How Long Should You Keep Your Home On The Market

How Long Should You Keep Your Home On The Market?

Many a home seller has been there—the house has been on the market for months and there is no sign of a sale.  At what point should you pull the house off of the market, assuming it is even an option for you?  When you start to feel like you are getting nowhere, it’s important to step back and consider the facts of the situation before you make any decisions.

Is The Season A Factor?

If your house has been on the market through the summer and well into fall, and the holiday season is approaching, you may feel there is no point in keeping it listed through the winter.  You may be right.  The holiday season is a notoriously difficult time to sell, and you yourself may want to just take a break and enjoy your holidays without interruptions from agents and potential buyers.  If you can take a step back and resume your efforts to sell in the late winter or early spring, doing so is usually a wise choice.

Are You Asking Too Much?

Before you consider pulling the house off the market, take an honest look at your asking price.  If it is unrealistic and you have been holding off from dropping it, going to a lower asking price before you give up on selling altogether might be the wiser course of action.  Giving up on what you feel your house is worth is difficult, but if selling is an urgent need you are going to have to do what is necessary.

The Market Is Just Slow

Economic factors have slowed the sale of homes all across the country.  If the market is particularly slow where you live, you might want to consider taking the house off of the market for a while and waiting it out to get a better price later.  If you have already moved out, consider renting the house for a while until the market looks up.

Making the decision to pull your home off the market is difficult, and you should never do it without looking at all the details and discussing it with your REALTOR®.  In some cases, however, it will be the wisest course of action and result in a sale for more money down the line.