Discover Average Days on the Market for Texas Listings & What to Do If Your House Has Been on the Market for Too Long
Selling a house in Texas can come with a lot of unknowns. Days or weeks could pass without a serious offer — or exciting offers could fall through for any number of reasons. No matter why your Texas house is still on the market, it can leave you uneasy, uncertain about what to do next, and wondering about your options.
Here’s what you need to know to figure out:
- How Long Is Too Long for Texas Listings to Be on the Market?
- What Home Buyers Think When Homes Sit on the Market for “Too Long”
- What Can I Do If My House Has Been On the Market for Too Long?
How Long Is Too Long for Texas Listings to Be on the Market?
There’s no simple answer to this question because different homes — and houses in different regions of Texas — can sell faster or slower, based on:
- Price
- Demand
- The local real estate market
- Other factors
That said, check out the table below to see the average days on the market (ADM) for some major metros in Texas. This is from the latest data published by Texas A&M’s Real Estate Research Center.
| Geographic Area | Average Days on the Market for Listed Homes |
| Texas | 56 |
| Dallas | 49 |
| Houston | 52 |
| Austin | 71 |
| San Antonio | 71 |
It’s worth pointing out that the ADM for Texas has dropped by about 3 days since 2020 when it was 59 days or a day shy of two months.
Here’s what all that means for you if you’re selling a home in Texas:
- The average days on the market is an easy way to take the pulse of the real estate market in your area.
- Areas with lower ADMs are usually “hotter” markets where houses sell faster.
- After roughly 90 days, listings can become “stale.”
- After a house has been on the market for a few months in Texas, it may be time to check local listings — and seriously look at whether your listing has been stagnant for too long.
What Do Home Buyers Think When Homes Sit on the Market for “Too Long”?
The longer a house sits on the market, the more likely it is that potential buyers will think that something’s wrong with the home. In fact, if a house for sale stays on the market for weeks, homebuyers will start to make assumptions about that home, like:
- It’s priced too high: Steep asking prices can turn off prospective buyers and mean little to no offers for sellers. And the longer a house has a “For Sale” sign in front of it without an “Under Contract” add-on, it gets more and more likely that buyers will question the price and whether it’s excessive for the area.
- There’s something wrong with the house: If it looks like there was some interest in a home and then the deal fell through (and the house goes back up on the market), buyers can fill in the blanks and start to wonder if problems came up in the home inspection. That can make them second guess any interest in a home and look elsewhere instead.
So, time on the market is a critical factor that savvy home sellers need to keep an eye on if they’re serious about unloading a house and getting the best price for it in the process.
What Can I Do If My House Has Been On the Market for Too Long?
When your house just won’t sell, you can feel like you’re at the end of your rope, but you are NOT without options. In fact, there’s a lot you can do to try to get things moving, regenerate interest, or just protect your own interests. Here are some of your best moves when you’re house has been sitting on the market for a while.
1. Update your listing.
If you’re not getting a lot of interest in viewings or open houses, your listing could be the problem. So, check out what’s showing up online, carefully going over each part of the listing, including the:
- Description: Did you explain the layout, dimensions, and basic features? Did you highlight the unique and attractive features, indoors and out? Read the description and ask someone you trust to read it as well, so you can get some feedback. Consider rewriting the listing description (and get tips for doing that here).
- Photos: Are there enough photos of the house? Are they clear, well-lit, and well-angled? If your listing doesn’t have great photos, it could reflect poorly on you and the home you’re trying to sell. So, take high-quality, high-resolution pictures for your listing. It’s also smart to create video tours and consider hiring a pro to help with this part, so your house looks its best in the listing (that’s the first chance you get to attract buyers!).
Refreshing your listing could be enough to create fresh interest and get buyers looking at your house.
2. Drop your asking price.
Price reductions on homes can spark renewed interest from prospective buyers. In fact, a lower price can move your house into new pricing brackets in online search filters, exposing it to more (and new) shoppers.
Additionally, housing price drops can also motivate buyers who may have been interested to finally take action and see the house or make a real offer on it.
3. Do some repairs or updates to the home.
If you’ve shown the house and you know some features are less attractive or appealing to buyers, you may want to update, repair, or replace those elements to get your house in better condition to sell. With this, it can be smart to:
- Take a house off the market while the repairs or updates are being made.
- Snap new photos of your home after you complete the updates, so you can show off changes in your new listing.
- Time your relisting right, so it debuts as “fresh,” rather than stale.
4. Get a new real estate agent.
Sometimes, switching Realtors can help when houses just aren’t selling. If an agent is overloaded, new to the job, or inexperienced with the area, your listing could suffer — and it could end up taking far longer to sell the house.
By switching agents and finding an experienced pro to partner with, sellers may get the knowledge, resources, and marketing help they need to sell their house faster and walk away happy.
Get Experienced Help Selling a House in Texas
Not sure if your house has been on the market for too long — or if you should accept an offer? Are you ready for trusted advice from an experienced pro? If so, it’s time to talk to a 5-star Realtor® at New Home Gurus of Gurus Realty.
We guide, advise, and support sellers and buyers through the home purchase process, assisting with offers, contingencies, negotiations, and closing. Plus, we’ll split our commission with you at closing.
Home sellers and buyers who work with New Home Gurus can get back an average of $4,500 to $12,000 at closing.
How Much Cash Can You Get After Closing?
Call (281) 668-8124 or Contact Us to Find Out Now
We are standing by, ready to answer your questions and explain the details of our commission-sharing program.