Expired Listings: Why Homes Don’t Sell and How to Fix It

When a listing expires, it means that the property did not sell in the timeframe set by the seller and their agent in the listing agreement, which is typically three to six months. At that point, the listing is removed from our database of homes for sale and the local Multiple Listing Service (MLS). 

Before signing a new agreement and relisting your property, take stock of your home and its condition. You should also review the previous listing agreement, your asking price and any marketing strategies you may have overlooked to determine the best course of action.  

In this article, we’ve identified six of the most common causes for expired listings, along with advice on how to correct course for a successful sale. 

According to the 2024 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers from the National Association of Realtors (NAR), photos are the number one thing buyers find helpful when searching for a home online. Cell phone pictures, blurry images or an unsatisfactory number of photos can all deter a potential buyer. 

How to fix it: 

• Seek high-quality, professional real estate photography so that your home makes the best first impression possible. 
• Ask your real estate agent about ways to enhance your listing, such as adding a virtual 3D tour. 

A home that feels dirty or cluttered will be far less enticing to a buyer. One way to ensure your home shows well is to get it professionally staged. It’s an important step, with the NAR 2023 Profile of Home Staging indicating that 81% of buyer’s agents said that their clients found it easier to imagine living in a staged home.  

How to fix it: 

• Declutter and deep clean your home before listing so that potential buyers take notice of its best attributes. 
• If the property is vacant, consider adding virtual staging to your listing so buyers can recognize its full potential. 

Many buyers will be wary if a house seems to need a lot of repairs. Some may be concerned about the additional financial commitment of addressing renovations, and many are seeking a home that’s as move-in ready as possible. 

How to fix it: 

• Start by making minor upgrades, with small, cost-effective improvements such as replacing outdated hardware and revitalizing rooms worse for wear with a fresh coat of paint. 
• If your home was previously under contract and an inspection uncovered red flags, consider addressing those repairs before you relist. 

In some cases, unique issues, such as a location in a noisy area or on a highly trafficked street, could affect the desirability of your home. “If it’s not a problem with the pricing or the property, it’s something to do with the location,” says Brian Walinski, an agent at Fathom Realty in Henrico, Virginia. “It’s the agent’s job to discuss that upfront with the client and let them know what the challenges are.”  

How to fix it: 

• Highlight desirable nearby amenities in your listing, which might include great schools, area parks or plans for development. 
• Put extra effort into your property’s curb appeal and staging to draw buyers in. 
• Hold open houses frequently to attract more buyers, and consider promoting your home in other ways, such as on social media. 
• Consider marketing the home to real estate investors looking for a rental property or a home they can renovate and flip. 

Even the most well-marketed home can have problems selling quickly if it is not the ideal time to sell. Available housing inventory, interest rates and inflation can all impact how quickly a home will sell. “Sometimes there isn’t something wrong with the property. It might just be a slow time of the year, or the interest rates are particularly high,” says Jess Houser, an associate broker with Nest Realty Group in Richmond, Virginia. 

How to fix it: 

• If you can list your home at a specific time, aim for the spring. In 2024, national data from Homes.com shows that it takes about 60 days for a home to go from listed to sold, and more homes go to closing in May through August than at other times of the year. 
• If the market presents specific challenges, you might offer a seller concession, such as an interest-rate buydown, a home warranty, or a credit toward the buyer’s closing costs.  

If your property had interested buyers but no offers, it may mean that a small price adjustment is needed. “Pricing is the key factor that will control the quickness of a sale,” Walinski says. “Of course, you can always change the price if you started too high, but that tends to come with a negative connotation.”  You can always lower your list price after your home is on the market, but buyers can see the reduction on your listing.

How to fix it: 

• Price your home competitively. A Home Valuation Report can provide pricing data early in the process. 
• Ask your listing agent to do a deeper dive by running a comparative market analysis so that you can set a price based on comparable properties that recently sold in the area. 

Listings are more likely to expire in a slow market with few buyers, but are less common in a seller’s market. A Home Valuation Report can help you track local market conditions with the list price, sale price and number of days on the market for similar properties in your area.

“A lot of places are a seller’s market right now, so you don’t see many expired listings,” says Walinski. “Usually, when a contract goes all the way to term, the agent will have informed you of potential challenges, so it’s not unexpected.” 

An expired listing occurs when the seller and agent no longer have a valid contract, while a withdrawn listing indicates that the seller still has a valid contract but no longer wants their house listed. 

“A withdrawn listing is usually more temporary and is done when a seller wants time to address an issue,” Houser says. A listing might be withdrawn so the seller can make repairs or deal with another issue related to their home sale. Showings and open houses are suspended when a listing is withdrawn.  

A buyer or their agent may find expired listings in public records or on the MLS. This can lead a buyer to assume something is wrong with the home. However, it's easy to explain if you have made changes, such as repairs or a price adjustment.

“Buyers will likely notice that a listing had been withdrawn or expired and want to know why,” Houser says. “But if your agent is ready to field those questions and explain the circumstances, it’s not usually a deal breaker.” 

Focus on updating your listing with a new description and fresh photos, and consider making potential updates or repairs based on feedback from potential buyers and their agents. If you plan to relist with a new agent, our directory of real estate professionals can help you find the right person to help you list, market and sell your home.