When your house won’t sell, you have several options. Start by lowering the price, improving staging and curb appeal, switching real estate agents, or considering alternative selling methods like cash buyers. Most homes sell within 30-45 days in normal markets, so if yours has been sitting longer, it’s time to take action.
Watching other homes in your neighborhood fly off the market while yours sits there getting stale is beyond frustrating. You’re not alone—many sellers face this challenge, especially in today’s changing market. In August 2025, existing home sales fell slightly, with properties staying on the market for an average of 28 days. But here’s the good news: there’s always a solution, and this guide will walk you through every single option you have.
Why Your House Isn’t Selling
The Price Is Wrong
Let’s be real—price fixes almost everything in real estate. Overpriced homes ranked as the number one deal-breaker for buyers in a HomeLight survey of top real estate agents. Think about it: when you’re scrolling through listings online, you probably skip right past the ones that seem too expensive for what they offer.
Your home might be priced wrong if neighbors’ houses with similar features sold for less. Check recent sales in your area—not what homes are listed for, but what they actually sold for. Homes that sold within 0-25 days went for 103% of their asking price, but after 100 days, the sale-to-list price ratio dropped to 97%. That’s real money you’re leaving on the table by waiting too long.
Here’s what happens when you overprice: buyers assume something’s wrong with your house. They wonder why it’s been sitting there so long. It becomes the stale donut nobody wants, even if there’s nothing actually wrong with it.
Your Marketing Stinks
About 41% of buyers look at properties for sale online to start the homebuying process. If your listing has blurry phone photos and a boring description, you’re basically invisible to these buyers.
Bad marketing shows up in several ways. Maybe your listing photos look like they were taken during a thunderstorm. Perhaps your description reads like a grocery list instead of painting a picture of the amazing life buyers could have in your home. Or worst of all, you’re not even showing up where buyers are looking—on major real estate websites and social media.
The Condition Needs Work
Buyers today want move-in ready homes. According to NAR data, only 26% of buyers compromised on the home’s condition. That means three out of four buyers will walk away if your house needs too much work.
Common problems that send buyers running include old roofs, dated kitchens and bathrooms, water damage, foundation issues, and that weird smell you’ve gotten used to but everyone else notices immediately. Even small issues like scuffed walls or worn carpets can make buyers think the whole house hasn’t been maintained.
Market Conditions Changed
The U.S. housing market is expected to remain largely frozen through 2025, with growth at a subdued pace of 3% or less. If you priced your home based on what your neighbor’s house sold for six months ago, you might have missed the market shift.
In markets like Miami and Austin, homes now sit on the market for 69 and 66 days respectively—much longer than the national average. Local conditions matter just as much as national trends. Your area might be experiencing a buyer’s market even if the rest of the country isn’t.
Quick Fixes That Actually Work
Drop the Price (But Do It Right)
A tiny price reduction won’t cut it. Agents suggest a 1% markdown might work if you’re getting showings but no offers, while properties with few showings need 2% to 3% price reductions.
Think about online search filters too. Most buyers search in $25,000 increments. If your house is priced at $426,000, dropping to $424,000 won’t help—but dropping to $399,000 puts you in front of a whole new group of buyers who capped their search at $400,000.
When you reduce the price, make it count. Don’t nibble away with weekly thousand-dollar drops. Make one significant reduction that gets attention and shows you’re serious about selling.
Stage Like You Mean It
Empty rooms look smaller than furnished ones. Cluttered rooms look like there’s no storage. Professionally staged homes can sell for up to 13% more than those without staging.
Start by removing half your stuff. Yes, half. Professional stagers often remove 50% of furniture to make rooms look bigger. Clear those kitchen counters completely—pack up the toaster, coffee maker, and knife block. In bedrooms, make the bed look hotel-perfect with crisp linens and just two or three decorative pillows.
Focus your staging budget on the rooms that matter most. A staged living room is most important for buyers (39%), followed by the primary bedroom (36%) and kitchen (30%).
Boost Your Curb Appeal Fast
According to NAR, 92% of Realtors nationwide suggest improving curb appeal before selling. The good news? Most curb appeal improvements are cheap and easy.
