Why does it take so long to sell my house?

If homeowners overvalue their homes, it may take years for them to sell

Here's how to determine the appropriate price and why it might expedite the sales process.

According to new research, nearly half of UK homes listed in the last three years did not sell because many homeowners failed to price them appropriately.

According to a Zoopla survey of 2,064 people, 44% of homeowners listed their properties but were unable to sell them, and 34% of them said the asking price was too high even though they thought the property was fairly valued beforehand.

In the meantime, 53% of respondents who did sell within the previous three years claimed that in order to get a buyer, they had to lower their asking price.

BFIA's current problems. According to separate Zoopla data, in the first three months of 2026, the average home sold for 3.5 percent less than the asking price, or 18,800 less, as sellers repriced their properties to attract bids.

Recent Videos From IMG Zoopla Executive Director Richard Donnell stated: "Nearly half of listed homes never sell." That depends on a few choices, the first of which is determining the current value of your house. It has nothing to do with chance or the market.

"Many homeowners are out of touch with their home's potential value because the average homeowner selling in 2025 had lived there for nine years. The "

In a different article, we reveal the characteristics that buyers most want in a home.

Property pressure is being felt by sellers.

According to a Zoopla survey, sellers are undervaluing their properties because they are hurrying the process.

Nearly a third (32%) of those who did not sell their homes in the previous three years made an offer on another property before learning the value of their own, and more than six out of ten (61%) looked at other properties before obtaining a valuation.

Therefore, rather than the actual market value of their current home, more than one in five (21%) stated that their asking price was impacted by what they needed for their next property.

It was discovered that younger sellers who were eager to move up were more likely to try to test the market and sell their house for more than it was actually worth.

Compared to 63% of sellers 65 and older, just over half (52%) of sellers under 35 were able to sell their home in the previous three years.

Scaling up to a larger home accounted for 44% of sellers under 35, while downsizing accounted for 34% of sellers 65 and older.

Younger sellers were under pressure to increase their asking prices, as evidenced by the fact that 20% of those under 35 reported overpricing a property in the previous three years.

In another article, we examine whether this is a good time to sell.

How to accurately price your house in an effort to sell it sooner.

By accurately valuing your house, you can increase the likelihood that potential buyers will make an offer rather than passing on it while doing their research.

Online valuation tools are available for free on several websites and property portals, including Rightmove and Zoopla.

Zoopla bases its estimates on information from the HM Land Registry and Registers of Scotland, official survey records, listings of real estate for sale and rental, and Energy Performance Certificates (EPC).

Additionally, Rightmoves' valuation tool aggregates data from the Registers of Scotland, the HM Land Registry, and live listings on its website.

You can find out how much local homes have sold for on the Land Registry website.

In the interim, you could hire a local market-savvy real estate agent to value your property; many will do it for free.

It may be alluring to test the market with an exorbitant asking price, but doing so will probably cause the selling process to take longer.

Managing director Polly Ogden Duffy of real estate firm John D. Wood and Co. stated: "Sellers frequently worry about underselling, but it's actually much simpler to oversell a property than undersell it." If a house is overpriced, buyers will simply move on, and it will almost certainly require a reduction in price in the future. The "

Keep an eye out for buyer signals as well. You may have overpriced your property, your listing has bad photos, or your house makes a bad first impression if viewings aren't turning into solid offers.

"Think carefully about how your property is presented both online and at the kerb. First impressions really do matter and be prepared to adapt your strategy if your initial approach hasn't landed," stated Mark Manning, managing director of independent real estate firm Northern Estate Agencies Group. Sellers who just wait and hope something changes are almost always the ones who struggle. The "