Overpriced or Just Unlucky? Here’s How to Tell the Difference
Every seller wants to achieve the best possible price for their home. But if the viewings have dried up or never really started, it might be time to look at whether the figure you launched at is helping or hindering your sale.
If your home’s been on the market for a few weeks or even months with little or no interest, you’re probably wondering what’s going on. Is it just the market, or is the price too high? Here’s how to tell the difference, and what to do about it.
When you first put your home up for sale, it’s easy to imagine that launch week will be busy. You expect emails, phone calls, and viewing requests coming in one after another. But sometimes, despite all the promotion, there’s just silence. It’s frustrating, especially when you’ve put so much time, energy, and hope into getting it right.
The truth is, when a property doesn’t get much traction early on, the issue often comes down to price if your presentation and promotion is spot on.
Why Overpricing Happens
1. Competing agents
When you invite several agents to value your home, they’re all trying to win your instruction. It’s not unusual for one or two to quote an ambitious figure to stand out. Naturally, most sellers prefer the highest number, it’s human nature, but if that price is unrealistic, it can backfire later.
2. Flattery
Some agents avoid having difficult conversations. They’ll tell you what you want to hear to keep things positive, even if they know it might not sell at that figure. It’s well intentioned, but ultimately unhelpful.
3. Seller optimism
Even without pressure from agents, sellers often pick the top end of the suggested range. It’s perfectly understandable, everyone wants the best price. But that upper figure is usually a “perfect world” price rather than a realistic starting point based on market evidence.
4. Market shifts
Sometimes it’s simply timing. The property market moves quickly, and conditions can change between the valuation and the day you go live. A price that seemed achievable a few months ago might now be out of step with what buyers are actually paying.
How to Spot If It’s the Price
If your home’s been live for a few weeks and you’ve had little interest, no viewings, low clicks, or minimal feedback, that’s your biggest clue. The launch period is when your property gets the most attention, so if it didn’t convert into activity, buyers have probably decided it feels overpriced for what it offers.
Even a small adjustment can make a big difference. Buyers search within price brackets, so moving your property into the next band can suddenly make it visible to a whole new audience.
What to Do Next
The key is to treat your time on the market as useful feedback, not failure. You’ve tested your price, and now you have evidence and experience. That gives you the perfect opportunity to reset your strategy, refresh the photos, relaunch the listing, and re-engage buyers who might have overlooked it before.
If you’re unsure where to start, our team can take an honest look at your current marketing and pricing strategy to help you identify what’s holding things back. Sometimes a small change in approach is all it takes to turn things around.
