Get It Sold Before the End of the Year: Why You Must Act Now (and How to Do It)
By Sean Moudry
We’re in the fourth quarter… the final stretch of the year. I just evaluated our listing inventory and our brokerage (Keller Williams Advantage) has 186 active listings! That’s 186 opportunities waiting to be unlocked… and 186 families waiting for results.
Here’s the hard truth: Every property that isn’t under contract by mid-November is at serious risk of sitting through the holidays or worse… rolling into 2026 as stale inventory. Let’s talk about what’s happening, why it matters, and exactly what we can do today to get our listings sold before the year ends.
The Data: What’s Really Going On
When I analyzed our recent pendings, the numbers were striking. Homes that sold quickly averaged 24 days on market and needed just a small 1–2% price adjustment. The slow movers sat an average of 149 days and took cuts of 5% or more, with some dropping by 33% before attracting offers.
This isn’t a pricing problem… it’s a strategy problem. Today, our active listings tell a similar story: the average listing has been on the market 115 days, nearly half are over 90 days old, and one-third have already reduced price by more than 5%. In total, nearly $3.9 million in commission income is sitting untapped.
“Every extra week a listing sits costs your sellers equity—and costs you opportunity.”
Lead with Service, Not Sales
Each listing represents a family that put their trust in you. When you refresh a listing, adjust pricing, or have a tough conversation, you’re not chasing a commission… You’re honoring the trust they put in you!
Sellers want agents who lead with clarity, not excuses. When you bring confidence, data, and honesty to every appointment, you not only move inventory, you will build relationships that will fuel your business for years! Here’s how to do it.
The Market Reality
Many agents believe buyers vanish during the holidays. They don’t—they just get more selective. Interest rates have stabilized, but buyer fatigue is real. Inventory is climbing, competition is fierce, and buyers are laser-focused on value and presentation.
If your listings look tired, overpriced, or out of sync with what’s selling, they’re invisible. Buyers scroll past them on Zillow and Redfin assuming something’s wrong. The listings that feel fresh and relevant are the ones getting shown, toured, and sold.
The market doesn’t reward patience… It rewards precision!
Why You Must Act Now
If your listings aren’t under contract by the first week of December, they’ll likely sit through Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s. Once January hits, new listings flood the market and yours look stale by comparison.
Buyers assume that homes on the market for more than 120 days have “issues.” Every 30 extra days costs your seller another 1–2% in price reductions. Waiting doesn’t create demand… it destroys urgency.
If this is your listing… Now is the time to pivot, reprice, and re-energize.
Reassess the Pricing Strategy
If your listing has been active for more than 45 days without an offer, the market has spoken. Start by analyzing micro-market data. Review the Active and Pending listings from the same neighborhood, same school district, same price range, and show your seller the difference between what’s selling and what’s sitting.
Price for the market that’s coming, not the one that’s past. A small shift, like moving from $755,000 to $749,000, can open your listing to a whole new audience of buyers. And remember: a 2% correction now is far less painful than a 10% drop three months later.
“You’re not cutting the price, you’re protecting their equity.”
Refresh the Marketing (and the Energy)
After 4-6 weeks, even the best listings fade into the background. Photos go stale, copy becomes invisible, and online algorithms stop prioritizing the listing. It’s time for a relaunch.
Replace your lead image with something bold, like a twilight shot, a bright kitchen, or a lifestyle photo that draws attention. Add a short walkthrough video or social reel and push it out across platforms. Rework your open houses into events by inviting the neighbors, creating energy, and use it as a networking magnet.
And rewrite your description. Don’t list features… Sell the story about the lifestyle!
Reposition the Stale Listings
For homes sitting 60+ days, it’s time for a complete reset. Update the visuals, shift the price slightly, and reintroduce it with a fresh image.
Add incentives. Seller-paid rate buydowns, home warranties, or flexible terms can reignite interest and watch showing traffic pick up almost instantly.
Understand What’s at Stake
Our active listings represent nearly $3.9 million in potential income. If just half of those go under contract before year-end, that’s an incredible momentum boost for our agents heading into the slower month of January.
“The question isn’t whether to act. The question is: how much longer can you afford not to?”
Reignite Seller Motivation
I get it… It’s not the home that’s stuck, it’s the seller’s mindset. Lead with data, not emotion. Show them that listings sold within 30 days average a 2% reduction, while those that linger 60 days or longer sell for 5–10% less! Then ask: “Would you rather sell for 98% now or 90% later?”
Sellers respect confidence backed by facts. They want a professional who leads them through uncertainty, not one who avoids tough conversations.
Build a 60-Day Game Plan
Time is now your biggest leverage. Start by reviewing all listings older than 30 days and identifying your “at-risk” properties. Within the next week, hold a strategy meeting with your sellers to address pricing, marketing, or a withdrawal-and-relaunch plan for next year (Get an Listing extension if needed).
Then roll out a coordinated “Fall Price Improvement” campaign across your email and social platforms. Relaunch with fresh photos and headlines like “Price Improved!” or “New Fall Opportunity.” Host a high-energy Open House Blitz before Thanksgiving, and close out the year with creative campaigns like “Move In By Christmas.”
Every day from here to the end of the year counts!
The Bottom Line
Agents who act boldly and strategically now, will clear their pipeline, boost their income, and start January with a clean slate. Those who hesitate will drag the same listings into Q1, fighting to regain lost momentum.
We can’t control the market, but we can control how we show up in it. Every refreshed photo, every price adjustment, every new conversation with a seller is one step closer to turning potential into profit.
If you’re ready to design your personalized 30-Day Listing Conversion Plan, schedule a private strategy session with me. Together, we’ll analyze your listings, pinpoint opportunities, and map out a plan to get them under contract before December 31.
👉Schedule your consultation today… let’s move from stuck to SOLD!
