If your property has been sitting on Rightmove or Zoopla with little more than the occasional viewing and a handful of low offers, you’re not alone. Across the UK, sellers are realising that time on the market kills momentum—and the single biggest culprit isn’t presentation, marketing, or even location.
It’s price.
Buyers are spoilt for choice. With more stock on the market than at any point in the last decade, they can afford to be picky. That dream of “waiting for the right buyer or price” is, frankly, outdated. Homes no longer sell themselves.
The days of 2021–2022, when people were queueing round the block and bidding wars pushed prices sky high, are over. We’re now in a market where:
Asking prices have plateaued.
Buyers are ultra price sensitive.
Overvalued homes linger, while competitively priced ones still move quickly.
Put simply: buyers are more savvy these days and there is a raft of house price data available online so they know when a property is overpriced, and they move on instantly.
Setting your price too high doesn’t “leave room to negotiate.” It shuts buyers out completely. Most won’t even book a viewing if the price looks unrealistic compared to similar homes.
The longer your property sits unsold:
It develops a digital stigma. Buyers start wondering, “What’s wrong with it?”
You risk chasing the market down with repeated price drops.
Eventually, you sell for less than if you’d priced correctly from day one.
The cruel truth is that a home attracts the most interest in its first three weeks on the market. Miss that window, and momentum is hard to recover. Rightmove's own analysis shows that a house that is sat on the market for more than six weeks - is 53% less likely to sell at all.
If you recognise any of these red flags, it’s not the market—it’s your price:
Little to no viewing activity.
Feedback that fixates on negatives (“rooms feel small”, “needs too much work”).
Only receiving cheeky lowball offers.
Your home has been listed far longer than the local average.
These aren’t problems marketing can solve. They’re symptoms of a price mismatch.
Here’s the encouraging part: a small price adjustment can completely change buyer behaviour.
Drop into the right bracket and you instantly reach more people searching online.
A realistic figure triggers urgency—buyers know they can’t afford to dawdle.
You create competition, which drives stronger offers.
And remember: if you’ve owned your home for 5, 10, or 20 years, your equity growth means you’re still walking away ahead.
Sellers often anchor their expectations to what their neighbour sold for last summer, or what they “need” to achieve. But the market doesn’t care about wishful thinking.
Pricing is about positioning: finding the sweet spot that attracts enough serious buyers to secure a deal, without letting your property languish.
In today’s market, patience isn’t a plan. Hoping for “the right buyer at the wrong price” is the surest way to stall your sale.
Price with precision, act with intent, and you’ll sell. It’s that simple.
If you are thinking of selling your home or are currently sitting on the market and frustrated with the lack of interest, please call Joe, Patrick or Maurice on 0161 428 3663 to arrange a free sales and marketing consultation, where we will help you position your price to attract interest, e-mail sales@mkiea.co.uk or visit our website and book an appointment online here Book a Free Sales & Marketing Consultation
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