It’s time. Stop avoiding the difficult conversations with your clients.
As the fall real estate market approaches, one truth is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore, homes that have been sitting on the market for months, some since 2024 and they need a pricing strategy reset. While sellers may still be clinging to last year’s valuations, the market has changed. For REALTORS®, this season presents a critical opportunity to have honest, data-driven conversations with seller clients. Adjusting listing prices is no longer just a suggestion, it’s a strategic necessity.
Having data and stats made available from your local MLS, Brokerage and Real Estate Board is crucial to prepare for these often difficult conversations. No sense in keeping listings around if they are not priced to sell, enough with the high hopes that someone will pay the price, they won’t.
Many properties that entered the market earlier in 2024 were priced based on outdated expectations from the post-pandemic boom. At the time, interest rates were high but still settling, and sellers believed that spring and summer would bring renewed buyer energy. But now, months later, listings that haven’t sold are becoming stale. Buyer sentiment has shifted dramatically due to affordability concerns, rising inventory, and more cautious financing conditions. As a result, pricing has become the most powerful, and often the only tool available to drive fresh interest.
REALTORS® are on the front lines of this shift. It’s not easy to go back to a seller who has been patient for months and tell them it’s time to cut the price. However, honesty backed by real-time market data is what builds trust and delivers results. Sellers are often emotionally tied to their asking price. They may have anchored their expectations to their neighbour’s sale in 2022 or early 2023 or to a headline they saw about record-high home prices. But real estate is hyperlocal and seasonal. What sold in the spring or last year is no longer a reliable benchmark.
To approach these conversations effectively, REALTORS® must come armed with clear, recent comparables. Use local sales data from the last 30 to 60 days, not six months ago, to show what buyers are actually paying today. Highlight the differences in time on market between homes that sold quickly and those still sitting. Visual tools like pricing charts, days-on-market comparisons, and buyer traffic reports can help illustrate the need for adjustment without making it personal. This shifts the narrative away from a seller’s perceived “loss” and toward a realistic, forward-looking strategy.
Equally important is helping sellers understand the consequences of inaction. A stale listing in the fall market is at risk of missing out on the last wave of serious buyers before winter slows everything down. As more inventory comes online and price reductions become more common, overpriced homes will be increasingly overlooked. The longer a property lingers, the more likely buyers are to assume something is wrong with it, even if it’s simply priced too high. By repositioning the home now with a more compelling price, sellers can capture renewed interest while competition is still manageable.
Messaging matters, too. When discussing price reductions, avoid language that sounds defeatist. Instead of saying, “We need to drop the price,” try, “Let’s reposition the property to align with where the market is today.” Use positive framing that emphasizes opportunity rather than loss. Remind sellers that the goal is not just to sell, but to move forward with their life plans, whether that means downsizing, relocating, or moving into their next home. The longer they wait, the more uncertain the path becomes.
REALTORS® should also leverage their marketing to support these conversations. If a price adjustment is made, relaunch the listing with fresh visuals, updated descriptions, and renewed promotion. This helps generate the “new listing” effect without actually starting over. Consider using language in your marketing that emphasizes value: “Now priced to sell,” “Exceptional value in today’s market,” or “Motivated seller, bring your offer.” These phrases signal to buyers and agents alike that the property is worth a second look.
This fall, timing is everything. The window to re-engage buyers before the market slows for the holidays is short. Sellers who act now and adjust their pricing strategy have a real chance to stand out in a crowded landscape. Those who don’t risk carrying their listings through a slower winter market, possibly facing even lower offers down the line.
As a REALTOR® your role is more important than ever. Sellers are looking to you not just for listings, but for leadership. They need guidance, facts, and a strategy rooted in the current reality, not wishful thinking. Having the courage to lead these conversations now can be the difference between a sold sign and another month of uncertainty.
Call to Action
If you’re working with sellers whose properties have been sitting on the market, now is the time to step up and lead with clarity and conviction. Revisit your listings. Reassess the data. Reignite the conversation. Help your clients make smart, timely pricing decisions that align with today’s market, because the fall market won’t wait, and neither should they.
