You May Not Want to Skip Over a House That’s Been Sitting on the Market

Should you avoid homes that have been sitting on the market for a while?

Not necessarily. In today’s market, a longer time on market doesn’t automatically mean something’s wrong. In many cases, it signals opportunity—if you know what to look for.

Homes that would’ve been snapped up in days a few years ago are now taking weeks, sometimes months, to sell. That shift has changed how buyers should evaluate listings, especially if your goal is to find value instead of following the crowd.

Why Time on Market Looks Different Than It Used To

If you bought or watched the market between 2020 and 2022, your instincts were trained in a very specific environment. Homes sold in hours. Bidding wars were routine. Anything that didn’t sell immediately raised red flags.

That environment no longer exists.

Inventory has increased. Buyers have more choices. And sellers no longer have the leverage they once did. As a result, homes are staying on the market longer across the board—not just the “problem” listings.

The data reflects this clearly.

Homes Have Been Taking Longer to Sell, and That’s Typical Right Now

Below is a chart showing median days on the market by month in 2025, based on Realtor.com data.



What stands out is that the market naturally slowed earlier in the year, picked up modestly through spring and summer, and is expected to slow again toward the end of the year. A median of around 60–73 days is not a warning sign. It’s simply normal for this point in the cycle.

The key takeaway: longer time on market is now part of the baseline, not an exception.

What a “Stale” Listing Usually Means Today

When a home has been sitting for a while, buyers often assume the worst. In reality, the most common reasons are far more practical—and far less scary.

Most of the time, it comes down to one (or a combination) of these factors:

• The seller priced the home too aggressively at launch
  
  
• The photos or online presentation didn’t make it stand out
  
  
• Competing listings nearby felt newer or flashier
  
  
• The home hit the market during a slower seasonal window
  
  
• Buyers passed it over quickly without taking a closer look
  
  

None of these automatically indicate structural issues, major repairs, or deal-breaking problems. In fact, many of these homes are perfectly solid—they just didn’t win the attention war in the first week.

And attention, not quality, often drives early demand.

Why Buyers Miss Opportunities by Skipping These Homes

In a competitive market, buyers are trained to chase what everyone else wants. That behavior doesn’t always lead to the best outcome.

Homes that sit longer often come with advantages you don’t get on day-one listings, including:

• More flexibility on price
  
  
• Greater willingness to negotiate repairs or concessions
  
  
• Less competition from other buyers
  
  
• More time to think, inspect, and strategize
  
  

If there are issues, they usually show up quickly during inspections. That’s information you can use—not a reason to walk away automatically.

In many cases, these listings are where buyers find the strongest leverage.

How to Tell the Difference Between an Opportunity and a Problem

Not every home sitting on the market is a hidden gem. Some deserve to be skipped. The challenge is knowing which is which.

This is where working with an experienced local agent makes a real difference. A deeper review of disclosures, pricing history, and comparable sales can reveal whether a home was simply mispositioned—or whether there’s a reason buyers keep passing it over.

At The McClung Group, we help buyers look beyond surface-level signals. That means evaluating the why behind a listing’s time on market, not just reacting to the number of days.

Sometimes, what looks overlooked is actually underappreciated.

The Bottom Line

A home sitting on the market isn’t automatically a warning sign anymore. In today’s environment, it’s often just a reflection of changing conditions—and sometimes, it’s an opportunity hiding in plain sight.

If you want help identifying which homes are worth a second look (and which ones truly aren’t), schedule a call with The McClung Group. A strategic approach can make all the difference between missing out and buying smart in The Woodlands.

Call to Action

If you’re actively searching or just starting to explore your options, let’s talk through what’s really happening in today’s market—and how to use it to your advantage.
Schedule a call with The McClung Group to get clear, local guidance before you make your next move.