When your house has been sitting on the market longer than you ever expected, you get stressed.
You probably keep checking the listing, hoping for new views or showing requests. You watch other homes nearby sell quickly. And you can’t help but wonder what’s wrong with yours.
The “For Sale” sign in your front yard that once had you daydreaming about your next chapter is starting to feel like a scarlet letter.
Why won’t my house sell?
When a home doesn’t sell, it’s rarely because of one thing. It’s a combination of factors that buyers pick up on instantly, even when sellers can’t see them.
We’ve helped Colorado Springs homeowners get unstuck in this exact situation.The good news is that most of these issues can be fixed if you act quickly. The first step is to cut through the BS and talk about the real reasons your house isn’t selling and what you can do about it.
Pricing is the #1 reason homes sit on the market. But it’s not just about being “too expensive.” It’s about how buyers and agents search.
Serious buyers don’t casually browse homes for fun. They shop in brackets: $350K-$400K, $400K-$450K, $450K-$500K, etc. So, when you price at $399,000, you’ll show up for people searching up to $400K, but not for those starting at $400K and above. You’re invisible to an entire group of qualified buyers.
How to drop your listing price: If you’re going to lower your price, make it count. A $5,000 likely won’t drop you into a new MLS bracket or change buyer behavior. You need a shift of $10,000 to $20,000 that puts you in front of fresh eyes.
When that happens, every buyer in the MLS who is a match gets an automatic notification. That means new attention from qualified potential buyers, new showings, and a better shot at offers.
We cannot stress this enough: bad photography is absolutely killing your sale. And this happens more than you’d think.
Hiring a professional photographer isn’t optional anymore. NAR data backs this up: 85% of buyers say photos are the most valuable feature when they’re scrolling listings online. Properties with 20+ high-quality photos sell in 30 days on average, compared to homes with a handful of mediocre shots that take 70 days.
What makes photography work:
Photography Red Flags:
Don’t Be a Victim of the Virtual Staging Trap: Stop it. Seriously, just stop. Virtual staging creates this massive disconnect when buyers walk in the door and find your house either empty or looking completely different from what they saw online. They can’t tell if their couch will fit. They feel catfished. It’s lazy marketing disguised as innovation, and buyers hate it.
Buyers aren’t looking for a house that’s perfect for you; they’re looking for a house they can imagine being perfect for them. When your family photos cover every wall, your kids’ toys are scattered everywhere, and your very specific decorating style dominates every room, buyers can’t see past your life to envision theirs.
This is where thoughtful staging makes a huge difference. Staged homes sell 88% faster and for 20% more than non-staged homes. Read that again. That’s the difference between selling this month and still being on the market on Christmas.
Here’s what you need to do:
Colorado Springs Specific Tip: Our market can move fast when homes are priced and presented right. Spring and summer selling seasons bring prime opportunities, but that also means more competition. Homes that show well immediately cut through the noise and win.
Here’s what happens in a buyer’s brain when they walk through your home: they’re not appreciating your upgrades or admiring your layout. They’re hunting for reasons to negotiate or bail entirely.
Every little unfinished project and bit of peeling paint makes a buyer think that you might not have maintained the big stuff either.
If you can’t be bothered to fix a loose cabinet handle or replace a $2 light switch plate, buyers start thinking: “If they didn’t handle the small stuff, what’s lurking behind the walls? Is the roof leaking? Is the HVAC about to die?”
Fair? Maybe not. Reality? Absolutely.
Small Fixes to Double-Check:
None of these repairs costs much or takes forever. A Saturday and a few hundred bucks, max. But collectively, they send a powerful message that your home has been cared for. And that’s worth thousands in buyer confidence.
Buyers make up their minds about your house within 10 seconds of pulling up to the curb. If your lawn is patchy, your landscaping is doing its best jungle impression, your mailbox is rusted, or your front door looks like it hasn’t seen paint since 2005, they’re already forming negative opinions before they even walk inside.
First impressions are everything.
Quick Curb Appeal Wins:
The Bad Neighbor Factor: Unfortunately, sometimes it’s not even your curb appeal that’s bad, it’s your neighbors’. If the house next door has cars on blocks in the driveway, knee-high grass, and a yard full of “treasures,” buyers absolutely notice. You can’t fix your neighbors (trust me, we wish you could). But you might need to adjust your price to account for what buyers perceive as location risk.
