From The Allison Ziefert Real Estate Group:
In October, Maplewood homes that sold averaged 18 days on the market, with a range of 3 to 79 days on market. In South Orange, the average was 21 days, with a range of 1 (likely sold off market) to 80 days on market. Same town, same month, very different outcomes.
So why do some homes sell quickly while others sit? Here are five things we see again and again that cause homes to sit on the market and consequently sell for less than they should have.
1. Nobody took the time to get the house ready
When buyers see peeling paint, a loose railing and rooms packed with furniture, they start making a mental to-do list. By the time they get upstairs, they’re already wondering what else needs work.
Start with the basics. Fix the front door that sticks, touch up the scuffed walls, clean the windows and clear out enough furniture so buyers can see how the rooms work. And consider professional staging. In my experience, good staging is worth every penny and can be worth four times what you spend. A good stager can show buyers how to use that awkward front room or make a small bedroom feel like it actually fits a bed. Do it before the photographer comes.
2. The price is wrong
One of the easiest traps for a seller is to hear that homes are selling 10% over asking and add that 10% to their own asking price. The asking price helped create the competition in the first place.
Buyers know what else they can get for the money. They’ve seen the kitchen around the corner and the house with the extra bathroom. If your price puts you up against homes that offer more, they may skip the showing. And after a few quiet weekends, the conversation can shift from “How much do we need to offer?” to “How much room do you think they have?”
3. The photos give buyers a reason to keep scrolling
Bad photos do a huge disservice to a home. Most buyers see your house on a phone before they see it from the sidewalk. A dark photo can make a sunny room look dreary, and an awkward angle can make it impossible to tell how the rooms connect.
Hire a professional who knows how to photograph homes. Show how the dining room opens onto the porch. Capture the afternoon light in the living room. If the backyard is the best part, move it up in the photo lineup. Give buyers a reason to put your house on their Saturday list.
4. The house is hard to show, or it isn’t ready when buyers arrive
Requiring a day’s advance notice or taking hours to approve a showing can cost you a visit. By the time you reply, the buyer and their agent may have already filled that slot with another house.
Then there’s what happens once they get inside. It’s hard to imagine living somewhere when the owner is in the next room, the dog is doing laps around the kitchen, yesterday’s dishes are in the sink and there’s laundry on the bathroom floor. Buyers may forget which house had the blue dining room, but they’ll remember the one that smelled like a wet dog. Make it easy to book a showing, step out if you can and give buyers time to look around and talk freely.
5. An inspection issue sends the house back to market
A house can get an offer quickly and still wind up sitting. The inspection turns up recurring water in the basement or a roof near the end of its life. The buyer and seller can’t agree on how to handle it, and the house goes back on the market. Now the next buyer’s first question is “What happened to the first deal?”
We know SOMA houses are need a lot of love so your agent should walk through with you before you list and help you sort out which repairs are worth doing now and which you can let slide. A sticking closet door can probably wait. A basement that takes on water every time it rains deserves a closer look. For bigger concerns, a contractor’s assessment, a written estimate or records of past repairs can help buyers understand what they’re taking on.
Before you list, walk through your house as if you were seeing it for the first time. Start at the curb, look at the photos on your phone and ask what you’d want to know before making an offer. It’s easier to answer those questions now than after three quiet weekends.
Here is our latest market report for South Orange:
Here is our latest market report for Maplewood:
Fall is a great time to start getting ready for the 2027 spring market. Contact us at [email protected] for a complimentary market analysis. We’ll help you understand where your home fits in today’s market, decide what to tackle and what can wait, and plan confidently for your happy next chapter.
