When a Boston condo is not selling, what should you do. Here’s the answer

Boston Condos for Sale and Apartments for Rent

When a Boston condo is not selling, what should you do. Here’s the answer

Online searches for “can’t sell house” just hit an all-time high according to Google Trends. So, if your Boston condo has been sitting on the market without any bites, you’re not the only one. But it’s also not the end of the road. 

Boston condos are selling every day, so you can turn this around. You just need to take another look at your approach.

If you’re feeling this pain, know this: an online search engine isn’t where you should go for your answers. It’s much better to talk to your agent. Because a search engine doesn’t know your market or your Boston condo. But your agent does.

While a quick search or an AI platform may give you some tips on what to try, only an expert agent can actually diagnosis what’s going on – and how to fix it.

For example, your agent knows most homes that struggle to sell today are usually being held back by one (or more) of these three things.

1. Presentation: Buyers Will Compare Everything

When inventory was tight a few years ago, buyers overlooked imperfections because they had to, or they’d lose out to another bidder. Now? That’s no longer the case.

Today’s buyers scroll through dozens of listings in just minutes. They compare condition, updates, lighting, finishes, layout, and more – all side by side. If your home feels dated, cluttered, or in need of repairs, buyers will notice and it’ll knock your house right off their list of contenders.

This doesn’t mean you need a full renovation. But it does mean first impressions matter again. To compete today, you need curb appeal. Clean spaces. Neutral colors. Professional photos. If there are scuffs on the walls, obvious repairs, or too many outdated features, it could be what’s holding you back.

2. Pricing: If the Price Isn’t Compelling, It’s Not Selling

This is maybe the hardest one to hear, but what your neighbor sold their house for a few years ago isn’t necessarily the same price you’ll get today. As Selma Hepp, Chief Economist at Cotality, says:

“For sellers, the days of pricing aggressively and expecting instant offers are largely over. Homes that are well-priced and well-presented will still sell, but pricing discipline matters more than it did during boom years.”

Buyers are budget-conscious right now. If your home is priced based on outdated expectations instead of current demand, buyers may still look at your house online… but they likely won’t write an offer. Or, they’ll make an offer that you think is too low.

Pricing too high for this market is one of the top things sellers miss the mark on today. And those who aren’t willing to meet the market where it is or entertain offers may feel stuck.

3. Access: If Buyers Can’t See It, They Can’t Buy It

It sounds obvious but limited showing availability can kill your momentum. If your house isn’t easy to see because you’re restricting showings to evenings only, no weekends, or requiring a 24-hour notice, you’re cutting your buyer pool down by more than you may realize. 

And the more friction you create, the fewer buyers walk through the door.

In a market where buyers have more options, the last thing you want to do is give them a reason to skip your house. Availability matters because if no one sees it, no one buys it.

Don’t Let Search Results Decide Your Next Step

When your house isn’t selling, it’s tempting to spiral and wonder if it’s the market or if something’s wrong with your house. But instead of searching for answers online, here’s what to do.

Sit down with your agent and ask three honest questions:

• What are buyers looking for in today’s market?
• What feedback are we getting from showings?
• Why do you think my house hasn’t sold yet?

That conversation will bring a lot more clarity than any search engine results.

Bottom Line

If your listing feels stuck, it’s not a sign you shouldn’t sell. It’s the market giving you feedback. And feedback is powerful when you use it.

Start with a real conversation with a real agent about what’s working and what’s not. Your agent will be able to tell you which small adjustments could totally change the momentum. Because in this market, the sellers who adapt are the ones who move.

When a Boston condo is not selling, what should you do. Here’s the answer

It’s been two months since the tariff tantrum so if you’re still using that for an excuse for why your Boston condo isn’t selling, it means the seller and agent haven’t adjusted yet either. Sellers and listing agents want to demonstrate how they are dealing with the constant chaos, because it is standard fare now – and will continue for 3+ years minimum. The tariffs will stick, Trump isn’t going to change, and Maga is here for good – deal with it.

Lowering the list price in any increments is telling buyers that you’re realistic about the new difficulties.

When a Boston condo is not selling, what should you do. Here’s the answer

Where do sellers go wrong?  They don’t properly price their Boston condo properly.

