When you approach a lingering listing with a structured revival plan, Jimmy Burgess writes, sellers feel supported, buyers re-engage and momentum returns.
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If you’re wondering how to get a listing sold without immediately reducing the price, you’re not alone. As days on market continue to stretch and expired listings rise, many agents are asking themselves: What else can we do before dropping the price?
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The good news is this: Price is rarely the first lever you should pull. But it is often the final one. Between those two points is a series of strategic actions that can re-engage the market, rebuild seller confidence and create new momentum that leads to a sale.
What follows is a listing revival playbook with specific steps you can take to reposition a stale listing, attract fresh attention, and when needed, create a clear and logical bridge to a price improvement that sellers can actually understand.
Start with a full relaunch, not a tweak
When a listing sits, most agents make small adjustments and hope for a different result. That rarely works. What does work is treating the property like a brand-new listing.
The first place to start is the MLS description. If you haven’t changed it since the original marketing launch, buyers have already decided how they feel about it. This is where AI can be a powerful tool, not to replace judgment, but to improve clarity, flow and emotional connection.
Instead of listing features, the description should focus on lifestyle, buyer benefits and how the home lives. Once rewritten, everything else needs to follow: social posts, email marketing and any digital advertising should all reflect the new narrative.
This is also the moment to update visuals. Fresh photography, a digital floor plan or new angles can instantly reset buyer perception. The goal is simple: Give the market a reason to look again.
Use buyer incentives to change the math, not the price
One of the biggest objections buyers voice today is uncertainty, especially around rates and monthly payments. This is where incentives can outperform price reductions when used correctly.
A rate buydown, for example, can feel abstract unless it’s clearly explained. Breaking down what that incentive means in monthly savings, annual impact, and long-term value makes it tangible. In many cases, the perceived benefit is far greater than a modest price cut.
Beyond financing, think creatively. Offering to pay a year of HOA dues, covering landscaping or cleaning services, or contributing to closing costs can dramatically reduce friction for buyers, particularly first-time purchasers or investors.
The key is not generosity for its own sake. It’s strategic positioning that makes your listing stand out in a crowded field.
Pass the 5-second and 5-minute tests
First impressions still matter, perhaps more than ever. The five-second test was founded in the Harvard study from 1992 titled “The 30-Sec Sale: Using Thin-Slice Judgments to Evaluate Sales Effectiveness.” The study found that people make durable decisions within seconds, often before conscious reasoning even begins.
Buyers form their opinions about a home within the first five seconds of driving up to the home, usually before they even step inside. Improving the curb appeal, ensuring the home has a clean entry, fresh paint on the front door and small details like updated hardware can subconsciously shape how a buyer feels before the showing even begins.
The five-minute test happens as soon as they walk in the door. The lighting should be bright and welcoming. The entryway should feel open. Smell matters more than most agents want to admit. Clutter, personal items and visual distractions should be minimized so buyers can project themselves into the space.
These adjustments don’t require major renovations, but they can significantly alter emotional response and emotion drives offers.
Give the property a name and a personality
Homes sell faster when they feel memorable. Giving a listing a name, even informally, creates identity. Whether it’s “The Corner Lot Retreat,” “The Cul-de-Sac Classic,” or “The Walk-to-School Home,” naming a property gives buyers something to latch onto.
From there, take it one step further and give the house a voice. One of the most effective examples I’ve seen of this strategy was from Matt Lionetti. His video involved telling the home’s story from its own perspective. The video included the home introducing itself as “Benny.” By highlighting milestones, memories and moments that happened within its walls, this home came to life.
Here is the video:
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Don’t get overwhelmed with making it a production like he did in his video. This strategy doesn’t require elaborate production to be effective. A simple video walkthrough with a thoughtful voiceover can transform a standard tour into something emotionally resonant.
Buyers don’t remember square footage. They remember stories. And by bringing the home to life, your likelihood of securing a sale greatly increases.
Create 1-pagers that remove uncertainty
Confusion kills momentum. A simple one-page document can eliminate buyer hesitation by answering questions before they’re asked. For buyers, this means outlining true ownership costs, utilities, HOA fees, upgrades and overlooked features that add value.
For agents, it means clarity around incentives, showing instructions and seller expectations. The easier you make it for buyer agents to understand and present the home, the more likely it is to generate an offer.
When you make others look prepared, your listing benefits.
Turn a broker open house into an event
Traditional open houses still work, but events work better. Instead of hoping agents show up to your broker open house, give them a reason to prioritize your listing. Lifestyle-driven giveaways, sponsored by local partners like lenders or inspectors, can dramatically increase attendance.
Whether it’s tickets to a local event like a concert, a high-value restaurant gift card or a lifestyle gift like a paddleboard or electric bike, the goal is to create buzz and incentivize feedback. When agents walk through a home with intention, it stays top of mind.
Exposure plus engagement creates opportunity.
Expand distribution, not discounts
If a listing isn’t moving, ask yourself where it hasn’t been seen. Have you leveraged every social platform? Created a YouTube walkthrough? Have you sent a direct mail piece to neighbors? Highlighted it to your database? Tested a different story angle?
New channels bring new buyers. Fresh marketing creates fresh perception. Expansion should always come before discounting.
Address the one objection buyers keep repeating
Patterns matter. If feedback consistently points to the same issue, paint, layout, lighting or a specific upgrade, that’s valuable information. Sellers don’t have to act on it, but they deserve to hear it clearly and professionally.
Your role is not to protect feelings. It’s to provide clarity.
When it’s time, position the price improvement as a relaunch
Eventually, the price may need to change. The mistake many agents make is presenting it as failure instead of strategy. A price improvement, paired with a full relaunch, new copy, new visuals, new distribution and new incentives, reframes the conversation. It’s no longer “cutting the price.” It’s repositioning the home.
One simple line often changes everything. Tell the seller: “I’d rather negotiate and say ‘no’ to an offer than continue saying ‘no’ to silence.”
Price creates movement. Movement creates leverage.
The bottom line
Stale listings don’t need hope; they need action. When you approach a lingering listing with a structured revival plan instead of reactive decisions, sellers feel supported, buyers feel re-engaged and momentum returns.
Take control of the narrative. Refresh the strategy. And when the time comes, make the price adjustment when it makes sense. That’s how listings move from cold to sold.
Jimmy Burgess is the Chief Coaching Officer for HomeServices of America and President of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices. Connect with him on Instagram and LinkedIn.
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