Putting your house on the MLS and sticking a sign in the yard is the bare minimum, not real estate marketing. In Colorado Springs, homes that sell quickly have real estate agents who are actively and creatively promoting them.
Real Estate Marketing Should Look Like:
Ask your agent: “What are you doing to market my home?” If they can’t show you specific platforms, ad spend, reach numbers, and engagement data, you’re not being marketed. You’re just listed.
Colorado Springs Market Advantage: With Fort Carson, Peterson Space Force Base, and Schriever Space Force Base nearby, we’ve got a consistent stream of military buyers. Smart marketing should target this audience specifically during PCS (moving) season, with content that addresses their unique needs and compressed timelines. If your agent isn’t tapping into this, you’re missing a huge opportunity.
The Colorado Springs real estate market doesn’t stand still. What was a hot price point three months ago might be oversupplied today. New construction communities can flood certain areas with competing inventory overnight. Interest rate changes shift buyer behavior faster than you can update your listing price.
If your house went on the market when inventory was at 3,500 homes and it’s now at 4,500, you’re competing against significantly more properties. If rates have jumped since you listed, buyers’ purchasing power has decreased substantially, and your price might suddenly be out of reach for your target buyer.
Market Awareness Checklist:
Your agent should be providing this analysis proactively, without you having to ask. If they’re not, you need to demand it. Our market conditions change too quickly to operate on assumptions based on your listing date.
It’s tough, but you need to remember that buyers don’t care about your memories in the home. They don’t care how much you paid for it. They don’t care what you invested in your kitchen remodel. And they definitely don’t care what you need to get out of it to afford your next place.
When sellers get emotionally attached to their price, they reject solid advice from their agent, dismiss negative showing feedback, and hold out for an offer that’s simply not coming.
Meanwhile, the house sits. And sits. And gets stale on the market. And ultimately sells for less than if they’d priced it right from the start.
Pricing Mindset Reset:
The goal here is to sell your home for the best possible price in the shortest amount of time. Sometimes that means accepting hard truths early rather than learning them the painful, expensive way three months later.
If your house has been sitting and you’re seeing yourself in any of these scenarios, here’s your action plan:
This week:
This month:
Here’s the good news: Colorado Springs is still a strong market. We’ve got military stability, a growing tech sector, and people actively choosing to move here for quality of life. Homes that are priced right, presented well, and marketed effectively are absolutely still selling.
The difference between homes that sit and homes that sell often comes down to these eight factors. You don’t need to be perfect in all of them, but you do need to be competitive in most of them.
The hardest part isn’t always identifying what’s wrong. It’s being willing to actually fix it.
If you’re reading this thinking, “I’ve tried some of this, but I need someone who actually gets it and will tell me the truth,” let’s talk.
At Sailing Stone Real Estate, we don’t do cookie-cutter marketing or sugarcoat unrealistic list prices. We look at your specific property, your market position, and what buyers in your area genuinely want, then we create a strategic plan to get your home sold.
No BS. No false promises. Just honest assessment, smart strategy, and marketing that reliably works.
Your home won’t sell itself. But with the right approach, the right price, and the right team in your corner, it will sell. Let’s figure out your path forward.
Give us a call today, and let’s create your action plan to get this done.
Crysta Kehren and the Sailing Stone Real Estate team specialize in strategic home selling in Colorado Springs, Colorado. With deep local market knowledge, no-nonsense guidance, and proven marketing strategies, we help sellers navigate challenging markets and achieve their goals without the real estate BS.
Sailing Stone Real Estate is your home resource whether you’re a fresh-faced newbie to the home-buying scene, a seasoned pro with plenty of houses under your belt, or simply looking to offload that fixer-upper. We know buying or selling a home is a huge deal, which is why we’re here to help you through it no matter what comes our way.
Sailing Stone Agents will keep your buying or selling plans on course. Our seasoned pros have the expertise to steer you clear of financial disasters and guide you toward your real estate goals. Our TOP Priorities are Your Goals, Your Dreams, and Your Peace of Mind.
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