Let me give you an example.

Many Boston condo sellers just pick apart the comps to convince themselves why their Beacon Hill condo is the best around, and then settle on a list price that will show everyone who’s the boss.  If you don’t have any negatives, then you probably will get your price!  But typically Back Bay condo sellers are forced to come to grips with the negatives of their Boston condo, and adjust accordingly.

Do sellers have to lower their price? No, not necessarily.

When it comes to selling your Boston condo, you want three things: to sell it for the most money you can, to do it in a certain amount of time, and to do all of that with the fewest hassles. And, while the current housing market is generally favorable to sellers due to today’s limited Boston condo for sale supply, there are still factors that can cause delays or even prevent a house from selling.

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Here’s the scenario, you listed your property with a reputable Boston real estate broker, but your Back Bay condo is NOT selling. Even worse you’re not even receiving offers. What do you do? In this Boston real estate blog post I’ll provide for you a guide, to help solve this problem.

From  the WSJ article:

Tomer Fridman, a luxury agent with Compass said the prices on some of the homes were exorbitant in the first place, so the reductions represent a long-overdue correction. “When you do a price adjustment at this level, that seller has to make it impactful,” he said. “You have to show you mean business.”

Once a home is for sale but not selling, how do you know what to do? Just dump on price? Lower in small increments and risk irritating buyers? Isn’t there a guide somewhere?

Both buyers and sellers can apply my List-Price-Accuracy Gauge:

Once on the open market, if you are……

• Getting visitors and offers, you are within 5% of being right on price.
• Getting visitors but no offers, you are 5% to 10% wrong on price.
• Not getting visitors, then you are more than 10% wrong on price.

It’s nothing personal, it’s just a simple guide to know how close you are to selling.

The serious buyers rush out the first week to take a look, but after that it’s crickets, with only an occasional visitor. It is tough for sellers to cope, or make adjustments. But once the initial urgency has expired, you have to do something – don’t just sit there.

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How quickly should sellers make adjustments? The DOM clock is ticking!

0-14 days on market – Hot property, sellers have max negotiating power.

15-30 days on market – Buyers get suspicious, want to pay under list.

30+ days on market – The jig is up, and buyers expect deep discounts.

After being unsold for two weeks, sellers will suspect that something is wrong. But it is natural to resist changing the price and instead blame everything else.

Sellers, and agents, need to shake that off and act quickly to keep the urgency higher. The first price reduction should be for at least 5% and happen in the first 15-30 days for maximum effectiveness. If the home doesn’t sell in the next two weeks, then another 5% is in order, and by then the fluff is eliminated.

Where do Boston condo sellers go wrong?  They don’t properly price in the negatives.

Typically sellers just pick apart the comps to convince themselves why their home is the best around, and then settle on a list price that will show everyone who’s the boss.  If you don’t have any negatives, then you probably will get your price!  But typically sellers are forced to come to grips with the negatives of their house, and adjust accordingly.

Do sellers have to lower their price? No, not necessarily.

There are other alternatives:

1.  Make your house easier to show.  Listing agents who insist on buyers jumping several hurdles just to see the home aren’t realistic about today’s market conditions. Make the home easy to see!

2.  Fix the problems.  New carpet and paint is the best thing you can do: 1) it looks clean, 2) it smells new, 3) you have to clean out your house to install it, and 4) you are managing a business transaction now – it is the logical solution.  Utilize staging too.

3.  Improve the Internet presence. Have at least a 12-25 hi-res photos and a simple youtube tour.

4.  Wait for the market to catch up.  If unsold for 60+ days, cancel and try again later – probably next year.

5. Reset the Days-on-Market stat.  As long as the MLS allows agents to refresh their listings, then it’s in the best interest of the seller to reset the DOM.  It is a gimmick, and instead sellers should concentrate on creating real value for buyers – that’s what will cause them to pay more.

The longer it takes to sell, the more discount the buyers will be expecting – usually about a 1% off for each week on the market.  When other homes are flying off the market, the buyers’ obvious conclusion is that your price is wrong, and they load up the lowball offers.

Even if you complete one or all of the five ideas above, don’t be surprised if you need to lower the price too. Keep it attractive!

Source: Wall Street Journal

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