When Should You Lower Your Home’s Listing Price?

If you’re a seller with a home on the market, how do you know it’s time to lower the price? Price Is Usually the Reason Your Home Is Still On the Market If your home has been on the market for a while and it’s not getting the attention you think it should, or you’re not getting offers, it’s frustrating. More often than not, according to real estate professionals, the issue is the price. Buyers can overlook many other factors if they feel like the price is right. Some of the signs your price might be too high include getting little traffic and no offers. You might also get good traffic, but the offers you’re getting are a lowball. A third sign is having good traffic but negative reactions from potential buyers. If buyers consistently make comments about the price, it might be time to pay attention to what they’re saying. When To Lower the Price If you think you should reduce the price of your home, you should do it quickly. Usually, within two weeks of initially putting it on the market is ideal, especially with inventory remaining low. As a rule, you’ll see the most activity within the first 21 days of your home going on the market, so make sure you’re taking advantage. You’ll also want to look at some of the indicators in the housing market where you are, like the average days on the market. One guideline that some real estate pros recommend is a price adjustment after a house is on the market for ten days. There are marketing steps your realtor should take before a price reduction. For example, maybe they need to revisit your photos and ensure they’re good enough. The home also needs to be listed in multiple places, and you should address buyer feedback. What to Know About Price Cuts No one wants to make a price reduction, but the reality is that you may even have to do it more than once. The more your days on the market go up your potential need for price adjustments increases. It’s advisable to make no more than three price reductions. If you go beyond that, it will start to become a red flag to buyers. You also want to be careful and strategic in how much you reduce the price. For example, if you priced high to start with, maybe you reduce it by around 4% to no more than 9%. If your initial price was comparable to market value, you might need an incremental cut. Some real estate agents think it’s better to go ahead and reduce your home by a significant enough amount initially, so you don’t have to do it more than once. That’s something to talk to your agent about. There is the potential that multiple smaller cuts are just dragging out the process of selling your home, which isn’t what you want.