British Columbia · Seller Report
Before you reduce the price, find out whether price is actually the problem.
A stale listing has exactly one of four problems, and the reflex — cut the price — only fixes one of them. Cutting the price when the photographs are the issue just means selling a badly presented home for less.
The diagnosis takes ten minutes, and your agent already has every number you need.
Step one
Get the three numbers
Ask your agent for these in writing. All three exist and all three are yours.
- Online views — how many people have looked at the listing on MLS® and the portals.
- Showings — how many have actually booked a viewing.
- Written feedback — verbatim, from every showing. Not a summary. The exact words.
Step two
Match the pattern to the problem
Few views, few showings → a reach problem
The listing is not getting in front of people. Check the basics: is it syndicating to the major portals? Is the first photograph strong on a phone? Is it in the right price band for how buyers search — a home at $1,010,000 is invisible to everyone filtering at $1,000,000. Are the keywords and property type right?
This is the rarest of the four, and the easiest to fix.
Plenty of views, few showings → a presentation or price problem
People are finding it and choosing not to visit. That decision is made on the photographs and the price, together. Either the images are not selling the home, or the price is out of line with what the images show.
The fix is usually photographs first. New images, after decluttering, cost a few hundred dollars. A price cut costs tens of thousands. Try the cheaper one first.
Plenty of showings, no offers → a price problem, clearly
People are coming and not writing. This is the market telling you something specific and consistent: the home is priced above where its condition and location sit.
Read the verbatim feedback. If four separate buyers mention the same thing — the kitchen, the road noise, the layout, the yard — that is not an opinion, that is your answer. Either fix it or price for it.
Offers, but all too low → an expectations problem
The hardest one to hear. If several independent buyers have all landed in the same range, that range is what the market thinks your home is worth. Buyers are not conspiring.
The question becomes whether you can accept that number or would rather not sell now. Both are legitimate. What does not work is waiting for a buyer who values it the way you do.
Step three
Fix the right thing, in the right order
- Fix the photographs firstCheapest, fastest, most often the actual problem. Declutter properly, clean the windows, then reshoot professionally in good light. Change the lead image.
- Fix the copyReplace generic adjectives with specifics buyers search for: the catchment, the legal suite, the new roof, the south-facing yard, the walk to transit.
- Fix what the feedback keeps sayingIf it is cheap — paint, carpet, a light fixture, clearing the garage — do it. If it is structural or locational, you cannot fix it and the price has to reflect it.
- Then, and only then, adjust the priceIn one meaningful move, to a number the comparables support. Small repeated reductions signal weakness and invite buyers to wait for the next one.
- Consider a proper relaunchIf it has been sitting for months, taking it off market briefly and coming back with new photographs at a realistic price works far better than a continuous reduction spiral.
The one thing to be honest with yourself about
If three agents told you $950,000 and you listed at $1.05 million with the one who agreed, no amount of marketing will close that gap. The comparables have not changed because you disagreed with them.
That is uncomfortable, and it is not a criticism — almost every seller overvalues their own home, because you are the only person who knows what happened in it. But the market is not negotiating with you. It has already answered.
Questions we get asked
How long is too long on the market?
It depends entirely on property type and area — compare against the median days on market for homes genuinely like yours, not against a general market figure. As a rule of thumb, if you are past twice the local median with no offers, something is wrong and it needs diagnosing rather than waiting out.
Will changing agents fix it?
If the problem is marketing, communication or presentation, possibly. If the problem is price, no — a new agent will show you the same comparables. Diagnose first, then decide. Switching to avoid an uncomfortable conversation just repeats it in three months.
Should I reduce in small steps or one big cut?
One meaningful cut, to a number the evidence supports. A series of small reductions tells every watching buyer that another one is coming, so they wait. It also lengthens your days-on-market figure, which weakens you further.
Does taking it off the market really help?
It can, if you change something real while it is off. A break plus new photographs, genuine decluttering and a realistic price relaunches well. A break followed by the same listing at the same price does nothing — buyers’ agents can see the history.
Get a second opinion, free
Send us the address. We will look at the price, the photographs, the copy and the comparable sales, and tell you honestly which of the four problems you have — even if the answer is that your agent is right.
Call 778‑234‑2000 Prefer to write? Send a message insteadPlease note: Market conditions, days on market and buyer behaviour vary by area, property type and price band. This page is general information about British Columbia and Canadian rules, current at the time of writing, and is not legal, tax, financial or mortgage advice. Figures and programs change — confirm anything you intend to rely on with the relevant authority or a qualified professional. Sonny Bhinder is a licensed REALTOR®, not a lawyer, accountant or mortgage broker. Not intended to solicit properties currently listed for sale, or to cause a breach of an existing agency relationship.