Is Your Listing’s ‘Days on Market’ Scaring Off Buyers? Here’s How To Fix It

Dusty Rhodes • March 14, 2022

When homebuyers scan property listings, they’re typically focused on the location, the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, and, of course, the price. But some savvy homebuyers (or their real estate agents) are also paying close attention to another metric: “days on market.”


If your property’s been for sale for too many days, it can seem less desirable to buyers—especially in a heated, competitive seller’s market where most homes move quickly. Ultimately, it can negatively affect the offers you receive. But not to worry. In fact, sellers with a high days on market metric have plenty of options—and maybe some work to do—if they want to make their house fly off the listings page.


Here’s everything sellers need to know about how a high number of days on market can hurt them. And strategies to renew interest in a no-longer-hot property.


What does ‘days on market’ mean, anyway?


A property’s days on market metric is determined by the total number of days that a property has been for sale before it enters pending status.


Your days on market number, of course, will be low if you’ve recently listed your home. Newly listed houses get a lot of attention.


However, a home that’s been sitting for a while starts to look stale.


“It might lead buyers to assume there is something wrong with the property,” says Heather Bogenhagen, a real estate agent with Berkshire Hathaway in Santa Monica, CA.


What’s the average days on market for a home?


According to the latest data, the typical home spent a median 43 days on the market. But a listing hanging around for a month-plus might seem long to people in hot housing markets where you practically have to put a bid in the day something goes up for sale.


Of course, an average number tells only part of the real estate story. And your days on market metric could vary widely depending on where you live, how competitive the housing market is, and how desirable your home is.


A major factor that affects all this is the price. High-end properties often sit on the market for a year or more because the pool of potential buyers is much smaller, says Wendi Roudybush, associate broker with Garden Brook Realty in Prescott, AZ.


What to do if your house is languishing


Let’s say your house has been sitting on the market for a while, and is no longer the belle of the listings’ ball. Does that mean it’s doomed to never find a buyer? Not at all.


In some areas, the multiple listing service will reset the days on market if the property listing is withdrawn and then relisted, says real estate agent Jennifer Okhovat, with Compass in Los Angeles.


“When a property goes off the market and then on the market as a new listing, it gets pushed out to everyone whose notifications are set to receive updates when a new property is listed with certain criteria,” adds Okhovat.


Consider making some updates


Before you reset your listing, it’s a good idea to make some improvements that will make the house more appealing.


Start with cosmetic changes that you might have been avoiding but clearly must tackle.


“See if you can make a difference with paint, new flooring, updated staging, landscaping,” adds Bogenhagen. “Then take even better photos that show off your house to its full advantage.”


Think about lowering the asking price


More often than not, a high days on market is an indication that the house wasn’t priced correctly, says Bogenhagen.


“It could be that the prices are changing rapidly and maybe the price was fine two weeks before it was listed, but then there was fluctuation once the house actually went on the market,” she adds.


So when you make improvements, you might stick with your current asking price. Or relist at a lower price.


Remember to be realistic. Any property with a negative external influence—such as busy streets, power lines, or railroad tracks—should be marketed and priced accordingly against comps, suggests Bogenhagen.


The bottom line: If your house has a high days on market, you may have to acknowledge that it’s likely not going to fetch the price you had hoped for. Make the updates you can, and/or be prepared to accept a lower offer.


Or you can go the opposite route and ride out a high days on market metric and hope that the right buyer will eventually come along. If you’re not in a hurry to sell—and really want or need a certain price—you might decide to wait, and let those days on market rack up.

Source: Realtor


Dusty Rhodes Properties is the Best Realtor in Myrtle Beach! We do everything in our power to help you find the home of your dreams. With experience, expertise, and passion, we are the perfect partner for you in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. We love what we do and it shows. With more than 22 years of experience in the field, we know our industry like the back of our hands. There’s no challenge too big or too small, and we dedicate our utmost energy to every project we take on. We search thousands of the active and new listings from Aynor, Carolina Forest, Conway, Garden City Beach, Longs, Loris, Murrells Inlet, Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, Pawleys Island, and Surfside Beach real estate listings to find the hottest deals just for you!

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Top Mistakes Homeowners Are Making in 2026 (And How To Avoid Them)

