When you see a house that’s been sitting on the market for a while, the reaction is almost automatic. You start thinking:

1. What’s wrong with it?

2. Why hasn’t anyone bought it yet?

3. Am I missing something?

That mindset made sense a few years ago. But in today’s market, it could actually cause you to miss out on a solid opportunity.

Not long ago, homes were selling in just a few days — sometimes even hours. Anything that lingered longer than that raised red flags. But that’s no longer the baseline.

Inventory has increased, buyers have more options, and homes are taking longer to sell across the board. That’s why the typical time it takes for a home to sell has gone up this year.

And it’s not that around 70+ days on the market is “slow.” That’s actually fairly normal for this time of year. It just feels slow compared to the buying frenzy of a few years ago, when homes were snapped up almost instantly.

That shift alone explains a lot of what you’re seeing. It’s not necessarily that there’s something wrong with the home itself — although, to be fair, sometimes that is the case.

Most of the time today, a home that’s taking longer to sell simply means:

1. There are more homes for sale in that area

2. The seller priced it a little too high at first

3. The home didn’t stand out in online photos

4. Buyers chose flashier or newer listings nearby

5. The timing just wasn’t right when it first hit the market

None of these are automatic deal-breakers.

It’s easy to assume that a home that hasn’t sold must have hidden problems. But that’s not always true. And if there are issues, they’ll usually come up during the inspection.

That’s valuable information — and often a tool for negotiation, not a reason to walk away immediately. In fact, homes that have been overlooked are often where buyers find the best deals.

The key is knowing which homes that have been sitting on the market are worth a second look — and which ones aren’t. That’s where working with a local real estate agent really makes a difference. An experienced agent can review disclosures, pricing history, and market conditions to help uncover potential hidden gems that other buyers may be skipping over.

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Bottom line

A home sitting on the market isn’t always a warning sign. Sometimes, it’s simply an overlooked opportunity.

💼 If you want help figuring out which homes are worth a second look — and which ones to pass on — let’s talk.