Start with a clean sweep—literally. Pressure wash everything: siding, driveway, sidewalks, and deck. It’s amazing how much brighter your house looks when it’s actually clean. Next, add fresh mulch to all garden beds. Even if you don’t have a single flower, fresh mulch makes everything look maintained.
Paint your front door a bold color that pops against your house color. Navy blue, deep red, or even black can transform your entrance. While you’re at it, replace your house numbers with modern ones from the hardware store—it’s a $30 upgrade that looks like a hundred bucks.
Get Professional Photos
Nine in ten buyers aged 58 and under ranked professional photos as the most valuable website feature in their home search. Your nephew might be great with Instagram, but this isn’t the time to save a few hundred dollars.
Professional real estate photographers know how to make rooms look bigger and brighter. They use wide-angle lenses (without making everything look distorted), they know the best angles for each room, and they’ll shoot at the right time of day for perfect lighting. Most importantly, they’ll make your home look like the kind of place buyers can imagine living in.
Alternative Selling Strategies
Sell to a Cash Buyer
Sometimes the traditional market just isn’t working for you. Maybe you need to move fast for a job, or repairs are too expensive, or you simply can’t deal with the stress anymore. In 2024, nearly one-third (32.6%) of U.S. home purchases were made with cash.
Cash buyers and iBuyers offer a different path. Companies like those that serve the Colorado market can close in as little as 7-10 days. You choose your closing date, there’s no financing to fall through, and you don’t have to make any repairs.
The trade-off? Cash offers typically come in below market value—usually 70-90% of what you might get in a traditional sale. But when you factor in no agent commissions, no repair costs, no staging expenses, and no mortgage payments while waiting to sell, the gap often isn’t as big as it seems.
Consider Rent-to-Own
This strategy lets you collect rental income while giving the tenant the option to buy later. It works well if you don’t need all your equity immediately and local rental rates are strong. You’ll need a solid contract that protects you if the tenant doesn’t follow through, but it beats letting your house sit empty.
Try a Different Agent
The top 5% of agents nationwide sell homes faster and for up to 10% more than average agents. If your current agent isn’t cutting it, it might be time for a change.
Signs you need a new agent include: they haven’t updated your marketing strategy despite no offers, they’re hard to reach or slow to respond, they blame everything on the market without suggesting solutions, or they’re not familiar with your specific neighborhood.
Before switching, check your listing agreement. Some contracts lock you in for a certain period or charge fees for early termination. If you’re stuck, have a frank conversation with your agent about what needs to change.
Auction Your Property
Real estate auctions create urgency and competition. They work best for unique properties or in slow markets where traditional sales aren’t happening. You can set a reserve price (minimum you’ll accept) or go absolute (highest bid wins regardless).
Auctions typically close within 30-45 days and attract serious buyers who have financing ready. The downside is you might get less than hoped, and you’ll pay the auction company’s fees on top of other selling costs.
When to Pull Your Listing and Start Fresh
The “Stale Listing” Problem
The longer a house sits on market, the more prospective buyers wonder what’s wrong with it. After 60-90 days, your listing is officially stale. Buyers assume there’s a hidden problem or you’re unreasonable about price.
How to Relist Successfully
Taking your home off the market for at least 30 days can reset buyer perception. Use this time to make improvements, get better photos, rewrite your listing description, and develop a new pricing strategy.
When you relist, make it count. Relisting as ‘new’ sends your property to buyers registered to receive new listing updates on major real estate platforms. This fresh start can generate new interest from buyers who missed it the first time.
Special Situations and Solutions
Inherited Property Issues
Inherited homes often come with unique challenges. Multiple heirs might disagree on pricing, the property might need extensive updates, or emotional attachments make decisions harder.
If you’ve inherited a property that won’t sell, consider these options: buy out other heirs if you want to keep it, sell to a cash buyer for a quick resolution, or agree on a bottom-line price and timeline with all heirs upfront.
