more choice and take longer to decide, so well priced, well presented homes still sell while overpriced ones sit on the market for extended periods.
Rising mortgage rates shrink budgets, and activity tends to ease in the run up to Christmas and over the summer holidays.
National headlines describe averages, though, and conditions in Chiswick, Hammersmith and Shepherd’s Bush can differ from that picture and from one another.
The clearest test is to compare your home with similar properties nearby.
If comparable homes on your street are going under offer while yours is not, the market is not the main issue.
You cannot change interest rates or the time of year, but you can control the price, the presentation and the agent you work with.
The signs worth paying attention to if your house is not selling
Four signals tell you most of what you need to know about why a home is not selling.
1. Few or no viewings
Buyers are seeing the listing and choosing not to book. The asking price, the lead photograph or the description is the usual cause.
2. Viewings but no offers
The listing is doing its job, but the home is not matching expectations in person. Buyers may feel the price does not reflect the condition, layout or position.
3. Low listing views compared with similar homes
Your agent can share portal data showing how often your listing appears in searches and how often buyers click through to it.
If it trails comparable homes nearby, the price bracket or lead image might be holding it back.
4. An agent who has gone quiet
Feedback and fresh ideas should keep coming throughout the marketing of your property. When first engaging with an agent ask if they have a set time that they should expect to contact you each week. If updates have slowed, ask for a review meeting.
Why some homes sit on the market
A listing price that is too high is the most common reason a home does not sell. When the asking price sits above what buyers believe a property is worth, they compare it with the alternatives and move on. Other causes tend to compound the problem rather than replace it.
- Presentation online: Most buyers decide whether to view from the photographs. Dark images, a missing floor plan or a thin description reduce the number who book.
- Condition: Visible repairs, dated kitchens and bathrooms or clutter prompt buyers to estimate costs, and they often estimate high.
- Legal and practical issues: A short lease, missing paperwork for past works, boundary questions or a complicated chain can slow a sale or cause buyers to withdraw.
- Limited reach: A home needs to be seen by the right buyers, including those registered with local agents who are not yet searching the portals every day.
What to do if your house is not selling
Start with the price, then the listing, then the home itself, then your agent. Working in that order starts with the usual cause.
Revisit the price
The homes that attract strong attention from the outset are usually the ones that have been priced correctly.
Starting higher than the market value for your home can cause a property not to sell – your estate agent will advise on price but there are a few things you can look at yourself too.
What are other homes selling for?
Base the price on what comparable homes nearby have sold for, not what is currently listed.
Asking prices show ambition; sold prices show what buyers were prepared to pay. Sold prices are published by HM Land Registry, and your agent should be able to talk you through the recent sales that matter for your street.
Search portal selling brackets
Think about portal search brackets too. Buyers filter by price in set steps, such as £1 million, £1.25 million and £1.5 million.
A home listed at £1.3 million will not appear for someone searching up to £1.25 million, so pricing just below a threshold can put it in front of many more buyers.
Reducing the price
If after research and speaking to your agent you decide that you will reduce the price, make it count. A small reduction can signal hesitation without changing who sees the listing.
A reduction that moves the home into a new search bracket, or brings it in line with sold comparables, will make a greater impact.
Should you change estate agent?
If a review leaves you without confidence in the current approach, moving to another agent is a reasonable step.
Before you do, read your existing contract carefully checking in particular for the sole agency period, overall notice periods and any introduction clauses.
We previously created a blog on what to look for in an estate agents’ contract that you may find useful in this scenario.
A change of agent can be a chance to relaunch properly, with new photography, a reviewed price and a fresh introduction to registered buyers but it is not always the right option – it’s worth reviewing the whole picture before making a change.
Simply taking a home off the market and relisting it unchanged rarely helps, because buyers and the portals can still see its history, see prior prices and images.
If you would like an independent view on your price or marketing, our team offers a free, no obligation.
House not selling? Key questions asked by sellers in this position
When you are concerned and your house is on the market for sale but not selling there are usually some common questions you might ask.
What is the most common reason a house does not sell?
An asking price above what buyers believe the home is worth. Buyers compare every listing with similar homes and recent sales nearby, and they pass over those that look expensive by comparison.
When should I worry about my house not selling?
If there have been no offers after six to eight weeks of active marketing, or very few viewings in the first fortnight, review the price, the listing and your agent’s approach.
Should I take my house off the market?
Only as part of a planned relaunch. Withdrawing and relisting the same home at the same price rarely changes the outcome, because buyers and the portals can still see its history.
Should I reduce the price or change agent first?
Start with an honest review of the price and the evidence behind it. If the price is right and the listing is still not performing, look at the marketing and the agent’s approach.
Does reducing the price put buyers off?
Not when the reduction is meaningful. A well judged reduction often brings a home to the attention of buyers who had filtered it out, while a token cut can suggest hesitation.
Talk to us about your house not selling
If your home has been on the market longer than you expected, our teams in Chiswick, Hammersmith and Shepherd’s Bush can give you a second opinion on price and marketing – get in touch.
When offers start to arrive, our guides to making an offer and sealed bids explain what happens next.
