How Long Will It Take To Sell My House?

Navigating the real estate market can feel overwhelming. Sellers often wonder how long it may take to sell their home. Certainly, your selling timeline can vary significantly based on several factors, including market demand, the specific features of your home, and local conditions. If your home checks all the boxes for many different types of buyers, then you have a larger buyer pool. This will help your home sell faster because more buyers are looking for what you have. This doesn’t mean that if you have a smaller buyer pool your home is worse in some way. In fact, in our market, high-end homes and larger homes, have a smaller buyer pool. While many people may want a million-dollar lake house or a 5 bedroom colonial, most of them aren’t shopping for that. Because it’s not in their budget or it’s a bigger house than they need. These types of properties may take a little longer to sell.

In the North Country there is even a significant difference between counties. Clinton County has homes selling in an average of 60 days, with sellers averaging an impressive 96.4% of the list price, suggesting a relatively swift sale for well-prepared and competitively priced homes.

In contrast, Essex County has a longer average of 136 days on the market, with homes selling for about 94.7% of their list prices.

Franklin County lies in the middle, with homes averaging 116 days on the market and selling at 93.8% of the list price.

Several factors influence these sale times. Market conditions play a significant role; in a seller’s market, where demand outweighs supply, homes sell more quickly, while a buyer’s market may lead to longer sale times. Essex county tends to have more second homes, vacation areas as well as a strong contrast of rural areas. This isn’t bad, it just creates a small buyer pool for each home listed. Pricing is always key; homes priced too high may linger, while those priced competitively attract buyers more quickly.

The condition and presentation of the home are vital as well; a well-maintained and inviting home can lead to quicker offers. Having professional photos to put your best foot forward online is also important. Most buyers start their search online and even after they’ve seen homes in person, they go back to the online photos to remember the layout, the back yard and show their friends and family. You really do only get one chance to make a first impression.

Ultimately, if your reaching people online and getting views, but no showings or no offers, price is your biggest tool to increase your buyer pool. There is no problem that price won’t fix. Meaning if you reduce the price enough, you’ll be in a new pool of buyers where they find the value in it. If you don’t have a specific timeline to move and your agent says the market supports your price (based on comparable sales and their professional experience) then you wait to see if a buyer comes along that is the right match for your house at your price.

Understanding these dynamics will help set realistic expectations as you prepare to sell your home. While patience is often a virtue in real estate, reviewing the data will help you know if you’re on track. There’s a buyer out there for every home—it just takes some time.