When to Lower the Price of Your House

Every home seller expects their house to sell quickly, especially if you live in a fast-moving real estate market. But what do you do if those offers don’t start rolling in as quickly as you expect — or at all?

Pricing your home to sell is a bit of an art form, which is why many sellers end up adjusting their list price within a few weeks. Nationwide, 27.1% of the homes listed for sale had a price cut in July 2026 — the start of the slower fall season, according to Zillow® economic data. As of June 2026 (the most recent available data) about 31% of sold homes went for over the listed price.

If you’re thinking about lowering your asking price, consider this: The first weeks a home is on the market are often the most valuable. Buyer interest tends to be highest when a listing is new, and that early competition is what drives strong offers. When early momentum stalls, buyers start to ask why, even if the answer has nothing to do with the home itself. 

What’s more, if you live in a strong sellers market, Zillow data shows your odds of selling for list price, and quickly, are much higher. 

So is it the right time for you to consider a price adjustment? Consider these factors below.

When to reduce your house price

Nearby comps are priced lower

When you select a list price for your home, you obviously hope to sell for as much as possible, while still being competitive with other listings. Take a second look at other similar homes for sale in your neighborhood. Is it possible you priced your home too high given your current market? Are other similar homes selling more quickly?

You’re not receiving offers

While there are many possible reasons why no one’s biting on your home, price is often the culprit. If you’re in a seller’s market with tight inventory, your listing is more likely to get attention (and offers) if it’s priced right. (As of July 2026, the typical home for sale went from listing to pending in about 25 days.) If buyers feel like they can find a similar home at a better value, they’re unlikely to put in an offer, or even set up a showing. If people are viewing your listing online but not submitting an offer, or you’re hosting well-attended open houses with no results, the price could be the problem.

But don’t always assume price is the issue. If your home is receiving plenty of views, but people aren’t going any further, it may be an issue with the listing itself. Do you have good photos? Does your description give the reader lots of information about your home and its features? Do they understand what the floorplan is like? 

If you’re getting a lot of potential buyers touring your home, but no offers are coming in, it may be something that can’t be conveyed in a listing, like the scent of your home. If you’re working with an agent, make sure you discuss what the issue could be.

You’re having few showings

Speaking of showings, the foot traffic coming through the door is a great indicator of the attractiveness of your list price. Open house and showing traffic tend to drop off after the first two weeks, so you’ll know pretty quickly if your price isn’t resonating with buyers.

You’re getting showings, but low or no offers

If people are touring your home, and coming with offers slightly below your asking price, it could be a sign that you’re only a little off the mark. If they’re coming in with offers way below asking, it’s likely a sign that your home is desirable, but not competitive with other homes for sale.  

Your home appraised low

If you get an offer at your asking price, but the home appraises well below it, that means it’s priced too high. If the contract falls through because of the low appraisal, you can use those findings to inform whether you’ll cut the price moving forward. Zillow’s research found that when an offer a seller received fell through, 28% of them said it was because the appraisal was lower than the purchase price.

Your home has been listed longer than average

Nationally, homes go from listing to pending in 25 days, on average. Some markets take longer and others shorter — but if you’re not getting interest after the typical timeline in your market, it could be time to adjust. Your agent should know whether the time on market is too long for your location, but you can also look at Zillow data to see how quickly homes in your area sell.  

Buyer feedback is negative

Ask your agent what buyers and other agents are saying during showings and open houses. If buyers are being turned off by the price after seeing it, you may have reason to rethink your price in relation to others on the market.

Marketing steps to take before a price reduction

Before reducing your price, it’s a good idea to step back and make sure the price is really the issue, and it’s not an issue of ineffective marketing.

Load up the photos and videos

Even though your home may be appealing in person, if your listing has low-quality photos (or worse, none at all), you’ll never get buyers through the door. Professional real estate photos are almost always worth the money, especially in a competitive market. 

You might also benefit from adding more information to your listing, as serious buyers may filter out listings using specific terms or specifications. Plus, if something is a dealbreaker — like smaller floorplan than a potential buyer would like — the people who show up to tour your home already know this, so it’s one less deterrent. Consider working with a Zillow Premier Agent partner so they can add a 3D home virtual tour or use ShowingTime+ to help buyers get a better feel for your home’s layout, and so they can help you write up a great description of your home that lays out all the important details that may help you sell.

Ensure your online listing is complete

Make sure your listing description is putting your house in its best possible light. Be sure to showcase the home’s best features, share information about what makes the neighborhood special, and pack it full of the keywords buyers love. A local real estate agent should be able to give you insights into the most popular home features in your area.

Make sure your home is listed in multiple places

Whether you’re working with an agent or selling for sale by owner (FSBO), you should make sure that your home is showing up in multiple places, including on your local MLS, on Zillow, on other real estate search sites, and on social media. If you’re using an agent, touch base with them about their online marketing plan for your home.

Post signage in prominent locations

Make sure you have plenty of visible signs around the neighborhood, including rider signs that call out your new price (“Price Reduced" or "New Price") as well as clear directional signs guiding buyers to your open houses from the nearest main road. You can extend your reach with print marketing too: "Just Reduced" postcards to nearby streets might help, since neighbors may know someone looking to move in.

Address buyer feedback

Potential buyers that toured your home but didn’t end up making an offer are a great resource. If you set up these past showings yourself, consider asking for feedback directly. If you’re working with an agent, have them follow up after showings to ask for constructive criticism. Then, take action on any fixable pieces of feedback — and try not to take it personally.

Check your Zestimate

Zillow uses a proprietary algorithm to estimate the market value for every home listed on Zillow where relevant information is available. This Zestimate is intended as a starting point for determining a home’s value, and could help you gauge whether your pricing is in the ballpark. The Zestimate takes into account the specifics of a home, market data (including comps), and off-market data such as previous sales and public records. It also incorporates market trends, including seasonal fluctuations and demand. You can fine-tune the Zestimate on your home by making sure your home’s details are accurate.

Price reduction strategies

Act quickly

As we mentioned earlier, the number of showings and open house attendees drops off significantly after the first few weeks your listing is active, so don’t wait to take action. If you’re realizing you need to reduce the price, don’t wait.

Be realistic

When discussing what your new, lower price will be, make sure you’re comfortable with the amount. What’s the lowest you can accept and successfully move on from the sale? It’s not a good price if you’re not realistically able to take the amount. Consider the costs involved and your timeline. Do you need to sell now? Do you think you’d do better waiting for the right buyer, and can you afford to lower the price even more if the right buyer doesn’t come along. If you want to explore different scenarios, try the Home Sale Calculator.

See what other sellers are doing

Use Zillow’s neighborhood-by-neighborhood data to see what other sellers are up to. How long are they waiting to make a price adjustment? How much are they cutting the price? Get clues from recent sales to gauge your timing and discount.

Reduce the price only once

Nobody likes to make a price cut, so sellers are often inclined to make multiple small price adjustments to ease the pain. Avoid this strategy — it can take multiple small reductions before buyers finally take notice, so you’ll only end up prolonging the sales process. Instead, decide on a cut that’s significant enough to jump-start interest in your home. According to Zillow data, the typical U.S. listing received $25,000 in cumulative price cuts.

Tap your agent’s expertise

The good news is that you don’t have to go it alone. An agent can do the heavy lifting for you, researching comps, recommending improvements that will bring a good return on investment, and strategizing on the best time to list to sell for the most money. And when it comes time to set the price, your agent will be able to give you honest feedback on pricing that takes into account your personal situation and goals.