Divorce Sales
Divorce situations add emotional stress to an already difficult process. When both parties need to move on quickly, a traditional sale’s uncertainty can prolong the agony.
Cash sales often work well for divorce situations because they provide certainty on timeline and price, eliminate the negotiation drama with buyers, and allow both parties to move forward with clear numbers for asset division.
Properties Needing Major Repairs
Homes requiring significant repairs face an uphill battle in the traditional market. Most buyers want move-in ready, and those willing to take on projects expect deep discounts.
Your options include selling as-is to an investor, getting a contractor’s estimate and pricing accordingly, making the most critical repairs only, or offering a repair credit instead of doing the work yourself.
The Colorado Market Advantage
If you’re selling in Colorado, you have options that sellers in other states might not. The state’s strong economy and growing population mean there’s always demand—you just need to tap into it the right way.
Colorado buyers particularly value outdoor living spaces, energy efficiency, mountain views (if you have them), and proximity to recreation. Play up these features in your marketing if your traditional approach isn’t working.
Local cash buyers who understand the Colorado market can be especially helpful. They know local values, understand seasonal market patterns, and can close quickly when you need to move for work or handle a relocation.
Red Flags to Watch For
Predatory Buyers
Not all cash buyers are legitimate. Watch out for anyone who asks for upfront fees, won’t put their offer in writing, pressures you to sign immediately, or significantly changes their offer after you’ve agreed.
Legitimate cash buying companies will provide proof of funds, give you time to consider their offer, put everything in writing, and stand by their initial offer unless inspections reveal undisclosed issues.
Listing Agreement Traps
Some agents lock you into long contracts with hefty cancellation fees. Before signing anything, understand exactly how long you’re committed, what happens if you want to switch agents, whether you still owe commission if you find your own buyer, and what marketing the agent actually commits to doing.
Making the Final Decision
Calculate Your Real Bottom Line
Don’t just look at offer prices. Calculate what you’ll actually walk away with after agent commissions (typically 5-6%), necessary repairs or credits, staging and photo costs, ongoing mortgage payments while waiting, utilities and maintenance during listing period, and potential price reductions over time.
Sometimes a lower cash offer that closes next week nets you more than a higher traditional offer that might take three months and multiple price drops.
Know When to Cut Your Losses
More than 80% of mortgage borrowers have rates at least 100 basis points below current rates, creating a “lock-in effect” where people don’t want to sell. But sometimes holding on costs more than letting go.
If you’re paying two mortgages, facing foreclosure, or need to relocate for work, the cost of waiting might exceed any potential higher sale price. Calculate your monthly carrying costs and decide how many months you can realistically wait.
Action Steps to Take Today
Stop waiting for the market to magically improve. Here’s what to do right now:
- Get honest feedback: Ask your agent for brutal honesty about why your house isn’t selling. If they can’t give specific answers, that’s your answer about them.
- Check your competition: Drive by three similar homes for sale in your area today. How does yours compare from the street?
- Calculate your drop-dead date: When do you absolutely need to be moved? Work backward from there to decide your strategy.
- Explore all options: Get a cash offer even if you don’t plan to take it. Knowledge is power, and you might be surprised by the number.
- Make one significant change: Whether it’s price, photos, or paint, do something dramatic this week. Small tweaks haven’t worked—time for bold action.
Final Thoughts
Your house will sell. Every property has a buyer at the right price and terms. The question isn’t if, but when and how. The housing market is forecast for recovery in 2025, though transaction volumes are expected to remain below long-term averages.
The traditional selling process doesn’t work for everyone, and that’s okay. Whether you need to drop the price, switch agents, improve your home’s presentation, or explore alternative selling methods like working with cash buyers, you have options.
Don’t let your house become that listing everyone in the neighborhood watches sit there month after month. Take action today. Whether that means calling a cash buyer for a no-obligation offer, interviewing new agents, or finally painting that front door, do something different. Because what you’re doing now clearly isn’t working.
Ready to explore a faster, simpler way to sell? Contact WeBuyColorado for a fair cash offer within 24 hours. No repairs, no showings, no waiting—just a straightforward solution when you need it most.