Why Some Homes Sell in a Week and Others Sit

If you’ve been watching the market closely, you’ve probably noticed something interesting: one home hits the market and is under contract in seven days… while a similar one down the street sits for weeks. Same city. Similar size. Totally different results. So what’s going on?

First, pricing. And I’ll say this unapologetically: price is strategy, not ego. The homes that sell in a week are almost always positioned correctly from day one. They’re not “testing the market.” They’re not priced based on what the seller hopes to walk away with. They’re priced based on current data, buyer behavior, and competition. When a home is priced right, it creates urgency. When it’s overpriced, it creates doubt.

Second, presentation matters more than people think. Today’s buyers are scrolling before they’re touring. If your photos, staging, lighting, and marketing don’t stop the scroll, you’ve already lost momentum. The homes that move quickly feel turnkey, clean, and emotionally inviting. The ones that sit? They often feel unfinished, cluttered, or poorly marketed. Buyers don’t want projects unless they’re getting a deal — and if the price doesn’t reflect that, they move on.

Third, timing and strategy. The first week on the market is everything. That’s when your listing gets the most attention, the most online traffic, and the highest chance of competitive energy. If you launch without a clear plan — no pre-marketing, weak agent networking, no strategy for offer review — you miss your strongest window. And once a listing starts to linger, buyers begin to ask, “What’s wrong with it?”

Here’s the truth after years in this business: homes don’t sit because of bad luck. They sit because of misalignment in price, presentation, or strategy. When those three are dialed in, homes move. If you’re thinking about selling and want to position your home to be the one that sells in a week — not the one that chases price reductions — let’s talk. The right strategy makes all the difference.