By Dusty Rhodes • March 23, 2026
Let’s be clear: selling your house is absolutely possible right now. According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), roughly 11k homes sell every day in this country. And the sellers who are making their moves happen all have one thing in common: they’ve adjusted their strategy to match today’s market. They’re realizing inventory has grown. Homebuyers are more selective. And buyer expectations are higher. The sellers who struggle are usually approaching today’s market with yesterday’s expectations. Here are the three biggest mistakes they’re making – and how to avoid them. 1. Pricing Based on What Their Neighbor Got a Few Years Back Setting your price is the most important decision you make when you sell – and the one that’s most often mishandled. Realtor.com data shows almost 1 out of 5 sellers in 2025 had to drop their price. Here’s what those sellers went wrong. Buyers have more choice and more negotiating power now that inventory has grown. And house hunters will actively avoid your house is if feels like it’s priced too high. That’s why overpricing usually leads to: Fewer showings Less competitive (or lowball) offers Longer time on market And all three of those side effects are things you don’t want to deal with. What To Do Instead: The good news is the cure is simple. Just price for today’s buyer, not yesterday’s headlines. Lean on your agent’s knowledge of recent comparable sales, current competition, and local buyer behavior to land in the value “sweet spot” that drives traffic and urgency from day one. 2. Trying To Skip Repairs That Buyers Now Expect A few years ago, you could sell as-is and still get well above asking. Today? Not so much. Right now, NAR says two-thirds of sellers are making at least some repairs. And the reason why is simple. In a market with more inventory, buyers compare homes side by side. Homes that don’t show well (or feel dated) are going to lose attention quickly, even if the issues are minor. What To Do Instead: Ask your agent which high-impact, low-stress updates they’d recommend for your house. The goal isn’t perfection. It’s helping buyers see themselves moving in without a mental to-do list. Small investments in staging, repairs, and curb appeal can make a huge difference in how quickly offers come in – and how strong those offers are. 3. Playing Hardball When Buyers Try To Negotiate Today’s buyers have housing affordability at the top of their minds. And since money is already tight, they’ll be pickier and will probably ask for some compromises from you. Whether that’s making repairs, giving them a credit at closing, or taking just a few thousand dollars off your asking price, negotiating is normal again. So, if something pops up in the inspection, you’re going to need to be open to talking about it. If you’re not, you may very well see your buyer walk away. And some sellers are figuring this out the hard way. Redfin data shows one of the big reasons home sales fell thru in 2025 was inspection or repair issues. Odds are those homeowners weren’t willing to flex a bit to get the deal done. What to Do Instead: Meet with your agent to make sure you understand what buyers in your area care the most about. Align your price with value, present the home clearly and confidently, and stay open to reasonable negotiations that keep deals moving forward.

10 Aging-in-Place Features Pros Swear By

By Dusty Rhodes • March 16, 2026
They’re often called aging-in-place features, but things like curbless showers, nonslip flooring and wide walkways and doorways can benefit everyone, no matter their age or ability. “Regardless of aging in place, there is a place for these in day-to-day life, whether it be a teenager on crutches, a family member having had surgery, active kids,” designer Dana Bass says. “It’s not just about aging in place. We’ve got to account for unplanned life emergencies.” Designer Tammy Battistessa of Ellaire Kitchen & Bath Design agrees. “Whenever possible, I include aging-in-place and universal design features in every project, as I believe many of these features benefit clients of all ages and abilities, in addition to allowing a client to safely remain in their home for a longer period of time,” she says. Creating a home that can adapt also makes it more sustainable. “Aging in place is a key element to making legacy homes that can evolve over time,” architect Tim Barber says. With all that in mind, we asked more than 50 home design and construction professionals to share the aging-in-place features they always recommend. Here are the 10 that came up again and again. 1. Wide Walkways and Doorways Planning ahead is one of the most important steps when incorporating aging-in-place features. Many of these elements require thoughtful design and construction, so it’s wise to start early — and to consider hiring professionals who understand the nuances. “Thinking through how you will really use the space makes all the difference,” designer Haiku Durden of HDS Design says. “Having a designer involved really makes a difference.” A professional can help you create a plan that works for your current needs and anticipates future ones. “We currently default to aging-in-place features when our clients are near retirement or retirement age,” says designer Jenny Guggenheim of Guggenheim Architecture and Design Studio . “Preplanning by adding blocking behind the wall finish, spacious floor planning to allow for wheelchair or walker use.” In fact, spacious layouts are among the most commonly recommended aging-in-place strategies. Wide walkways and doorways — and generous clearances around furniture and fixtures — make it easier for anyone to move through the home comfortably. Installing a continuous flooring material throughout also reduces tripping hazards caused by changes in height or texture between rooms.

The Price You Set Can Make (or Break) Your Sale

By Dusty Rhodes • March 2, 2026
There’s one decision you’re going to make when you sell that determines whether your house sells quickly, or it sits. Whether buyers make an offer, or scroll past it. Whether you walk away with the maximum return, or you end up cutting the price later. And that’s your asking price . The #1 Mistake Sellers Make Today: Trusting the Wrong Number If you’re thinking of moving and trying to figure out what your house may sell for, it’s tempting to start with an online home value tool. They’re fast, free, and easy. And you don’t have to talk to anyone. But here’s the problem: they don’t know your house. And that can be a bigger drawback than you realize. Where Online Estimates Fall Short Online tools often lag behind the market. They look in the rearview mirror, relying on closed sales and delayed information. And in that sense, they’re using incomplete data . That’s not a miss in how these systems are built. Some information just isn’t available online. Bankrate explains: “ While these tools can be a useful starting point, keep in mind that they typically do not provide the most accurate pricing. Algorithms can only rely on the information available; they can’t account for things like a home’s condition or renovations made since the last public information was updated.” They can’t see: The unique features that make your house special All the work you’ve put in to keep it in good condition Or, how in-demand your specific neighborhood is right now So, while they may do a good job in some cases, they can’t be as accurate as a local agent who has boots on the ground day in and day out. In a market where buyers have more options, a seemingly small margin of error can cost you thousands if you price too low, or weeks of lost momentum and time if you price too high. If you want to sell for the most money and in the least amount of time, you don’t want the fast answer on how to price your house. You want the right one. That’s why the savviest homeowners today don’t rely on algorithms when it actually matters. They rely on people, specifically trusted local agents. What an Expert Agent Brings to the Table According to 1000WATT , sellers overwhelmingly believe real estate agents have the best sense of a home’s true value, far more than any automated tools.